![]() One thing you might do is to give your kids a budget and and let them propose a list of things that they would like you to buy for the basement. Suggesting things like the pinball machine, shuffleboard, or a juke box to them are so dated that it will likely just get you an eyeroll and a sigh(I had a teenager) and then they will start talked slowly to you and ask if you if they should call 911 since you obviously just had a stroke and lost touch with reality. You can ask your kids but most likely their days of hanging out in their parents basement are just about over with. But I think the right game tables might be used by our kids, their friends, perhaps significant others, and other family. My kids are 22, 20, 16, so maybe if we wanted this we should have done it a few years ago. The anti-ideal is something that's fun for about 3-4 sessions in the first month or two, then mostly collects dust until I get sick enough of it to dispose of it for a pittance. The ideal is a modest investment or two that doesn't hog too much space, that gets used a lot the first couple years and a reasonable amount for a decade or three thereafter. Also a jukebox (vinyl!) that didn't work well at all. It got some use, and I think eventually migrated to one of my wife's sister's places. My wife's family had an old pinball machine that was a bit if-fy on whether it would work well at any given time. My main direct experience is table tennis and pool - we had both growing up, and table tennis held interest a bit more than pool, both for me and the group. Spending $3000+ on something that loses interest would annoy me BOTH because I'd be slow to get rid of it and because of the cost. Spending $500 on something that loses group interest would annoy me because I'd be slow to get rid of it. * Also, maybe a jukebox? Too kitsch/retro? Other stuff like this? Not sure a standup arcade machine would be much different. But we have lots of old Nintendos and such around the house - interest in them mostly fades. * Arcade machine - Probably some kind of multi-play. Also, pinball is a one person at a time game - most other options allow more simultaneous players. * Vintage pinball - Neat, but the games are maybe not so complex. Could also do one of those dart machines that uses non sharp darts. Basement ceiling is a bit low though ~6'10 or 7'. One of the easiest/cheapest to buy/set up, and not hard or painful to get rid of, if need be. ![]() ![]() * Darts - could do real darts - I guess I wouldn't freak out if our wall got banged up. But loses interest a bit too quick, maybe? * Table shuffleboard - have occasionally dabbled with. * Foosball - kinda fun, haven't played much since college maybe? Not sure it would hold interest longer term. * Air hockey - have played some, but seems kinda luck based/random. * Pool - have played a fair amount over my life, but liked table tennis better. But, I dunno - takes a lot of space, I'm a bit tired of it, and my wife would convert it to a *stuff* table, quickly. * Table tennis - played a lot when I was younger, including with my brothers and father, who are all still here sometimes. We have a finished basement (~85% of it anyways), where a big chunk of space just opened up (about 18' x 9.5', though it can't be filled - needs to allow pass-through). I'm more interested in other options, so, new thread. There was a thread mostly on Ping Pong/Table Tennis tables, but a bit on other possibilities, last year.
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