# Episode 1110: "My JAWS 50th Feelings" **Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed) **Type:** podcast_episode **Published:** 2025-07-03 **Duration:** 26m 20s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-1110-my-133214851 --- ## Analysis Kaneda delivers a lengthy, personal critique of Stern's Jaws 50th Anniversary machine, praising its thematic fidelity to the original movie poster while harshly condemning the red armor design as aesthetically incoherent. He expresses frustration with Stern's product strategy, particularly the decision to outfit the Premium edition with superior sparkle playfields and wire forms compared to the LE, creating collectible hierarchy tension and perceived FOMO manipulation. The episode pivots into broader commentary on community entitlement, manufacturer accountability, and the loss of childhood wonder in a hobby increasingly dominated by wealthy, overstimulated collectors. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Jaws 50th's Ellie translight is inspired by (but not identical to) the original Jaws movie poster, with the shark and logo underwater and sky at top — _Kaneda, analyzing the translight design directly_ - [HIGH] Stern added sparkle playfields to Jaws 50th Premium (and previously to Elvira Blood Kiss Edition), making Premium playfields superior to LE playfields — _Kaneda, discussing new playfield features and precedent_ - [MEDIUM] Jaws 50th will only be made during the 50th anniversary year of Jaws (2025) and will not continue into 2026, per George Gomez's selective language — _Kaneda, interpreting Gomez's FOMO-generating statements_ - [MEDIUM] Stern can manufacture 800 games per week, creating capacity to produce far more Jaws 50th units than claimed limited availability suggests — _Kaneda, speculating on manufacturing capacity and inventory strategy_ - [MEDIUM] Recent Jaws code update made it too easy to reach the final Jaws wizard mode in 10-20 minutes by bashing the chum bucket — _Kaneda, reporting community complaints about wizard mode accessibility_ - [MEDIUM] Batman 66 machines at the factory launch was the last time Stern achieved a 'wow' moment that generated genuine excitement — _Kaneda, offering personal retrospective opinion on Stern's recent creative track record_ - [LOW] The pinball community has become predominantly composed of voices from the last 4-5 years (newer/post-COVID buyers), whom Stern prioritizes — _Kaneda, commenting on community composition shifts and manufacturer incentives_ - [HIGH] Jersey Jack always gives CEs nicer playfields than Premium editions, contrasting with Stern's new approach — _Kaneda, comparing manufacturer tier strategies_ - [MEDIUM] Harry Potter pinball uses AI-generated artwork and has a topper that looks poorly designed — _Kaneda, critiquing recent Harry Potter release_ - [HIGH] Kaneda has not received a 40% raise in five years while pinball machines have become 40% more expensive, contributing to community criticism — _Kaneda, personal financial observation justifying critical stance_ ### Notable Quotes > "It's hideous. It just looks bad. I think it's a dead horse now. No one's really liking it." > — **Kaneda**, ~mid-episode > _Summary of consensus community sentiment on red armor design_ > "How do you have all these people over at Stern? How do you have Zombietti leading the creative department? How are these people not seeing what we see?" > — **Kaneda**, ~mid-episode > _Direct criticism of Stern's creative leadership and aesthetic judgment_ > "When you start highlighting a little hologram sticker as something special you're going to get, to me, that's like the ultimate moment. You have lost the narrative." > — **Kaneda**, ~late-episode > _Critique of Stern's ability to generate excitement and perceived cheapening of marketing messaging_ > "They're not connected to what the home buyer wants and they don't have a strategy for it." > — **Kaneda**, ~late-episode > _Core indictment of Stern's market understanding and product strategy_ > "We've got so many great games over the years that every time a new game comes out now, we're looking at it with our bellies full." > — **Kaneda**, ~late-episode > _Philosophical diagnosis of community entitlement and over-saturation_ > "If you grabbed one of your friends from the outside world and said, hey, look at Jaws 50th, what do you think? They'd be like, oh, cool, a new pinball machine. Then you grab someone from the community and they're like, this sucks." > — **Kaneda**, ~late-episode > _Contrast between casual and community perception, highlighting community dysfunction_ > "The reason why I haven't had a 40% raise in the last five years, everything's gotten more expensive, pinball machines are now 40% more expensive. That's going to put everybody in a really cranky mood." > — **Kaneda**, end-of-episode > _Socioeconomic context for justified consumer criticism_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Kaneda | person | Host of Kaneda's Pinball Podcast; primary analyst and critic in this episode; major community voice on pinball design and industry trends | | George Gomez | person | Stern Pinball