Do you still find MAACA useful?

[Azatotht]

Please answer this poll.

Feel free to post any comments or suggestions in this thread as well as I am currently debating what to do.

Unlike Facebook groups, you are allowed to give your opinion without being told to shut up and getting your post deleted

*crickets*

[Steph]

I login almost every day.

I don't participate as much as I use to, but I catch-up on all the "gossip" daily,
and most often use it to post stuff for sale.

I still find it a very useful resource.

Thanks to everyone who keeps it alive.

I think it's time for another donation...

Steph

[Steph]

What ?

[Azatotht]

I haven't been using my Paypal account much lately

Thanks for pointing it out, I needed to validate my identity, should be back working in a few days.

** It's already fixed, fastest identity review ever. Thanks again Steph.

[Steph]

That's Better !

[Sparky]

I don't read much anymore, and my time has passed in the hobby, but I can chime in.

Useful? Yes. But I find that people are timid now. There needs to be new people posting, instead of merely lurking. It would be nice to see new participation. The site is approaching 4000 members, and the info is great, but there needs to be a new infusion.

Just a thought... but in 2010, when we migrated to the newer platform, the old one was merely archived. There were grumblings at first, but the site then exploded in activity.

It's been 15 years. Maybe it is time to archive this one, and start fresh.

New threads. New info. New vision. New interest. Make what is old, new again.

People say Facebook took over discussions years ago... Well, with what is happening on FB, people are slowly leaving the meta-mega-platforms. Maybe it is time for MAACA 3.0. Leave the classifieds for FB, Kijiji and all that crap. Make MAACA like it was. People around a campfire, drink in hand, talking about games and such. All with the original mission of the site.

Help people out, and make it fun.

Thoughts?

[Steph]

Maybe it is time for MAACA 3.0. Leave the classifieds for FB, Kijiji and all that crap.

The operative word there is "CRAP" !

I'm not on FB, or any other social media ; it's all garbage
(...hell, I don't even own a cell phone ! ).

At least on MAACA, people understand the hobby .
no one would try to sell an ARCADE 1UP as a real game for $2000 ! (...I hope ! )

---

I would keep the site pretty much as is.

Thanks,
Steph

[cait001]

I left Meta when they changed their official policies that to say it's specifically okay to harass LGBTQ people and immigrants, but not anyone else.
I've definitely been waning on pinside.
I don't know what the future holds.

[mrmikeman]

I think the hobby has also changed a bit. 15-20 years ago you could still find projects and learn to fix stuff. Seems like the new influx of pinheads are only interested in buying newish or restored games and no desire to learn how to repair them. Makes discussions a bit bland TBH.

They only want quick fixes as answers. Troubleshooting is the big part of the work. They don’t seem to get that. Changing a part is the easy part and this is all they are interested in it seems. This is a general observation and obviously there are exceptions.

[hyann]

Not really active anymore in the hobby, still have project sleeping but not fixing stuff anymore, the parts I loved the most... probably should sell all my stuff too but I'm not ready, still hope to find moment to sitdown and relaxing fixing an old EM machine or finishing my Taxi lol.
But even If i'm not logging each day, Maaca still on my web 'routine' checking for news about all the great peoples I met in the past... I forgot a lot of machine but not you

[Guard]

I'm out of area and I check it 5 or 6 times a day...

I know his threads got deleted but here is our Chinese friend trying to sell his DE King Kong on a US FB forum.
Getting roasted as it should....

(Wouldn't attach pic)

[Azatotht]

(Wouldn't attach pic)

Trying to investigate this but I need help, would anyone having problems uploading pictures send a few non-working ones to me please ?

Please do not embed them in the email because they will lose their properties, just include them as an attachment or zip and send them.

[Guard]

(Wouldn't attach pic)

Trying to investigate this but I need help, would anyone having problems uploading pictures send a few non-working ones to me please ?

Please do not embed them in the email because they will lose their properties, just include them as an attachment or zip and sens them.

Its attached now.....something worked.

[Pinballin']

Yes, MAACA is still useful. I lurk on the forums at least once a day to find out what is going on locally pinball wise. My friend and I like playing pinball and will probably never have our own at home so it's nice to know when and where we can go to get our pinball fix. If it weren't for MAACA, I wouldn't know about the events that you guys put on. The Canadian Pinball Museum is another good example. I knew this place was being worked on and it was all quiet for the longest time and then I see an announcement of its grand opening.

[Azatotht]

I am glad to see that we still have some people around.

I'll keep doing my best to keep this online for now, don't be shy to start new topics.

Oh here's a hint, when starting a new topic, especially a for sale ad, add at least 1 image or Youtube link to the post. I have fixed the social networks sharing in order to show an image related to the post instead of just the generic MAACA logo (the logo will still be used if no picture is available).

New posts are automatically shared on Facebook, X and BlueSky and having a related image is more engaging.

[Steph]

New posts are automatically shared on Facebook, X and BlueSky and having a related image is more engaging.

Cool.

