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Is Pinball Dying?

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the he-stands-like-a-statue-part-of-the-machine dept.

Hipgnosis pointed me to a story on MSNBC about what how the age old game of pinball is dying. I'm a pinball junkie: I can't resist throwing quarters in a machine whenever I pass one in an arcade or airport or something. Gotta admit this one kinda makes me sad not just because of Tommy, but the countless hours I spent as a child enjoying games, and watching others play. I even bought my own pinball table (Jackbot) a few months ago ... there's something about those little flippers and pinballs that makes the game seem so much more tangible then the N64 or anything on my PCs.

5 of 296 comments (clear)

  1. It has been for a long time. by mbadolato · · Score: 5

    Those of us that collect Arcade machines and Pinball machines have known the sad truth for a long time. Pinball machines have long been dying.

    There was a resurgence in the early 80's when machines like Gorgar came out (first talking machine), and games like High Speed and Pin*Bot (both of which I own now) really caught on.

    But in the end, people went to video games.

    The saddest part is that last year, Williams finally gave up and closed their Pinball division. That was pretty much the nail in the coffin.

    --mark

  2. If They Weren't So Lame . . . by Seumas · · Score: 5
    If they're dying, it's probably because most new pinball games are just so damn lame. The old games (reads, late seventies, when I was barely a toddler) are the ones that I enjoy at arcades. These days, they're just rip-offs of really bad movies and television shows.

    Terminator
    The Simpsons
    GhostBusters
    Adams Family
    Twister
    Jurasic Park
    Batman
    Friends

    And then there are the obligatory Amusement Park variations of Pin-Ball. There must be three hundred of those games, where a clown laughs, a barker taunts you and you smack the ball around a makeshift amusement park or thrill-ride.

    If they'd try to make some genuinely interesting pin-ball titles, perhaps they would stick around longer. Pin-ball isn't dead in people's hearts -- it's just not as prevalent in society. If there were a pin-ball machine in half the locations that arcade machines are (your local grocery store, your gas-station, your cafe and mall, etc.) people would naturally pop more quarters in, and a lot would probably grow semi-addicted. As it is, I'm sure there are a lot of grade-school kids who wouldn't be able to describe to you what a pin-ball machine is, let alone ever played one.

    This also reminds me of a great story I read in a Science-Fiction/Fantasy anthology (I wish I could remember the title of the book or the authors), called Dante's Inferno, all about this guy addicted to this pinball machine in an arcade. I haven't read the story since I was about twelve, but I wish I could find it again. It was such a great tale.

    Now that I'm making a handsome salary, I need to consider buying a vintage pinball machine for my apartment. Every eccentric geek needs one.
    ---
    icq:2057699
    seumas.com

  3. Yep, It is by cancrman · · Score: 5
    Think about it for a second. Pinball machines are big, heavy, expensive and insanely complicated. Not just electronically complicated (which they are) but mechanically complicated. All of those ramps, balls and bumpers are going to break or get stuck from time to time. Now think about this: You are an arcade operator. Your goal is to maximize your earnings. To do this your machines must be up 100% of the time. Pinball machines are never up 100% of the time, they can't be. So the dead machine is taking up valuable floor space where a much more lucrative Tekken 3 machine could be (Fighting games also get two people to pay to play at the same time) Also operators generally don't have the expertise to fix them when they break. So they have to pay someone to come in and fix it. Walk into pretty much any arcade these days and you will find four types of games: Fighting, gun type games (Time Crisis), racing games and the occasional classic (Galaga or Centipede). Maybe, maybe you'll find a neglected pin or two but that's about it.

    I also remember reading somewhere that Williams/Midway recently said that they would be ceasing pinball production entirely. They tried to simplify the operators experience with their Pinball 2000 cabinet (one generic cabinet with easily swappable playfields and ROMS) but they only produced two of those (Attack from Mars and Episode 1). It really is sad. I guess I better snap up a Twilight Zone and ST:TNG machine before they all end up in other people's hands.

    Pete

    --
    The sole purpose of the Internet is to get porn and bomb making plans into the hands of children.
  4. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, TILT! by Wintermancer · · Score: 4

    Pinball.

    Yes, it's a breakdown-prone analogue device. So what? Life's not solid state, you know.

    Unlike most reflex-twicth games, (ie: if it moves, {shoot, kick, avoid} it), pinball is directly kinesthetic in nature. The joys of a subtle table slap to full-on, tilt inducing hip check are uniquely pinball. Not to mention that pinball uses real world physics, not an approximation found in digital arcade games. No trickery or savvy programming here, folks. Just hard Newtonian rules and a dash of chaos theory to keep it fresh every time.

    That's the fun.

    Not to mention that I feel like a lab rat pressing a lever to get a food pellet every time I play a digital game for hours, and I know that I'm not alone in this feeling. Pinball won't die, but it will be relegated to a niche market (and this is not a bad thing).

    Pinball is Dead! Long live Pinball!

  5. Re:Physical pinball may be out... by Seumas · · Score: 5
    Sorry, but pinball videogame style is just really pathetic. You might as well sit and watch television or listen to NPR or, for that matter, read Cosmopolitan magazine.

    There is a lot more to pinball than pressing a left and right button to nudge a couple levers. But in a digital version, that's all there is. I want the audio pointing in my face and the scoreboard glowing in my eyes off the backplate. I want the plink! and smack! of the sliver ball whacking the glass when flipped too hard. I want to see things spin and whirl and launch the ball around. I want to be able to throw my weight into the game and control, for just a little while, that 200lb piece of wood, metal and glass.

    I don't imagine I will ever touch the digital version anymore than I'll play a football or baseball videogame. If I want to play football, I'll go find some friends and get the pigskin out. I'll play videogames when I want to fire a plasma rifle at stinky aliens and start wars with other countries; things I can't do in real life.
    ---
    icq:2057699
    seumas.com