designer/representative referenced for selective language around Jaws 50th availability and FOMO creation | | Zombietti | person | Leading Stern's creative department; criticized by Kaneda for aesthetic direction and decision-making on Jaws 50th design | | Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; primary subject of critique for product strategy, design decisions, creative leadership, and market disconnection | | Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Competitor manufacturer known for offering superior playfields on CE editions compared to Premium tiers | | Spooky Pinball | company | Newer manufacturer mentioned as beneficiary of community support during early growth phase | | Jaws 50th | game | Stern's 50th anniversary pinball machine based on Jaws film; main subject of episode; features red armor design, sparkle playfields on Premium tier, contested aesthetic choices | | Jaws LE | game | Original Limited Edition Jaws machine; community concern about whether 50th anniversary edition would devalue LE ownership | | Harry Potter | game | Recent Stern release criticized for AI-generated artwork, poor topper design, expensive unlimited run, and buried movie modes | | Guns N' Roses | game | Recent Stern release used by Kaneda as case study in game philosophy and how player expectations shape enjoyment | | Batman 66 | game | Reference point for Stern's last 'wow' moment; multiple editions wheeled out at factory; cited as peak creative achievement in recent Stern history | | Evil Dead | game | Recent Spooky Pinball release by Christopher Franchi; praised as example of contemporary design excellence without negative community reception | | Elvira Blood Kiss Edition | game | Stern precedent for sparkle playfield implementation; Premium edition feature that predates Jaws 50th | | Lord of the Rings | game | Reference for wizard mode accessibility philosophy; Kaneda notes ability to reach end modes without requiring marathon games | | Jocelyn Lee | person | Artist known for hand-drawn illustrated pinball artwork praised by Kaneda for aesthetic execution and edge-to-edge design philosophy | | Christopher Franchi | person | Designer of Evil Dead; cited as example of designer receiving no negative community feedback on recent work | | John Papaduke | person | Designer/manufacturer from pinball history; referenced as recipient of early community investment ($16k for empty cabinet) despite unproven track record | | IFPA | organization | Implicit reference through tournament and competitive context discussions | | Pinside | organization | Online pinball community forum; Kaneda references threads discussing Jaws 50th playfield swaps among LE owners | ### Topics - **Primary:** Jaws 50th design aesthetics and artwork, Red armor design criticism and visual impact, Stern product tiering strategy and playfield differentiation, LE vs Premium collector hierarchy and FOMO dynamics, Stern creative leadership and market strategy, Community entitlement and expectation management - **Secondary:** Jaws code update and wizard mode accessibility, Guns N' Roses game design philosophy and player expectations ### Sentiment **Negative** (-0.72) — Kaneda is heavily critical of Stern's Jaws 50th design decisions (red armor, playfield tiering, FOMO strategy) and broader creative/leadership direction. However, he balances this with broader philosophical reflection on community dysfunction, acknowledging shared responsibility for negativity. He praises specific design elements (translight accuracy, sparkle implementation) and expresses empathy for manufacturer challenges. The episode's emotional arc moves from frustration to resignation to calls for industry reset, ending with personal financial grievance as contextual justification for criticism. Overall tone: disappointed, exasperated, but measured. ### Signals - **[design_philosophy]** Kaneda articulates detailed critique of how Jaws 50th's red armor frame interrupts the original movie poster's white skyline at the cabinet's angled top, creating visual incoherence specific to 3D cabinet geometry rather than 2D poster art (confidence: high) — Detailed technical explanation of how cabinet angles disrupt the horizon line and why Jersey Jack's hand-drawn approach works better because it extends to edges - **[product_strategy]** Stern has introduced playfield quality differentiation between LE and Premium tiers for Jaws 50th (sparkle playfields, brass-plated wire forms on Premium), reversing historical practice where LE commands higher price without tier-based component differences (confidence: high) — Direct comparison to Jersey Jack's CE strategy; acknowledgment that this forces LE owners to desire upgrade components; Kaneda notes this precedent with Elvira Blood Kiss Edition - **[collector_signal]** LE owners are discussing playfield/wire form swaps between their machines and Premium 50th editions, indicating perceived value inversion and desire to upgrade existing machines (confidence: high) — Kaneda cites Pinside threads documenting owners wanting to swap components, re-box premium, and return old playfield - **[sentiment_shift]** Widespread community frustration with Stern's lack of transparency on product roadmaps, leading to FOMO-driven pricing and buyer regret when anniversary/remaster versions release (confidence: high) — Kaneda's call for Stern to announce all planned variants upfront; reference to community concerns about overpaying for original LE if reissues are planned - **[code_update]** Recent Jaws code update made final wizard mode (Jaws battle) accessible in 10-20 minutes via chum bucket grinding and multiball timeout strategy, creating community debate over whether iconic moments should require marathon gameplay (confidence: medium) — Kaneda reports community complaints about ease of access; contrasts with preference for longer games like Jurassic Park; references similar design philosophy on Lord of the Rings - **[industry_signal]** Kaneda directly questions competence of Stern's creative department (specifically naming Zombietti) for design choices that contradict excellence achieved by peer designers like Christopher Franchi and Jocelyn Lee (confidence: medium) — Explicit comparison of Jaws 50th negative reception to universally praised Evil Dead and Ghostbusters LE; incredulous questioning of how Stern's team didn't recognize design flaws - **[community_signal]** Kaneda diagnoses shift in community from supportive/optimistic (early Spooky, early JJP acceptance despite unproven products) to cynical/entitled (wealthy collectors overstimulated by abundance, seeking fault rather than engagement) (confidence: high) — Extended philosophical section contrasting willingness to invest in John Papaduke's empty cabinet vs. current destruction of games; reference to $16k community investment in unproven designer - **[market_signal]** Stern's highlighting of '50 cent hologram sticker' as a feature in marketing represents loss of ability to generate excitement through meaningful features, indicating desperation in value communication (confidence: high) — Kaneda's incredulous commentary on hologram sticker as promotional highlight; framed as 'ultimate moment' of lost narrative control - **[product_concern]** Red armor on Jaws 50th creates visual discontinuity with the translight's white skyline; Kaneda notes armor color options (white, blue, brass) were tested but all fail due to fundamental angle/geometry problem with cabinet design (confidence: high) — Detailed analysis of why armor frame interrupts skyline at cabinet's angled top; request for someone to comp brass-plated armor option; acknowledgment that no color fully solves the design problem - **[manufacturing_signal]** Stern can manufacture 800 games per week, creating massive capacity buffer that undermines 'limited to 2025' claims about Jaws 50th availability (confidence: medium) — Kaneda speculates that despite stated annual limitation, 5,000 units could easily be produced and stockpiled for future sales to newer collectors unfamiliar with FOMO narrative - **[business_signal]** Kaneda calls for Stern to hire new CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to implement strategic reset on product communication, transparency, and community engagement (confidence: low) — Explicit statement: 'If I'm the new CMO over at Stern, they need a reset'; suggests Stern lacks strategic direction and market understanding - **[licensing_signal]** Community speculation exists about potential Batman 66 anniversary edition; Kaneda argues Stern should proactively announce such plans to prevent collector regret and secondary market manipulation (confidence: low) — Kaneda's hypothetical: 'If you're going to make a batman 66 anniversary game let people know now'; frames transparency as benefit to prevent overpaying on original LE --- ## Transcript I got bills, I gotta pay, so I'm gonna work, work, work every day. I got mouths, I gotta feed, so I'm gonna make sure everybody eats. Sit up, sit up, sit up, sit up, sit up, sit up, sit up. Welcome to Gannettis Pinball Podcast. It is out, the 50th anniversary of Jaws Pinball. And OMG, is this game eliciting a lot of responses from the pinball community? Do people like the red armor? Do they hate it? What's the deal, though, with like highlighting as one of the key things you're going to get is a 50 cent hologram sticker on the backbox. This is where we're at now. Like that's something worth mentioning, Mr. Gomez. and so here's my thoughts on this game first and foremost I just want to say to everybody out there what is this stuff like truly when you think about it is it really upsetting you I don't think so with everything happening in the world I think we love to look at this stuff and overly in a dramatic way like lose it like we see oh my gosh I can't believe what they did how could they put red armor on this game. I can't believe they're going to give sparkle playfields to the premium buyers when I spent 13,000 on my LE. I can't believe the new code in Jaws when you're in co-op mode doesn't let you co-op your progress. It only lets you co-op your score. The world's coming to an end. It's not. Everybody first, before I get into it, have a really amazing 4th of July weekend. Spend