But what about us Neanderthals who don't subscribe to any social media ?

Can someone on FB, who's not a MAACA member be able to reach me ?

I like the market reach that FB has , but I'll never sign up.

LMK
Thanks

[Azatotht]

Yes Steph because it is only a title, an image and a direct link to the thread. This is to bring people here.

Like this:

[Zak Rose]

A while ago my favorite add block testing site went down.

Now I use MAACA to test my Pi Hole service approx once a week.

[Azatotht]

A while ago my favorite add block testing site went down.

Now I use MAACA to test my Pi Hole service approx once a week.

Thanks, your support always been appreciated, what would MAACA be without a complain

[Steph]

Now I use MAACA to test my Pi Hole service approx once a week.

I did not know that this was actually an ad blocker.

When I read your post the first time, I had a COMPLETELY different interpretation of what you were saying.

... and my version was WAY funnier !



Steph

[Guard]

Now I use MAACA to test my Pi Hole

And I says "Pardon???"

[Chris Silver]

I come back now again for a sense of home. I miss how lively it used to be and how we were a connected community.

There was a lot of content between pinball, personal lives and side tangent content threads.

We had a lot of hard-core collectors. There was a strong sense of community and even family. Understandably like anywhere there was always dicks, but it was OK. It was part of how life is.

There was a lot more passion and I think a lot of people filled their nostalgia bucket and moved on from pinball. Many new people filling this spaces but it’s different and not much in an old man’s forum anymore.

Most of the barn finds have been found, the reimports imported, resources and parts are easier to find and fabricate. Personally, I’ve hunted down and found all of the games I wanted, and the thrill of the hunt has died. The days of picking up a buddy, grabbing Tim Hortons, and driving in three hours to pick up a shitbox have faded.

Geester’s gone, Mad Titan doesn’t make shows anymore, Warlok and RAB’s philosophical stories have vanished, Mr. Hide doesn’t have questionable replies, Monkeybugs wit is absent, Mindstorm is off the grid, Sylvain doesn’t have as many people looking for troubleshooting advice and the list goes on.

For some reason the old crowd fractured and stay in their clicks. Gone are the days where everyone associated on a grand scale.

There still are moments here and I enjoy popping in to see what’s up.

[Azatotht]

Thanks Chris, that post was perfect, what a fun ride it was !

[Sparky]

...There was a lot of content between pinball, personal lives and side tangent content threads.

We had a lot of hard-core collectors. There was a strong sense of community and even family...

There was a lot more passion and I think a lot of people filled their nostalgia bucket and moved on from pinball. Many new people filling this spaces but it’s different and not much in an old man’s forum anymore.

For some reason the old crowd fractured and stay in their clicks. Gone are the days where everyone associated on a grand scale.

I believe the issue is partly due to little content from new hardcore collectors. And it's not just here. I see it on Pinside and Facebook. Pinside is still mostly the old-school collectors hanging on, and arguing. LOL. And I find content on Facebook to be thin, at best. They are 99.9% classified ads. So, without any new perspectives, things tend to stagnate. Same at work. Everyone retires at some point. But if new people don't jump in, it gets quiet.

I am not 100% on board with the nostalgia bucket being filled, but I agree it is a factor. I think that the nostalgia flame gets extinguished pretty damn quick when the crazy prices of games today come into play. Budgets are getting tighter for many.

In 2005, most b-list DMD games hovered around the 1800$ mark. 2750$ if adjusted to today's inflation. And a very nice SS pin was around 1000$... 1500$ in today's money. But the averages today are 50% over those numbers for the same pins. Even 75+% in other cases. It makes people think twice. I also believe that this is a reason why people don't bring machines to shows as much anymore, and it's quite understandable. And it happens to all hobbies. I went through this with classic cars prior to pinball. When prices started to climb, most of the old-school collectors moved on. Most sellers sell their rusty, dead boat anchors for auction prices. You can thank the Marketplaces, Kijijis and auction sites of the world. All about the money. Same in pinball. Resellers have taken over and now dictate the market. Meh, it is what it is.

In my case, I don't buy games anymore. I play vids on mame, and it suits me fine. I have a few old consoles as well, which I thoroughly enjoy. If I want to play pinball, I just go to an arcade now, play a few games, and I am satisfied.

[cait001]

Most of the barn finds have been found, the reimports imported, resources and parts are easier to find and fabricate. Personally, I’ve hunted down and found all of the games I wanted, and the thrill of the hunt has died. The days of picking up a buddy, grabbing Tim Hortons, and driving in three hours to pick up a shitbox have faded.

I want to highlight this paragraph, as it is also a major reason things have shifted with pinball.
When I joined maaca the reimports were slowing down and eventually most of the solid state games had been adopted as projects or parted out.
Stern was the only real game in town.
The hobbyist repair/restore side has shrunk as projects dried up and the NIB market has exploded as pinball entered a new golden age.

I hope the newcomers to the hobby can catch a bit of the excitement the rest of us found in regards to bringing old basket cases back to life and playing like a dream.