Lloyd50K

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Apr 19, 2011

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.024

TL;DR

Lloyd reaches 50,000 RGP posts; operator reflects on pinball community and support.

Summary

Pinball News profiles Lloyd (LTG), operator of SS Billiards in Hopkins, Minnesota, who reached 50,000 posts on Rec.Games.Pinball (RGP) newsgroup by April 2011. The article documents his prolific 11-year contribution to the online pinball community, averaging 14 posts per day, and includes his reflections on community support, the tensions between operators and hobbyists, and his philosophy of promoting pinball. Lloyd's 50,000th post notably features a tribute to the emotional and personal significance of pinball in people's lives.

Key Claims

Lloyd made over 50,000 posts on Rec.Games.Pinball (RGP) by April 6, 2011
high confidence · Official post count documented in article; Google Groups data table provided
Lloyd averaged approximately 420 posts per month and 14 posts per day on RGP
high confidence · Statistics calculated from posting data shown in article dated April 19, 2011
Lloyd started posting on RGP in late 1999 after responding to Scott Tiesma's post about Twin Cities pinball
high confidence · Direct statement from Lloyd in interview
Lloyd was the sole operator of SS Billiards in Hopkins, Minnesota, one of the oldest operating arcades in the United States
high confidence · Article introduction and Lloyd's self-identification as arcade operator
Lloyd accumulated 50,152 total RGP posts across multiple email addresses (21 from WebTV, 1,564 from AT&T email, 50,152 from current email as of April 19, 2011)
high confidence · Lloyd's direct accounting in interview response
As an operator, Lloyd supported Stern during layoffs and the rehiring of Steve Ritchie when collectors were boycotting; Lloyd faced social backlash for this stance
high confidence · Lloyd's direct testimony about community friction

Notable Quotes

“They were initials I used for video games... I have four initials. And I didn't care for a lot of strangers knowing my full name. So about 1975 I started using LTG, which stood for "Lloyd The Great"”
Lloyd (LTG) @ Interview section — Explains the origin of Lloyd's iconic community nickname, tracing it back to 1975 video game arcade practices
“Thank the founders of RGP. Thank all the wonderful people you've met here. Thank all those that continue to make RGP special and why I've always been proud of being a tiny part of it.”
Lloyd (LTG) @ Lloyd's 50,000th RGP post — Lloyd's reflection on his milestone post, emphasizing community gratitude and collective value of RGP
“You help one person, and you help everybody. That is what makes RGP special and why I've always felt honored to be part of it.”
Lloyd (LTG) @ Interview response to RGP changes question — Articulates Lloyd's philosophy about community support and mutual aid within RGP
“My beloved Katie lives on, through the unbreakable high score, through one of the many pride's of my life, our daughter, and through a woodrail pinball game called Sittin' Pretty, which has a magical power to transport me back to that night in 1979, when all seemed right with the world.”
Beester (tribute quoted in Lloyd's 50,000th post) @ Beester's tribute section — Emotional narrative Lloyd chose for his milestone post, demonstrating pinball's personal and memorial significance
“Being an operator I'm not passionate as many of the hobbyists or collectors are. So it is easy to be at odds with the flow of the group... Though they would feel differently about their own job or how they make a living, they often won't listen to why I do things or don't do things.”
Lloyd (LTG) @ Interview response about trouble/reprisals — Reveals operator vs. collector perspective divide in pinball community, Lloyd's experience of social friction despite helpful contributions
“I just hope I make pinball a little bit better and have fun doing so.”
Lloyd (LTG) @ Final comment in interview — Summarizes Lloyd's overarching motivation for his extensive community engagement

Entities

Lloyd (LTG)personSS BilliardscompanyRec.Games.Pinball (RGP)organizationScott TiesmapersonBeesterpersonWilliam BrowerpersonDavid GersicpersonStern PinballcompanySteve Ritchieperson

Signals

?
community_signal: Lloyd's 50,000+ RGP posts over 11 years demonstrates sustained, high-volume community participation in knowledge-sharing and technical support within pinball enthusiast forum
high · Documented post counts, average 14 posts/day, posts across multiple forums and non-pinball communities
~
sentiment_shift: RGP community historically reactive and polarized on manufacturer issues (Stern layoffs, boycott calls); Lloyd's pragmatic support for manufacturers positioned him as outlier despite consistent helpfulness
high · Lloyd's account of Stern boycott sentiment and his isolation for supporting company decisions while others called for boycotts
?
community_signal: RGP demonstrates consistent mutual aid principle: community members help those requesting assistance regardless of ongoing conflict, reflecting strong support culture
high · Lloyd: 'Even in the middle of a mess, if someone posts asking for help. They usually get it. People always rise to the occasion and help if they can.'
?
operational_signal: Tension between operator perspective (business-focused, pragmatic) and hobbyist/collector perspective (passionate, ideological) revealed through Lloyd's experience of social backlash despite helpful contributions
high · Lloyd's direct statement: 'Being an operator I'm not passionate as many of the hobbyists or collectors are. So it is easy to be at odds with the flow of the group' and experience of being 'the outcast' for supporting Stern during controversy
?
personnel_signal: Steve Ritchie's rehiring at Stern was historically contentious within community; Lloyd's support contrasted with broader collector sentiment at the time