it out there with friends and family, barbecues and fireworks, and drink a lot of AB InBev products. By that, I mean Budweiser, Bud Light, Stella Artois. Have some beer. Relax. we're all gonna die and none of us can take any of these pinball machines with us that being said you wouldn't be here right now subscribing to canada's pinball podcast if you just wanted me to tell you you weren't gonna live forever so jaws 50th it's out and it's exactly what i thought it was going to be if you go back and listen to my show i was like i hope this game is going to celebrate the original Jaws movie poster. And that's exactly what they did. If you go back and look at the Ellie Translight, that actually isn't what the movie poster looks like. It's inspired by it. But this is how the original movie poster was with the shark underneath the water. The Jaws logo in red is up above the white area where she is swimming in the Ellie. The shark and the logo are both underwater and only a little bit at the top of that trans light is the white sky. So they went back and they made this game look exactly like the movie poster. Now, look, I think it works on the trans light because that is what a poster would look like, right? Just hanging on a wall behind you, a backbox image, if you will. It doesn't really work on the side of the game. There's something weird going on with when you lay the artwork down on a pinball cabinet, how to get it right so that it looks good when it's all assembled. And I'm going to get to the red, but before I get to the red, it just looks good because of the angles, because a game doesn't sit exactly flat. It's kind of flat if you think about it, but what makes it not flat is not the bottom of the cabinet, it's the top. And that's the problem is when you get to the top of the cabinet artwork, it becomes angled with the glass and with the armor. And so when you have something like this visual where it's got that nice straight line of the sky and the blue, it looks great as a poster. But when you cut off the top on the angle, like where the white is on the cabinet, it really starts to look bad. And then you add a red frame to that white skyline and it looks horrible. I mean, it looks horrible. I get it. You know, the Stern Army defenders are going to say, well, you have to see it in real life. I don't need to see it in real life. They never should have framed this thing with the red armor. Now, the problem is this. I've seen the comps of it with white armor and blue armor, it just doesn't really work with any of them because of what I was just talking about. That white skyline is always going to be interrupted in a weird way because it's going to crash into the angle of the armor and the cabinet at the top. And that is why when I look at Jocelyn Lee and you have that beautiful hand-drawn illustrated artwork, it goes all the way to the edge and it all just looks good and it works. So if you own an LE and you were worried that this 50th anniversary edition would look better than your LE, I think when it comes to the overall aesthetics and standing back and looking at the game, you have nothing to be worried about. Your LE looks so much better and you don't have to feel bad. Now, Stern did something I was not expecting. They made the play field of the premium 50th a nicer play field than the Ellie gets. I did not think they were going to do this. I was talking about like, would they make changes? And they added the sparkle. Now it's not the first time they did sparkle. It is the second. They added sparkle to the Elvira blood kiss edition. And so now we've got it in jaws and they're sparkling the ocean and that makes sense when the sun hits the tips of those waves it creates a nice sparkle not only that they also give you nicer wire forms I think they're brass plated wire forms I actually think the one and I mean this the one armor choice I would love for somebody to comp up that I think would look the best would be brass plated that matches the brass on the wire forms So can someone do that and share it with me and let me see what that looks like? Because again, if you're going to frame this kind of white sky, I don't know, the brass might work. It might not. I just, again, I think it's a really awkward image to try to make work on a cabinet that has an angle like that at the top. But they gave a nicer play field and nicer wire forms to the individuals that are buying this 50th anniversary game. Now, if you're an LE owner and you love your game and this is your favorite game of all time and you want to have the nicest version of Jaws, you kind of 70% have the nicest version now. But every single LE owner, I'm even seeing it in the pin side thread, people want to buy this game, swap in the new play field and wire forms into their LE, re-box the premium and put their old play field in it and send it back. Everyone's going to want the nicer one. So you see the dilemma we've got here. And I think a lot of people are asking for Stern to stop this, to stop releasing different variations of the game. And if you're going to do this, think it all through at the beginning. Elvira