James Roller

[slotalot]

This may not be new news to some of you, but as it had not been reported on here (as far as I know) I thought it worth a mention.
Whilst doing some research on the internet, I was shocked to learn the James Roller had passed away in February of this year, I have had a couple of dealing with him in the past, I always found him to be friendly and helpful, he will be sadly missed and a loss to the hobby.
His website is still up and running and is now cared for by the chaps at Pinballpro.com
R.I.P. Jim.

[daleman]

Yes, truly a gentleman

[gameswat]

Damn, another one gone, how sad. Had quite a few dealings with Jim over the years and he was always amazingly helpful, even sent me some parts for free.

[pennymachines]

Very sorry to hear this. His extensive knowledge, enthusiasm and generosity were very evident from my occasional communications with James. My condolences to his family.

[john t peterson]

All things collectible go through cycles of popularity. We seem to be in a stage where some of the giants of coin op, Ken Rubins and James Roller for example, are now passing away. It begs the question whether the up-coming generation will have the passion for our hobby as did the previous one. Looking into my crystal ball, I see the answer to be: not so much. Many of the posts here recall fond memories of engaging with these games we love during their youth. With rare exception, this will not be the experience of Gen Z and the other alphabet denizens. All is not lost. Besides the attraction of the pure mechanical ingenuity of most coin op machines, they reflect the societal times of their creation. This is more clearly seen in the allwins and other penny machines that entice with promises of love, wealth and skill improvement. The computers and A I games of today may imitate reality but our games ARE real. Though the market prices may decrease over time, the appreciation for the mechanical genius and artistic creativity will always remain.

J Peterson
Dying Breed (but not yet dead) USA

[coppinpr]

Looking into my crystal ball, I see the answer to be: not so much

I have to agree, BUT, in truth, it's hard for our generation to say. because we grew up with these machines we do, like it or not, have a feel for them no later generation will have, but that makes it impossible for us to grasp the next gen of collectors' view of them. It will be very different from ours but it might be no less passionate, all be it for different reasons.I hope so, I think those new collectors ARE out there,perhaps the biggest problem is getting them to notice our hobby in the first place, we all know that once hooked it stays with you forever.

[tim575]

I agree with the comment about getting the new generation to even be aware of these machines. As far as the arcade games, after a couple arcade parties this year I can say the latest generation still love to play the EM games, even back to the 1920's games. For most, it is the first time they ever saw an EM game in person, with physical models, real 3D targets etc. Very different than something simulated on the TV or computer screen...

[roger]

I am one of the lost generation that is closely approaching the "lost" area (pushing 98)

There is one advantage to my personal situation.....
My family will not have to hire private police for crowd control.

My creditors may be a wee bit disappointed. ROGER

[coppinpr]

Ah, but will they need to employ private police to control the creditors?

[roger]

Post merged - Site Admin.

cry me a river.jpg (28.76 KiB) Viewed 2414 times

Coppinpr has expressed interest in my ultimate demise.......
Here is a little Roman history that my family will be following.

They have decided to hire professional mourners just in case the expected crowds do not show up.
Also, the Romans paid off the mourners by the amount of tears in a small mourning cup.
My family intends to use gallon jugs................. ROGER