Retro Pinball Introduction

Pinball games encompass a family of entertainment experiences where a ball is propelled within a specially crafted table, ricocheting off various barriers to accumulate points during its trajectory or upon coming to a halt. In its historical context, these tables were adorned with nails known as 'pins' and recesses or pockets that yielded points when the ball settled within them. In modern times, pinball predominantly exists as an arcade pursuit, involving the launch of the ball into a specially designed cabinet termed a pinball machine.

This action triggers interactions with diverse elements like lights, bumpers, ramps, and targets, contingent on the machine's unique configuration. The overarching aim of the game typically revolves around amassing the highest possible score by striking these targets and executing well-timed shots using flippers before losing the ball. Each turn in most pinball games features one ball (except during special multi-ball phases), and the game concludes when the balls from the preceding turn are exhausted. Renowned historical manufacturers of pinball machines encompass Bally Manufacturing, Gottlieb, Williams Electronics, and Stern Pinball.

Gameplay:

Presently, active producers of pinball machines include prominent names such as Stern Pinball, Jersey Jack Pinball, American Pinball, Chicago Gaming Company, Pinball Brothers, Haggis Pinball, Dutch Pinball, Spooky Pinball, and Multimorphic, Inc., alongside several smaller boutique creators. The origins of pinball are intricately interwoven with the evolution of various other pastimes. Games involving rolling balls or stones outdoors on grass courses, such as bocce or bowls, gradually transformed into localized ground billiards games where players used sticks to propel balls at targets, often circumventing obstacles. Activities like croquet, golf, and pall-mall then emerged as derivatives of these ground billiards variations.

The progression of outdoor games eventually gave rise to indoor adaptations that could be played on tables, like billiards, or within pub interiors, resembling games such as bowling and shuffleboard. These tabletop iterations served as precursors to modern pinball. In France, during the extensive reign of Louis XIV from 1643 to 1715, billiard tables underwent modification. They featured wooden pins or skittles at one end and players would strike balls using a stick or cue from the opposite side, leading to a game influenced by both bowling and billiards. As resetting knocked-down pins proved time-consuming, they were eventually affixed to the table, with holes on the table's surface becoming the new targets. Players could skillfully bounce balls off the pins to target the more challenging scoring holes. This standardized adaptation was eventually termed "bagatelle."

Somewhere between the 1750s and 1770s, a bagatelle variant called Billard japonais, or Japanese billiards, emerged in Western Europe, despite its name. Also known as Stosspudel, this version employed slender metal pins and replaced the player's cue with a coiled spring and a plunger. Using this plunger, players propelled balls up an inclined playfield towards scoring targets—an apparatus still employed in contemporary pinball. This game also directly paved the way for pachinko.

Final Words:

In 1869, British inventor Montague Redgrave relocated to the United States and began producing bagatelle tables in Cincinnati, Ohio. He secured a patent in 1871 for "Improvements in Bagatelle," which pertained to the spring launcher introduced in Billard japonais. The game's dimensions were reduced to fit on bar tops, with marbles taking the place of balls and small metal pins replacing wickets. Redgrave's popularization of the spring launcher and innovations in game design are recognized as pivotal to the inception of pinball in its contemporary incarnation.

By the 1930s, manufacturers were crafting coin-operated versions of bagatelles, now referred to as "marble games" or "pin games." These tables were enclosed by glass and employed Montague Redgrave's plunger mechanism to launch the ball into the upper playfield. In 1931, David Gottlieb's Baffle Ball emerged as the initial success story of the coin-operated era. Priced at $17.50, the game dispensed five to seven balls for just one penny. Its appeal resonated with individuals seeking affordable amusement during the challenges of the Great Depression. Pinball machines quickly proliferated throughout drugstores and taverns across the U.S., with numerous establishments swiftly recouping their investment in the game. Baffle Ball achieved sales exceeding 50,000 units and firmly established Gottlieb as the pioneering major manufacturer of pinball machines.