Blood Kiss Edition came out before Jaws even came out. So if they wanted to add like the sparkle and they knew they could do it, they should have done it when the game first came out. And it could have been another nice LE exclusive. Because remember, what Stern does not do is they don't give for 13 grand, they don't give the LE buyers a different play field from the premium buyers. Jersey Jack does. They always add that little glitter. The CEs always have a nicer play field. And so what Stern is doing now is they're actually giving the best version of the play field to someone who didn't spend the most money and it's not really the version of the game. Or is it? Did you hear the very, very selective language Mr. George Gomez has used to create FOMO and to actually limit this game. It's unbelievable. I love that they had to find a loophole in their own BS. So he is now saying that this game will only be available this year. You have to get this game this year. They are only going to make it during the 50th anniversary year of Jaws. Well, that sure sounds like it's limited to me. It means no more being made next year. Now, here's the problem with Sturrd. They can make 800 games a week, 800 games a week. So what's going to stop them from making 5,000 of these? And even if they only sell three and just keeping 2,000 in boxes for future buyers, you know, the newbies, they roll into this hobby. They have no idea what they're doing. And they were buying $19,000 Stranger Things LE during COVID. And now this hobby, when it comes to like the content in it, is like predominantly the voices of people who've come in in the last four to five years. And Stern loves those guys. So it's limited. Now, look, it's not numbered and we're never going to know how many they make. But it is an effort by Stern Pinball to inject some FOMO into this game. Did I even talk about the red? I did. It's hideous. It just looks bad. I think it's a dead horse now. No one's really liking it. And I think what makes everybody a little bit like shoulder shrug when you see this game is, look, you and I, you're listening right now. We're not, most of us are not artists. Most of us don't have creative jobs in the artistic craft sense of the word creative, right? We're not visual designers. We're not painters. We're not sculptors. But we all have an eye that works. And when you look at this, it just doesn't look good. And this is what baffles me is how do you have all these people over at Stern? How do you have Zombietti leading the creative department? How are these people not seeing what we see? What is happening in their head that makes them say, we nailed it. This looks good. And I don't understand it. Because when you think about it, did anyone ever look at Deadpool and say that doesn't look good? Or Ghostbusters LE? Did anyone ever look at Batman SLE and say that doesn't look good? Have you heard anybody say anything negative about Christopher Franchi's Evil Dead? Anywhere. Anywhere. And yet these guys had a year and a half to make the 50th anniversary of Jaws. And this is where they landed. And I think that is the overall feeling. is that it's not a cash grab. I hate when people say that, like, it's a cash grab. What do you mean cash grab? Cash grab would be them like taking stuff out. And maybe you could argue they're taking out the original illustrated artwork and this is lazier. Maybe, right? But they already paid that artist. Maybe you're saying, hey, it's a cash grab, because they didn't want to pay for new art. That actually now does sound a little bit like a cash grab. But come on, I mean, they're selling it for the price of a premium. and it is a premium. It would be a cash grab if they sold this for $13,000 and nothing new was added to the game. But I think overall, you see it and you're just kind of like, all right, all right. It's just like, eh, it doesn't really make you feel much. It definitely doesn't make you feel like they nailed it. It doesn't make you feel like, wow, look at that. That's the 50th anniversary of Jaws pinball. It doesn't do that. And again, a year and a half, this is the problem with Stern right now. They're just not going above and beyond ever. Like I feel like the last time I mean it the last time I ever felt like wow from Stern And I mean this was when they ushered out all three batman 66 games at the factory remember that day remember when they wheeled those games out and we saw them for the first time that was like wow it was like a statement and a lot of you newbies don't remember that but that was a wow and you saw that sle and everybody wanted one everybody and it's amazing now that when that game was 15,000, we were losing our minds. Now people are spending $15,000 on an unlimited run Harry Potter that used AI to create the artwork and has a topper that looks like Killian and Cassian got in a fight with a bunch of plastic. Crazy where we're at now. It's crazy. So that's the thing. It's like, I'm happy this game is out. I don't think it's like really a wow game. I don't think anyone who owns an LE feels that bad right now, but I still think they