20 years already...

[Sparky]

Was reminiscing with Dave W this morning as I wait for my eye injection (fun times....).

It has been over 20 years since the birth of maaca.

It all started with this post on rec.games.pinball:

https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.p ... dWHVPT608J

And here is the post after the first meeting

https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.p ... HzQEpp-k0J

I changed my nickname from Moonlit Knight (tribute to Genesis song) to Sparky after the guys kept laughing at me getting electrocuted all the time. Lol.

Good times over 20 years. No regrets! And still many more to go.

Any memories you wanna share? Lol

Ian

[Azatotht]

Wow, that post on RGP has to be the best thing that happened to me.

I was literally the first MAACA member when the forum went online and if I remember well, I was part of the second meeting at JD's.

Sparky even picked me up and then we went to his place where I drooled over his Flash Gordon and his non-working Alien Poker project.

The rest is history, they came over to my place to get my first machine in the basement (Lights Camera Action), we picked up a Time Warp in Sherbrooke and we shopped it together, John, Vic and I (well mostly them LOL).

[mrmikeman]

How about a Sparky memory from 18 years ago?

Apologies for the potato cam footage but it was hightech at the time lol.

https://youtu.be/QQHMa6JD5KI

[Sparky]

How about a Sparky memory from 18 years ago?

Apologies for the potato cam footage but it was hightech at the time lol.

https://youtu.be/QQHMa6JD5KI

Ahh... the video that will never die. Lol. Allentown 2005. 8 beers deep, playing a dance machine just before the arcade owner's wife grabbed my ass. Lol

[Azatotht]

MAACA meeting at MrHide's, January 2006 !

[cait001]

I'm a young'un, I've only been here since 2012.

[Mrhide]

Serait le temps de faire un party 20 ans… j’ai même la dance dance pour refaire le video de sparky!

Next Friday?

[tartagliag]

How about a Sparky memory from 18 years ago?

Apologies for the potato cam footage but it was hightech at the time lol.

https://youtu.be/QQHMa6JD5KI

Ahh... the video that will never die. Lol. Allentown 2005. 8 beers deep, playing a dance machine just before the arcade owner's wife grabbed my ass. Lol

That was Denise, Feu Paul's ex-wife!

tartagliag

[Azatotht]

Serait le temps de faire un party 20 ans… j’ai même la dance dance pour refaire le video de sparky!

Next Friday?

Si ca se concrétise je suis partant

[tartagliag]

Best moment was in Chicago with Mr. Hide….hiding under the table to sleep with a bunch of perverts! Ahahah!

Tartagliag

[TwilightZone]

Incredible! Where does the time go? I jumped on way back. Congrats to everyone that has been involved in running and maintaining MAACA!

[Mrhide]

Best moment was in Chicago with Mr. Hide….hiding under the table to sleep with a bunch of perverts! Ahahah!

Tartagliag

Haha holy crap !! Nice one!

[dos.reboot]

I met a bunch of you at metvet's and then Allentown in 2007 through MAACA. Wow it's been some time.

[Mindstorm88]

Ho boy,ca nous rajeuni pas, la plupart de vous tous sortait de l école, pas d enfants etc...

[TopTierArcade]

MAACA meeting at MrHide's, January 2006 !

That's great!! Congrats on 20 years!

[TopTierArcade]

I'm a young'un, I've only been here since 2012.

Same, I started in the hobby in 2012. I can just imagine how low the prices were back then...

[mrmikeman]

I'm a young'un, I've only been here since 2012.

Same, I started in the hobby in 2012. I can just imagine how low the prices were back then...

It was a time where projects were in really poor condition but were priced accordingly. EMs were often free as long as the buyer arranged all the logistics. "Just want it out of the house!"

T2 was about 1200$, DM or TFTC were around 1500$. SS games were mostly under 1000$. I picked up games like Galaxy and Meteor for around 250-300$.

The expensive ones were MB at around 5-6k, AFM at around 8k, and Medieval Madness was the pinnacle and was $10k. Medvet had the only MM in the region AFAIK.

My first sys 11 was High Speed and cost 500$ (fully working of course) but routed and worn.

I was also a time when you had to learn board repair. You couldn't just buy replacements. This is why the hobby had limited appeal at that time. Oh, and all games smelled like an ashtray.

The biggest change is the focus on esthetics. We weren't collecting show pieces, just working games that were meant to be played. Now it's all about playfield dimples and shooter lane wear, which I find utterly ridiculous. I'm too old lol.

[medvet]

Wow. I'm feeling old now lol. I remember when we expanded to Ottawa area and held a party at my place. Had to upgrade electric in a 200 yr old house. 2000 SQ feet upstairs and finished basement running 50 or so games at the time. 80+ people showed up. It was a blast! Miss those days of regular get togethers just to have fun, play and visit around the diner booth. And MrMikeman, yep that was the first MM in the area. Played it at a TO arcade before I knew pinball and fell in love with it. Had that one imported from Germany and then poolman overhauled and restored including a new cab because German bar cigarette smell never leaves no matter how many air fresheners you put in the game!!

[Mrhide]

The expensive ones were MB at around 5-6k, AFM at around 8k, and Medieval Madness was the pinnacle and was $10k.

what are you talking about?!
AFM was 3000$ back then ... and i sold it 3700 The gaucho special from Jeremy's container from south america ...

Medieval was 6000$.

[Azatotht]

Same, I started in the hobby in 2012. I can just imagine how low the prices were back then...

What a 10K collection looked like back then:

Now you're lucky if you can get one of these games for that price

Oh and my son is now 21

[cait001]

killer lineup

[Ricker]

Well for me it has been only 15 years with MAACA. I guess I am a junior. Glad I joined 1 day after I bought my first pin which I still enjoy to this day - Close Encounters of the Third Kind! I enjoy reading about the new pins, repair advice and friends I made along the way. I lurk more nowadays but I am glad to be a part of this community that you created!

Ricker

[frosken]

...and I found pictures in my archives of the first MAACA meeting in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. October 2005!!!

It is unfortunate that I can't attach the pics (gives me an error...must be too old LOL).

Time flies...