What's the lifespan of somebody staying in the hobby?

Interesting topic. I'm in for pretty much as long as I can be in :) .

Started way back in 1993 with a single purchase (cocktail Tempest), and then ramped it up starting around 1999 or so, culminating in the 30+ I own now (plus the 2 pins). The only thing that stopped me was limited space as I'd get more if I had more room. A common "problem" for a good number of us I'm sure ;) .

Still enjoy every minute of it, including not just the owning aspects, but also learning how to fix the games as well as meeting/befriending other folks who share the passion, no matter what walk of life they may have come from.

And also enjoy the craziness of assisting each year in making CAX happen...lots of work but again, I really do enjoy it.

It's what every hobby should be...constantly interesting and challenging and just plain fun!

Jon
 
If I really put the time into it, I could've been a good guitar player. BUT!!! In August of 2005, I saw a Pole Position II and an Eagle in an old Grumman box truck, and turned my attention to arcade game collecting. The dream of having games in my own house originates from the show Silver Spoons, thinking to myself in the mid-80s, 'that's gonna be ME one day!'. Sure enough, I'm still collecting for 20 years now. I've lost count as to how many games have passed through my hands, I'm guessing maybe 60-70.
 
Man... I've gotten to the point where it's going to be a huge pain in the ass offloading these machines ... so I'm in for the long haul.

;)
 
I have a lot of hobbies and interests, so there are definitely ebbs and flows - but I've been collecting since 2003. I'm 45 now, and while I don't post or buy/sell games nearly as much as I used to, I just picked up a new game last week - so I'm still "in the game."

My collection is mostly pinball these days (the new game I just got is Evil Dead), but I still have a few vids in the house and an EM project in the garage.

I still have the very first game I bought back in '03 (Berzerk).
 
Interesting post - I started repairing/collecting arcades (2010), one of my arcade buddies that got me into it told me he flips arcades to feed his pinball habit. I quickly realized what he meant when I bought my first pin - pins are a rich man's game and arcades are an addiction. So I used what I was learning about the hobby to buy/fix/sell my way into my own little home arcade. My first game was a clapped out Pole Position, sit-down cabinet. I figured, "how hard could this be to repair?" The answer, was it was way beyond my ability. And I lost my butt on the machine. The cab was full of mildew and almost rotted down to sawdust. It had sat in a barn with water dripping on it. All the boards were trashed, so I ended up saving/selling the parts I could to fund the next purchase. I did keep one piece, the back panel was salvageable as art - it still hangs on the wall in my home arcade to this day.

In the early 80's, I I dumped every quarter I could scrounge into Tempest, Galaga, Defender, PacMan, Pole Position and my still favorite, Dig Dug. Over the years, I've run close to 200 machines through my little home arcade, always having to make those hard decisions on which to keep and which to sell because of my limited space. I'm sure 99% of you can relate. As for answering the post question, "What's the lifespan of somebody staying in the hobby?", for me, I've been repairing and building machines for 15 years, and doing electronics hobby work since the 1980's. I have no plans to stop any time soon. Thanks for posting the question.
 
I'm thinking once you have a half dozen machines give or take a few, in a dedicated space, you're in for the duration
 
I'm not sure how to answer but I've been dedicated to this hobby for 20 yrs and will be 55 next year. I also cringe typing that.

I'm in this for life, in fact ...
I'm gonna be cremated in a arcade cabinet in my backyard.. just not sure which game yet..

..... over 20yr in the hobby and i'm at the double nickel mark in life.. ...
 
I'm in this for life, in fact ...
I'm gonna be cremated in a arcade cabinet in my backyard.. just not sure which game yet..

..... over 20yr in the hobby and i'm at the double nickel mark in life.. ...
Can you just burn a human body like that?
 
I will be dead. They can spread my ashes or even hide my whole carcass in a ZAXXON and I would not even know it.
Yeah, that's what I told my wife when I wanted to buy another game. "How will we feel about getting rid of these when we're dead?"

I said we wouldn't care. We'd be dead.

Still didn't get to buy the game. Dammit.
 
I would imagine the longevity of participating in any hobby relies on a small set of internal and external circumstances; financial, communal and general interest being the driving force for most.

If you budget wisely and control your impulses you'll last a long time. If you suddenly can't afford the hobby, you'll leave.

If the community is supportive and welcoming new hobbiests will be drawn in and stay. If you constantly run up againt casual racism and in-vs-out crowd politics, even veterans will be likely to leave.

If you enjoy all the aspects of the hobby - repair, maintenance, acquisition and disposal - you'll spend more effort on it. If you just like looking at the games from time to time, that'll wear off eventually.

So, to answer the initial question, as long as the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones.
 
I would imagine the longevity of participating in any hobby relies on a small set of internal and external circumstances; financial, communal and general interest being the driving force for most.

If you budget wisely and control your impulses you'll last a long time. If you suddenly can't afford the hobby, you'll leave.

If the community is supportive and welcoming new hobbiests will be drawn in and stay. If you constantly run up againt casual racism and in-vs-out crowd politics, even veterans will be likely to leave.

If you enjoy all the aspects of the hobby - repair, maintenance, acquisition and disposal - you'll spend more effort on it. If you just like looking at the games from time to time, that'll wear off eventually.

So, to answer the initial question, as long as the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones.

All good points, but those who stay for the long-haul, no matter the circumstances, are likely hoarders.
I know I am. :)
 
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