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Kids playing your machine 😖

C

chris platt

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10 Years
Joined
Jan 21, 2014
Messages
342
Location
north west
Not been in this position before but how do you cope letting young kids on your machine … do you grit your teeth as each ball drains for hours on end , do you limit time for them or keep them well away ? Or do they pick it up quick and shouldn’t worry . Not had a pin for years but not looking forward to the politics when one lands …. Bump Metallica pro 😄
 
As Steve said... hope they take interest.

Pinball is a game, games are supposed to be played by all.

Flipping the button isn't going to do nothing to the machine.

Feel that strongly don't get one or spend some time with said children and teach them what its all about
 
Kids are into everything, until they aren't
Don't have any expectations, if they play let them play. If they don't, don't force it
 
Echo all the above. They are games and games are to be played.

Kids are kids. Set some ground rules and be happy that they want to play these pins and cabs.
 
These machines were in pubs and places where much worse can happen to them. My kid and my nieces and nephews have played them all their lives. The friends who come over for birthday parties are also left to play them.
Some are obsessed with them and others walk away quickly. Expect to find a lot of four player games abandoned.
 
Before they start playing, reset the high score tables to as low as possible.
Them getting to enter their names on the high score is a goal for them.

If you get a newer machine with Insider Connect, set them up an account so they can track their progress.

But mainly, just let them get on with it. If they take to it, they'll soon be asking how to get better scores or how to get a multi ball. Don't try and force them into it.

I've seen plenty of kids through the years who have come to league meets with their parents, some continue to play, others drift away in to other hobbies.
 
Their shorter height is often an advantage as they can see shots where I simply can’t.

Rules/tactics take longer to grasp for a lot of them unless they are quite obsessive.

Games such as AFM and WCS with clear targets used to do well at my kids parties. Met Pro has a far less obvious rule set but Sparky is an obvious thing to bash so might be fine.
 
My mate bought his kids round once, the pins survived but I painted the wall afterwards due to loads of greasy KFC finger marks all over it 😂
They’ve not been invited back 🤷🏼‍♂️
 
There probably show zero interest after a day. My kids and there friends zero interest.

Put longer ball saves and make it easier to try and peak there interest, theme and hardness will put them off.

Pinball is like marmite whilst we think everyone will love it the reality is most don't
 
My kids and their friends always played the machines, big hit for birthday parties. Short of having the pins sit with abandoned games (which I hate even though it obviously does no harm) nothing ever happened. As @Calimori said, they were built for pubs and arcades, not home use. Kids will have a hard time doing lasting damage to them.
 
i just let them play... it's a commercial grade machine and built pretty well... everyoen loives a go.. and for a few it really sticks... 3 kids.. once of them now SUPER into pinball because i just let them go and learn buy doing...
 
I remember I went to Gravity once years ago. They had a Beatles pinball machine on freeplay (I’m guessing by accident). There were a bunch of kids who had worked out it was on freeplay and it only took less than an hour to break the flippers 🙄.
 
Last edited:
Chris P said:
I remember I went to Gravity once years ago. They had a Beatles pinball machine on freeplay (I’m guessing by accident). There were a bunch of kids who had worked out it was on freeplay and it only took less than an hour to break the flippers 🙄.
Click to expand...
And that’s what scares me … still looking forward to playing again
 
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