When did movie promotion begin for pinball?
Bally was the first company to do that. They were the first company to get an official licensed theme. During the 1950s, Gottlieb had done some unlicensed themes. They had a game called Guy’s Dolls, and it just happened to come out at the same time as the Broadway...
Did Williams and Gottlieb have their own artists?
Yes, they had preferred artists. During the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, artwork wasn’t always created in house. Williams or another company would design a game, and then they would hand the game over to another company that just did art. This second company had their own...
Who were the major manufacturers for pinball?
During the 1930s, there were literally hundreds of companies making pinball machines. After World War II, though, there was only a handful. The key players were Gottlieb—the biggest, and pretty much the Cadillac of pinball—and Williams, which was substantially smaller...
How did pinball evolve in the United States?
It was a game that morphed from the French game of bagatelle. In the 1930s, it really exploded as a gambling thing, and that’s where pinball got this gambling association. Coming out of World War II, the gambling laws were changing in the United States. In particular,...
Are there a lot of pinball machine collectors?
Are there a lot of pinball machine collectors? It is a fairly small hobby. I’m the co-editor of one of the pinball magazines, and the subscription number is 1,200 people worldwide. Now, I know not every collector subscribes, but that gives you an indication that the...
How long does it take to repair the average pinball machine?
The quickest someone can restore a machine is maybe a week, and that would be the best-case scenario. It takes time to tear them down. All the mechanical assemblies have to be taken apart, cleaned, and the parts must be replaced and put back together. A lot of times...
Why People Flip Pinball Machines
I didn’t really get into to pinball machine collecting until maybe 15 years ago, but when I was a freshman in college, video games were really big. I went to Purdue University. They had a huge arcade there. I always said that Space Invaders and Pac-Man took so much of...
The Glory of the Pinball Machine
What is it about the pinball machine that draws us in? Even today in our time of gorgeously illustrated video games, pinball machines continue to have an enchanting quality. In part this is the result ofthe game's visuals: the lights, colors, and artwork. But it's...
artist modifies a pinball machine to make art prints
Dutch graphic designer Sam van Doorn has modified a pinball machine so that it uses lithographic ink to make prints. Calling his machine STYN, the device makes messy modern art on poster board with six flippers and the ball. van Doorn doesn't call the resulting works...
Pinball Cafe closes doors for having more than two pinball machines
The Pinball Cafe opened its doors in February, on the strip of Queen West between Roncesvalles Ave. and Dufferin St. It was a family place where one could buy ice cream, eat a sandwich and play a few rounds of an old arcade favourite. When it closed on Monday, after...
National Pinball Museum to close
Just five months after opening its doors to delighted pinheads and wizards across the D.C. region, Georgetown’s National Pinball Museum is being forced to close. David Silverman, the Silver Spring man whose dream it was to share his pinball collection with the masses,...
This is serious business for 9-year-old Caine Monroy
Nine-year-old Caine Monroy is totally nonplussed by the attention his homemade cardboard arcade received this week after the short film “Caine’s Arcade” went viral on the Internet. The documentary was directed by Nirvan Mullick, an L.A. filmmaker who happened upon...
Simpsons Arcade Game Finally Released for Consoles After 21 Years
It’s been a long time since you could pump quarters into The Simpsons Arcade Game, gleefully mashing buttons with a can of Mountain Dew by your side. Well, prepare to seriously embiggen your gaming library because the Simpsons are coming to the Xbox 360 and...
Disney film explores secret world within arcade games
Any classic video gamers who still remember the good days of arcade tokens and joysticks may want to prepare themselves for a nostalgic moment or two. Disney’s newest animated film Wreck-It Ralph hit theaters on Nov. 2. Boasting an all-star cast of video game...
Simpsons Arcade Game rated
The Simpsons Arcade Game may finally be in line for its first console port. As reported by XBLA Fans, the Australian government's Classification Board has updated its database with a listing for The Simpsons Arcade Game on multiple platforms. The Simpsons Arcade Game...
EyeAsteroids arcade game has no joystick, uses eye control
If you were an old school gamer, I would wager that back in the day you spent many a quarter playing Asteroids at the arcade. A company we have talked about in the past called Tobii has a new game that reminds me of the classic Asteroids game that is called Tobii...
Where Ms. Pac-Man Still Has a Home
WALKING down the southern end of Mott Street a stretch lined with cheap-toy traps and Chinese restaurants of varying quality is a fairly unremarkable experience until the sidewalk is suddenly packed with grungy and very loud teenagers and young adults loitering in...
HPD raids arcades, seize dozens of gaming machines
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Authorities in Honolulu are trying to stay ahead of the game when it comes to controversial video arcade games that have been popping up over the last couple of years. The Honolulu Police Department and City Prosecutor's Office are doubling...
The World Before Pong
The World Before Pong You can't say that video games grew out of pinball,but you can assume that video games wouldn't have happened without it. It's Like bicycles and automobiles. One industry leads to the other and then they exist side by side.But you to have...
Why People Flip Over Vintage Pinball Machines
Why People Flip Over Vintage Pinball Machines By Maribeth Keane and Ben Marks — September 16th, 2009 Clay Harrell talks about collecting vintage pinball machines, and his personal road to pinball wizardry, from Gottlieb to Williams to Stern. He can be reached...
THE EEL MEETS PINBALL GEOFF
THE EEL MEETS PINBALL GEOFF January 3, 2010 by EEL COLLECTIVE “I’ve always been called Pinball Geoff ever since I was a young boy and played the silver ball.” So says Geoffrey Harvey of Stoke Newington- an avid collector of everything from armadillos to...
For a Pinball Survivor, the Game Isn’t Over
For a Pinball Survivor, the Game Isn’t Over By MONICA DAVEYAPRIL 25, 2008 MELROSE PARK, Ill. — Being inside a pinball machine factory sounds exactly as you think it would. Across a 40,000-square-foot warehouse here, a cheery cacophony of flippers flip, bells...
The History of the Pinball Construction Set: Launching Millions of Creative Possibilities
The History of the Pinball Construction Set: Launching Millions of Creative Possibilities Matt Barton, Bill Loguidice February 6, 2009 Here, the duo presents a history of Pinball Construction Set, one of the earliest and most accessible examples of a game that...
PUNNY FACTORY
Andrew MacBain is not afraid of a challenge. Besides running the successful Pigeon Patrol bird control business for the past twelve years just across the US border near Vancouver , Canada, and a prime-time appearance on Dragon’s Den (link viewable in Canada only) for...