Topics

Community contribution and recognitionprimaryRec.Games.Pinball (RGP) history and cultureprimaryOperator vs. collector perspective tensionsecondaryPinball arcade business and venue operationssecondaryPinball personal significance and memoriessecondaryOnline forum moderation and community dynamicsmentioned

Sentiment

positive(0.82)— Article is celebratory of Lloyd's achievement and contributions. Lloyd expresses gratitude and pride in community involvement. However, there is notable underlying tension regarding operator-collector friction and past social backlash Lloyd experienced, tempering the purely positive tone with realistic acknowledgment of community conflict.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

MR. 50,000 Location: 732 11th Avenue South, Hopkins, Minnesota, USA. Date: April 6th, 2011 – 5:06pm The man … the myth … the legend … LTG! It’s been quite a while since we reported on the pinball celebrity pictured above. For those few in the pinball community who may not know him; he is the sole person responsible for SS Billiards in Hopkins, MN - Lloyd. LTG (as he is affectionately known) not only endures to maintain one of the oldest operating arcades in the United States. He has also helped (and cajoled) many on the Pinball Newsgroup – Rec.Games.Pinball (RGP). In fact, he has made over 50,000 posts on RGP. Some people from the group already know this and have congratulated him on a grand effort. Lloyd’s posting stats from a recent Google inquiry of his profile show that Lloyd has been a busy contributor; averaging about 420 posts per month. That makes an average of about 14 posts per day from Lloyd. Post Activity (Source: Google Groups - April 19, 2011) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2001 119 191 210 255 222 301 364 411 364 514 384 2002 593 397 416 472 712 506 489 507 511 575 530 517 2003 621 528 432 434 511 438 212 407 531 392 401 425 2004 388 438 513 368 323 370 376 410 418 347 390 518 2005 385 303 404 301 297 355 207 300 288 272 274 410 2006 358 423 365 324 410 471 563 439 396 449 397 515 2007 525 378 375 307 324 356 445 368 459 429 391 373 2008 327 316 310 336 464 541 603 494 571 514 553 549 2009 503 492 531 369 401 399 524 470 569 447 447 458 2010 462 377 418 460 466 465 388 371 439 410 532 634 2011 521 495 546 229 Lloyd’s 50,000th RGP post (Source: Google Groups – April 19, 2011): Did you ever wonder what you would post for your fifty thousandth post ? Thank the founders of RGP. Thank all the wonderful people you've met here. Thank all those that continue to make RGP special and why I've always been proud of being a tiny part of it. Be thankful that I've tried to help promote and support pinball, where ever I could. Or would you consider your responsibilities to your loved ones, and what is really important, and how pinball has been an important part of all of us. And it brings me to what I would post, were I ever to make it to 50,000. I would hope we cherish those we love, that we would cherish the moment. And enjoy each and every second of our lives. I would post Beester's tribute to his Wife Katie. It pretty much sums up how rich we are in blessings, hopes, and dreams. Come and enjoy a game of Sittin Pretty with me now. And know that all is right with the world. LTG :) ...a wave of inner peace, never experienced previously and not until yesterday, swept across my soul as I surveyed my "little world", that night in the summer of 1979. My beloved Katie, to me, unquestionably our maker's finest creation, manipulating a silver ball on a machine that seemed to dwarf her, which she insisted we buy on our meager newlywed income. That alluring glow of the lighted backglass, that alluring glow of happiness on my beloved Katie's face... EVERYTHING was right with the world, that night in the summer of 1979... ...a wave of grief, never experienced previously, swept across my soul as I surveyed my "crumbling world", that night in the summer of 1986. My beloved Katie, to me, unquestionably our maker's finest creation, trying to manipulate a silver ball on that same machine that always dwarfed her, herself "propped up" by a makeshift "gizmo", not only majestically battling the "high score demons", but bravely fighting off the silent killer racking her body. My beloved Katie's last game was on that night, in the summer of 1986. She GOT the high score! (She knew, I think, that her best friend, this crazy guy that tried everything to hide the grief in his eyes, this man who said "I DO" and who tried to be every bit as strong as she, was periodically manually advancing the 100,000 points unit. ...a wave of inner peace, yesterday, swept across my soul as I surveyed my "world". My beloved Kathy, to me, unquestionably her mother's finest creation, manipulating a silver ball on a machine that dwarfs her, smiling and snickering, and looking every bit like my beloved Katie. My beloved Katie lives on, through the unbreakable high score, through one of the many pride's of my life, our daughter, and through a woodrail pinball game called Sittin' Pretty, which has a magical power to transport me back to that night in 1979, when all seemed right with the world. Beester