managed to still make LE owners feel crappy by putting the nicer play field in this version. And if I'm the new CMO over at Stern, they need a reset. They need a hard reset on all of this. This isn't working anymore. The vibes amongst the community towards Stern, it's not great because they're not listening. They're not connected to what the home buyer wants and they don't have a strategy for it. When you start highlighting a little hologram sticker as something special you're going to get, to me, that's like the ultimate moment. You have lost the narrative. They've completely lost the narrative on how to excite us. They don't really know what to say anymore. And again, they need to figure this out and they need to hit pause and rethink it all. I mean it. And we need to see a moment in which the new CMO like steps up and implements some changes. So I think what everybody would like to see from now on is when you have a title stern let us know every single model of that game that you're going to come out with so let us know and also like be honest with us if you're going to make a batman 66 anniversary game let people know now because think about it if you're going to make that game it's not an original game we've seen the game why not let everybody know instead of buying and overpaying for a game right now, we're gonna help you out and let you know the Cape Crusader is going to return. Why not? No, let's keep it secret. And let's burn everybody over the next year and a half who's gonna go overpay. And you're not burning the people that bought the original if you make it different enough. You know, and that's the thing. I don't know, right? I just don't know. I wouldn't do it this way. It's really like they've dug themselves a hole and I'm not even sure how to get out of it. I'm really not. I'm really not. So Jaws 50th, it's all right. I don't think it's going to light the world on fire. Red, white and blue, 4th of July. I get it. I get what they were going for. But come July 5th, it's still going to be ugly. All right. That's how I feel. All right. What else is going on in the world of pinball? Harry Potter people, people are getting the game the reason i love every week that goes by is more and more time these people are going to be putting on potter i'm curious how the enjoyment will be on the game over time and you know how i feel there's work to be done on these movie modes i want to give them time to do it it's not going to happen overnight there's no way they fixed it already i mean there's no way they must have spent two years getting the game to this point that there's no way the newest code update fixed it now i forgot to talk about the jaws big code update now there's like a lot of people complaining that it's too easy to get to the final wizard mode in the game that you can just like i don't know bash the chum bucket let the multi balls time out and then you can get to the final wizard mode in something like 20 minutes or 10 to 20 minutes and these guys were complaining because they want you to have to complete all the modes and have an hour-long game like, I don't know, like a game like Jurassic Park for you to get to the final wizard mode. And I think what Stern was going for here is it's the iconic moment where you battle Jaws. Are you really going to make that moment something that takes an hour to get to? Or do you want to make it the way they did it, which I kind of like, where if you go through everything and do all the stuff, when you finally get to Jaws, it's going to be worth a lot more. You're going to get a lot more points. It's going to be a lot more satisfying. But if you want to get there, we're going to make it so you can get there without having like the most epic marathon game of your life. Lord of the Rings was like that for me. I used to get to destroy the ring all the time. Sometimes I had an epic game where I completed more modes and finished more multi balls and got to there and back again. But man, it was like I wouldn't have wanted to not be able to get there. And also, yeah, like it took a while to get to destroy the ring. I sometimes feel like variety is good in pinball that not every game should sort of require a 20 minute to an hour experience to see the wow. You know, when I went over to Guns N' Roses yesterday and I played it and I opened up the coin door to get all the way to Sympathy for the Devil or No Sympathy for the Devil, I just realized I was ruining my own ability to enjoy this game because I was looking at it all wrong. Guns N' Roses is not a game where you play it to try to get there. That does exist at the end on an epic game, but that's not the point of GNR. The point of Guns N' Roses is to start a song and enjoy the song. Enjoy the way the game and the song and the concert all sync up together That why you play Guns N Roses You not playing it to enjoy the combos or the flow You playing it to experience the music in a pinball way that wows you. And when you look at the game like that, you'll be happy. You absolutely will be happy and you will enjoy it. And you'll learn to enjoy it for how it was designed. But