Pinball

I’m fascinated by the game of pinball. I’m not a student of physics, but the way in which the “ball is wild” with a real, analog connection to the world just can’t be copied by video games. It can be a complex and at times Zen experience, as one starts to understand the mechanics of basic play or the rule set of a given machine. But it’s also something I’ve seen enjoyed by people who barely know that there’s a score, who haven’t the slightest clue that there are combos and modes to be discovered, or drop shots to hit at critical moments, or a final goal to achieve. It is sad, in a sense, that the “golden age” of pinball has seemed to pass. After overcoming the early stigma as gambling machines for shady characters, the classic solid-state table gave way to the familiar electro-magnetic machines with dot matrix displays. Tables that were expensive to maintain and becoming overlooked in the new video game craze. Today, only one company in Chicago is left producing pinball machines, and their future is in doubt. Still, I have a feeling that the true golden age of the game is yet to come.