Epi-Prologue

Pinball Party Podcast·podcast_episode·41m 50s·analyzed·Sep 25, 2023

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.029

TL;DR

Jason explores pinball burnout, community toxicity, and market dynamics in a return episode.

Summary

Jason from Pinball Party Podcast releases an epilogue/prologue episode after a hiatus, discussing his burnout from managing pinball, podcasting, and music simultaneously. He reflects on the pinball community's financial anxiety, trading dynamics, and toxicity, while sharing perspectives on used market pricing and announcing the podcast may continue in a new format. He previews upcoming games like Jaws and discusses platform distribution through Pinball Network.

Key Claims

Used Premium pinball machines are currently priced around $9,000 with buyers losing $500+ on new purchases at MSRP
high confidence · Jason speaking from personal experience selling The Walking Dead Premium and observing the secondary market
New Pro machines start around $6,000 in the used market
high confidence · Jason describing current used market pricing
Jaws from Keith Elwin is coming sometime in the future
medium confidence · Jason speculating about upcoming releases, prefaced with 'I believe' and 'might be coming'
Venom will do fine as a release
low confidence · Jason's casual speculation about Venom's market performance
There may be a rumored Spike three next year
low confidence · Jason explicitly states 'maybe I don't know fuck maybe probably'
Electric Bat Arcade has launched a new podcast featuring Rachel, Cale, and Bob
high confidence · Jason confirming the launch and recommending listeners find it at podcast platforms
Most people Jason meets through pinball trading and media are not really happy
medium confidence · Jason's observation from interactions with the pinball community
Cale placed first at a tournament last weekend
high confidence · Jason congratulating Cale on his tournament victory

Notable Quotes

“Cuz 38 is my lucky number... When I was 7... The game was called Taboo the Sixth Sense and it was fucking terrible... the first time I turned it on and pushed a button, something spun or a narrow card and it said your lucky number is 38.”
Jason @ opening — Explains why this is an epilogue/prologue rather than episode 39
“The used market is good for buyers, not great for sellers, but it's kind of at least from my experience evening out to where it should be.”
Jason @ mid-episode — Key market assessment about pinball secondary market stabilization
“A new pinball machine will build you an entire home theater period like very nice.”
Jason @ mid-episode — Illustrates the expense and uniqueness of pinball as a hobby compared to other major hobbies
“Pinball is so fucking small... I haven't heard any normal or like muggle, pinball muggle, right, as they say, any pinball muggle, puggle, any puggle say pinball or talk about pinball... It just doesn't exist beyond this little core insane group of whack fucks we got here.”
Jason @ mid-episode — Reflects on pinball's niche status and isolation from mainstream culture
“I'm not going to break any news because I haven't been paying attention. I own zero games right now.”
Jason @ early episode — Establishes his current disconnection from the hobby during his break
“I'm either all in, 100%, 500%. I have to milk that shit for all it's worth and give it my all.”
Jason @ mid-episode — Explains his personality type and why burnout occurred
“The way to calm all those voices in the past and to throw it into this podcast make some funny shit bring guests on get to know a lot of people's thoughts. Just you know fill the void of like this should be fun what like spending all this money playing pinball machine.”
Jason @ mid-episode — Explains why he made the podcast and how it helped manage his pinball anxiety

Entities

Jasonperson Caleperson RachelpersonBobpersonKeith Elwinperson BrianpersonPinball Party PodcastproductElectric Bat Arcade Podcastproduct

Signals

$
market_signal: Secondary market for used pinball machines stabilizing; Premium machines averaging $9,000; new buyers experiencing $500+ losses at MSRP; Pro machines starting around $6,000 used
high · Jason's detailed pricing breakdown from personal experience: 'The sweet spot for a used Premium right now just kind of the barometer is nine thousand give or take... A Pro six thousand is your new starting point used give or take a few hundred.'
?
content_signal: Pinball Party Podcast distributed through Pinball Network; Electric Bat Arcade Podcast launched as spinoff featuring Rachel, Cale, and Bob from original show
high · Jason confirms 'This podcast is still on the Pinball Network' and 'Hello, Cale. Hello, Rachel... Electric Bat Podcast' with multiple platform recommendations
~
sentiment_shift: Jason observes declining happiness and increasing toxicity in pinball community; community members experiencing financial and psychological stress from the hobby
high · Most of the people I meet are actually not really happy in this pinball... I find strange... there's toxic support out there... the sparkle to it is gone for me'
?
community_signal: Content creator (Jason) experiencing burnout from simultaneous demands of pinball hobby engagement, podcast production, and music; taking extended hiatus; reconsidering format and frequency
high · Jason states 'It was becoming a lot of work. I needed to take a break... everything just became a little much... into my personal life... I took a few weeks off... I'm attempting to... find balance'
?