when you look at Guns N' Roses and you look at it for what it doesn't have and you try to make it an experience that it wasn't meant to be, you'll hate it. You'll absolutely hate it. It won't be a game that will click with you and you'll absolutely hate it. I was just thinking to myself this morning, I think a lot of life is just like that. And it's not just pinball. It's like everything in life. It's like what we bring to it, our expectations of things will absolutely determine whether or not we have a good time or a bad time. And I always believe that sometimes, you know, the most the most delicious meal you can ever have is just a meal when you're hungry. And then peanut butter and jelly and a glass of milk might be the best bite of your life. And I think we're so spoiled in pinball. And I mean this. We've got so many great games over the years, games with so much great variety that every time a new game comes out now, we're looking at it with our bellies full. We're being served a new meal and we're not even hungry. And that's why we're cranky. That's why we're overly critical. And that's why the community's turned into what it currently is. a bunch of mostly wealthy men who are somewhat bored, whose bellies are very full, not just in their game rooms, but in their lives. And that's why they're very critical because they're not hungry to just play pinball. They're not hungry just to have fun because they can create fun every single day, every single moment. And so now to win over someone like that, Think about it. To get someone whose belly is full to actually enjoy a meal when they're not hungry. Think about how delectable that bite needs to be. And I kind of feel like that's where we're at. And that's what these companies are struggling with is this is not normal to them. Remember, they would love to go back 10 years and anything they put in a box was celebrated. Like we really, as a community, didn't destroy games like America's most haunted when it came out. We were sort of like, yeah, it's kind of ugly, but we're happy. We're happy and we're supportive trying to help this new company get off the ground. And if 150 people didn't help that new company get off the ground, we wouldn't have Evil Dead today. We wouldn't have Spooky Pinball today. We were a lot more welcoming and optimistic about what the future of pinball held. So much to the point where people were kicking John Papadiuk $16,000 when he rocked up with an empty cabinet and a trans light. That's how optimistic we were. We were investing in charlatans like J-Pop. And we, over the years, I think we've learned a lot of lessons. We've matured a lot. But I think we've lost maybe too much of that childhood wonder that we need to maintain in this hobby. And I think it works both ways. I don't think it's just on us. I think there needs to be more of that childhood wonder over at these pinball companies when they imagine what's possible in these games. When they think about what really is going to excite the end user of this product. Putting 35 patches in Guns N' Roses is stupid, and it's not going to excite people. Burying the Harry Potter movie in a Harry Potter pinball machine is stupid. That's not going to make the little kid inside us who loves the Harry Potter movies get excited. You know, and that's my thing, is everybody needs to figure out a way to sort of get back to the basics of what make pinball beautiful, both from a creativity standpoint, both from a manufacturing standpoint, but also from a community standpoint and how we receive these products. If you grabbed one of your friends from the outside world and said, hey, look at Jaws 50th, what do you think? They'd be like, oh, cool, a new pinball machine. That looks fun. Then you grab someone from the very community that is supposed to love this item and they're like, this sucks. This is ugly. The hell is this? How come you can't have co-op mode working? Like, what are you talking about? Your life is broken if co-op mode not being to your desired liking is sending you into a tailspin. It's time then to just go have a lobster roll, go home, drink a few glasses of whiskey, get out the Vaseline and rub one out and reset. it because that's what the teenager in you would have done. They wouldn't have been complaining about the armor on a pinball machine. Everybody, I love you. Thanks for subscribing. You know, I'm always going to call it like it is. And even in my own journey in life, I need to learn how to get more of that childhood wonder. Now, that being said, for this much money, we all should be critical because we all work way too hard. And the reason why I am a little jaded is I haven't had a 40% raise in the last five years. Everything's gotten more expensive. My salaries remain basically the same. And yet the pinball machines are now 40% more expensive. Yeah, that's going to put everybody in a really cranky mood. Later. Your daddy got beers, your son got beers Your aunty got beers, your uncle got beers Everybody got beers, everybody got beers _(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: d03b3880-9668-44ae-b210-718656563298*