Pinball News interviewed this iconic figure and he shares some of his thoughts about this monumental accomplishment with you. PBN: When was your first RGP post, and why did you decide to start posting? LTG: Late in 1999. Scott Tiesma had posted about pinball in the Twin Cities and didn't know about my place so I responded to his post. And that one post started things. It got a life of its own. PBN: Has RGP changed since you started posting on RGP, and if so, how? LTG: Not the part I like. People come and go over the years. Things can often get out of hand. Yet even in the middle of a mess, if someone posts asking for help. They usually get it. People always rise to the occasion and help if they can. That is what makes RGP special and why I've always felt honored to be part of it. You help one person, and you help everybody. PBN: Do you have a favorite post? If so, will you share it with us? LTG: Yes, Beeser's tribute to his wife Katie. His post has always reminded me to count our blessings and cherish each and every moment. Your life can change in an instant. PBN: Being so prolific on RGP, have you ever had any trouble or reprisals because of one of your posts? LTG: Lots of times. Being an operator I'm not passionate as many of the hobbyists or collectors are. So it is easy to be at odds with the flow of the group. I look at many things from my point of view, trying to run a successful business. People are different about their hobbies. Though they would feel differently about their own job or how they make a living, they often won't listen to why I do things or don't do things. You can explain until you are blue in the face and many won't listen. For instance when Stern had the layoffs a couple years back. People were calling Gary names, talking boycott, all kinds of things. I was the only one that supported Stern in that thread. Before Stern hired Steve Ritchie back, people were still telling Stern to kiss their behinds, etc. etc. Yet I'm the outcast. Amazing. PBN: Do you ever believe that you would make, and surpass, fifty-thousand posts on RGP? LTG: No. I never gave it any thought until William Brower brought it up on RGP. I did some quick checking and realized I'd already surpassed it from three different email addresses. But I started keeping an eye when my 50,000 post would go up and wanted to try and make it special. Click here - to see the thread of William’s tracking post. Lloyd’s 50,000th post. PBN: Now that you have reached this awesome achievement, do you plan to continue posting on RGP. If so, why? LTG: Yes I plan to continue. Trying to help pinball and promote and support pinball any way I can. PBN: How many RGP posts do you think you will make? LTG: [Many] More, I hope. More important I hope my tech stuff is out there a long time helping those in the future. PBN: Even after over 50K posts, some people would still like to know what LTG means. Please explain. LTG: (Lloyd quoted himself from previous Pinball News article; but with a slight correction.) “They were initials I used for video games. In the early days of the video game fad you could enter three initials. I have four initials. And I didn't care for a lot of strangers knowing my full name. So about 1975 I started using LTG, which stood for “Lloyd The Great”, which was a joke because any time I got to enter it when I serviced a machine, the scores were reset, and anybody could get their initials in. So it wasn't on a game long. And anybody who asked what my middle name was got "The" and got laughed at. It became a big inside joke at my business. Then when I got webTV, it asked for a nickname for email, so I used “lloydthegreat”, and of course couldn't change it. So that stuck, then when I sold stuff on Ebay, I needed a seller ID, so why invent a new one, use one that is known as me and by my reputation. Questions arose on the rec games pinball news group what LTG stood for, David Gersic coined the "Launch Those Geese", and the rest is history.” PBN: Speaking of webTV, have you posted pinball help on any other group or under any more than just one email? If so, please explain. LTG: 21 posts from webtv, 1,564 from my AT&T email address, and right now (Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at 9:24 pm) 50,152 from my current email address. I've through the years posted on probably another dozen or so pinball forums and a few arcade forums for pinball related help. One parts supplier help desk. And another half dozen or so non pinball forums. PBN: Do you have any other comments or thoughts to add? LTG: I am thankful to all the people I've met starting with that first post. On RGP, in email or phone calls. And it continues at my events or other events. There are a lot of great pinball people out there, and I'm fortunate to have contact with so many of them. PBN: If behalf of us and our readers, we thank you for taking time away from your arcade and from posting to help us with this interview. LTG: No, thank you ! I just hope I make pinball a little bit better and have fun doing so. LTG :) NOTE: Picture courtesy of LTG/SS Billiards and used here with permission. Back to the News page Back to the front page