Arcade Game System » Arcade Pinball Machines

“Arcade pinball machines,” I ask myself. “Do they even manufacture them anymore?” I wondered to my self. I have never actually heard it asked before but I imagine it is possible that someone somewhere has said “Daddy, what is a pinball machine?” If you need a definition I guess this one could work: Pinball Machine- metal balls on a playfield inside a glass covered case. Well that might be accurate but this definition does not say any thing about the phenomenon of Pinball Arcade Machines.

The game of pinball that we are used to seeing today actually has its roots in ancient traditions. Games like Bocce and Bagatelle were created and evolved over the years into modern forms. These led the way for today’s Arcade Pinball Machine. It gained its beginnings from the British inventor Montague Redgrave. In 1869, he designed a Bagatelle table game including a coiled spring and plunger. This device remains in pinball machines today. David Gottlieb’s Baffle Ball came on the scene in 1931, and by the end of 1932 there were roughly 150 companies manufacturing pinball machines. Ray Moloney gets on board in 1932, with his invention of a game called Bally Ball. He came to name his company Bally because of the success of the game. The name still exists in the world of arcade pinball machines. Eventually Henry Williams of Williams manufacturing, bought it in 1988. Bally has become recognized all over the world today. With the advent of the micro-processor, in the 1970s, came the new age of electronic gaming. As they say, “the rest is history.” Henry Williams introduced the first solid-state electronic pinball machine- Hot Tip, in 1977.

Often pinball is presented in popular culture as a symbol of rebellion or toughness such as in the case of the rock opera album of 1969, Tommy, by The Who. Another example is the movie Tilt, with Brook Shields starring as a young pinball wizard. The prominence of arcade pinball machines in popular culture is well recognized these days. This is evidenced by the licensing of popular movies and icons of the day to appear on the machines. Today they can be purchased decorated with everything from Marvel comic book heroes to Hollywood Box Office hits. Bally/Williams’ The Adams Family, is an early example.