Quoted from tom_454

I used to spend hours in my uncles basement listening to a HAM radio just to talk with someone in Asia or South America (now every kid has a cell phone - too easy). Pinball is more work and it is certainly harder and more expensive to own one. Video games are (can be) effectively free (copyright issues) and pinball is not.

Yep. When I was 12 I was the youngest person in Canada ever to get my licence; VE3HIL which I still have today. I can't see my kids putting anywhere near the time required to do this today and given the technology they don't really see the need. They lowered the standards due to a lack of interest in the hobby many years later.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QSL_card
I collected QSL cards back then from morse code contacts all over the world. Different times for sure. Cell phones are great, but other than satcom there still is a need for long range radio in austere locations. It's pretty well a lost art though.