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.125

0:00

The Pinball Network is online. Launching Pinball Party. Hello. What time is it? Uh, it's PinballParty podcast time. Figure it out. I thought I was done. You might have thought I was done. I am kind of done. But okay, this could be either Pinball Party Podcast epilogue. It could be Pinball Party Podcast prologue to a new style, a new way to do it a new call whatever you want. But it is not Pinball Party Podcast episode 39. Do you know why it's not Pinball PartyPodcast39? I'll tell ya. Cuz 38 is my lucky number. Pretty weird. You know how I got that lucky number? You don't. That was rhetorical. So, eat shit, here comes the answer. When I was 7? 7 to 9 during the Nintendo Entertainment System era of my childhood. Do you remember being that age when you would get birthday presents? From friends? Family? �

1:50

What the fuck is this? From my best friend actually. His name is Brian. The game was called Taboo the Sixth Sense and it was fucking terrible. It was bad. But he found it in the like $6 bin at Shopko. I'm not even aware of Shopko as a national chain but it's like a fucking Walmart. I don't know. Shopko. He's like, well hey I figured you know a game is better than no game. Like yeah, you're goddamn right it is. You put it in, it's dog shit, all that. However, Like the game you would put in, Google it if you'd like, Taboo the Sixth Sense. It was like a fortune teller game. It would either roll dice and tell you your future or draw cards. Horrible. It didn't make any sense. But the first time I turned it on and pushed a button, something spun or a tarot card and it said your lucky number is 38. That's the whole story. So I figured the last episode was 38. I've been taking a long break from a lot of things in my life because I'm spinning too many plates. And we're going to leave it at number 38. What is the future of this podcast? I have no idea. It was becoming a lot of work. I needed to take a break. Neon Dale is a lot of work. I needed to take a break. Work is surprisingly not a lot of work, but I do have to have money. So anyways, doing all that stuff, everything just became a little much, a little, you know, into my personal life. So it took a few weeks off of a lot of stuff. And anyway, I was recording a song working on a chorus. and I thought why not open up the old podcast template in Logicpro and talk about pinball. Now this is going to be tough. I haven't thought about pinball or even talked about pinball aside from a lot of random messages I should say thank you and I appreciate the kind words from people saying hey where's the podcast? All those types of messages in various flavors but the overwhelming Tom C modifications thriller blankил AZ değ titanium abazioni procurement adjustment Village mannersworm Sergeant Iraq cornersECTushiMarkar lum,Expert atIj corpo ajaq rewardedExіть合ijk MarketDean gradeまぁ Grade I'm probably flippingoutwithfucks or whatever that's called with buddies and flipping or streaming and then I don't know. Are you just do you work for flipping out? I don't fucking know. Maybe let's just say, you know, a contract worker. I've watched some of his stream. I've listened to triple drain. The the only podcast I've listened to for pinball has been that in the last like two months. Wait, nope. Totally wrong. I have listened to ElectricBat's new podcast, I think it's called Electric Podcast, ElectricBat Podcast. Go check that out. You all may know Rachel and Cale from the Pinball Party Podcast and better yet from the ElectricBat Arcade. They started their own podcast. They had a lot of fun joining the ones I was doing and we had a lot of plans in the works and we have a great relationship. Nothing happened there. Again, peak under the hood. Cale and I are still chatting all the time. It's awesome. We didn't break up. Well, I guess he's married to Rachel. So it's not like boyfriend spouse married. Does that make sense? Me and versus them. We're all still good. We didn't say fuck this. Let's break up. Go do your thing. No, it just I took a break and they love podcasts and so they're going to keep going. Please go listen to electric bat arcade podcast. Find it at your nearest podcast station. You know how to get them. Why am I even saying this? Let me try to talk about pinball. I'm not going to break any news because I haven't been paying attention. I own zero games right now. The last game I had was the Walking Dead Premium and that took a long time to sell. We all I guess know or at least it was a month ago. The used market is good for buyers, not great for sellers, but it's kind of at least from my experience evening out to where it should be. You know, where it should be. All those newer players who have bought in a new machine or new to the hobby in the last, let's say since mid COVID. Buying a new game at MSRP and losing $500 is the minimum you will lose on a new in the normal times. Expect to lose $500 like it's like getting a new car off the lot. It's you're going to take a hit immediately no matter what. Please stop posting your games for non, quick details, that is and all of us are used period done period pro same thing what I don't even know what they are new sixty nine two nine hundred six same thing five hundred new let's say you buy a used game the sweet spot for a used premium right now just kind of the barometer is nine thousand give or take even dress apart premiums are hard to sell nine thousand so it you know nine thousand Godzilla premium maybe if you bought a used one for nine thousand stock you'll probably still lose a couple hundred A used used probably 8800. A pro 6000 is your new starting point used give or take a few hundred. That's just a lot of you know this and you're like shut up. But for the new people that was started maybe during COVID are like what the fuck what what's happening to to the world of pinball. The world is not crashing. The market is not crashing. It's evening out. It's soft as shit. I so I had the Walking Dead premium was my last baby. I loved it. I the Knapp, left bicycledgirlramp was as smooth as any pro I've played or had. It was a gem. I just, for me to be into something, whether it's a hobby, work, maybe not work, something that's important to me, a hobby, my wife, raising a kid, music, I'm either all in, 100%, 500%. I have to milk that shit for all it's worth and give it my all. There has been aately ambushed going through the You can hear a lot of the work being put into doing or quite even a skits, studying math stuff, just simply optimal and glue and all that will undoubtedly Castle And element at all almost actuants a od l Р своего chied conjurer. The work so I'm attempting to As someone who has zero pinball machines hasn't thought about it in a month I Shouldn't say it hasn't creeped into my head I've of course thought about getting another Lord of the Rings pinball machine because I am Jason and that's just how it goes It's a Monday. So of course I've thought about it

“Having a different perspective, that forum is just sad. No offense, not like, oh you guys are all pathetic. No, I'm just like, the sparkle to it is gone for me.”

Jason @ late episode — Reflects on his changed relationship with pinball community forums (PinSide)

Flippin' Out Pinballcompany

Stern Pinballcompany

Spooky Pinballcompany

The Walking Dead Premiumgame

The Last Arcadeproduct

Triple Drain Pinball Podcastproduct

Knapp Arcade Podcastproduct

machine_intel: Jason speculates on upcoming game releases including Jaws (Keith Elwin), Venom, mystery Spooky game, Stranger Things, and possible Spike 3 next year

low · Jason: 'I believe... Jaws will be coming... Venom... will do fine... Mystery game, still a mystery... Stranger Things... maybe there's a rumored Spike three next year, maybe I don't know fuck maybe probably'

community_signal: Pinball community extremely small and isolated from mainstream culture; no mainstream awareness or discussion of pinball outside core enthusiast community

high · I haven't heard any normal or like muggle, pinball muggle... any puggle say pinball or talk about pinball. Like, it just doesn't exist beyond this little core insane group of whack fucks we got here'

competitive_signal: Cale won first place at recent tournament; Jason notes this achievement despite personal hiatus from the community

high · Congrats, Cale, on kicking ass at the tournament last weekend. First place. That's a tough motherfucker.'

community_signal: PinSide forums showing typical buying/selling/trading activity; Jason observes overvalued listings and lack of transparency; describes forum culture as degraded

high · Jason's extended forum analysis describing overpriced machines, lack of detail in listings, and general decline in forum quality

product_strategy: Pinball Party Podcast may evolve to new format or frequency; Jason considering biweekly vs weekly vs irregular schedule; prioritizing quality over consistency

medium · Jason: 'Am I going to get back on a weekly, biweekly schedule of this? Maybe. Maybe not... I'm playing pinball for me. I'm making this content for me... I still want to make a good quote product'

business_signal: Jason references 'new facility' for unnamed manufacturer in context of upcoming releases and market stock levels

low · with the new facility and um you know what I find strange is that the used market and with dealers having so much stock' (context unclear on which manufacturer)