so I bought a pinball machine: July 2024

Monday, July 29, 2024

Videos: digitized pinball VHS tapes and much more (good videos part 4)

I brought home a number of goodies from COAPF in June. Thanks to Swizzle @ Gaming Alexandria for digitizing these first 5 VHS tapes for me. We've included scans of the cases.

Who's ready for some lo-fi pinball b-roll footage? We've got bunch of digitized VHS tapes and a whole bunch of other great videos beneath them. (Prior video posts: 1, 2, 3)

Pinball Fantasy '96

Bingorilla Number 2 (Winter 1997)

Bride of Bingorilla (Number 3, Spring 1997)

System 1 Super Show (Number 4, Spring 1998)

Girls Don't Make Passes at Boys with Backglasses (Number 5, Spring 1997)

Note: the game "Big Dick" had to be removed from the video to allow it to be on Youtube. When this gets uploaded to The Internet Archive it will be the unedited version.

Let's round out the Tim Arnold videos with the first in the series, though someone else digitized and uploaded this one, years ago:

Pingame Gerbil #1 (1996)

Technology Connections pinball series

Another important video series is a brand new 3-part series by Technology Connections, explaining how a 4-player EM pinball machine works. Even if you're familiar with pinball tech, this overview is a great example of concise technical communication, and a good review of the theory of operation.

COAPF writeup

Let's talk COAPF! I had been meaning to write something shortly after the event, but recently found some of the photos again, so it's late but let's do it. COAPF is the Central Ontario Arcade and Pinball Festival and it happened June 12st, 2024 near Wasaga Beach, about 2 hours North of Toronto.

I was asked to setup a history booth at the show. I had originally not been planning on going, as my schedule is quite difficult, but the opportunity to run a booth is quite rare. My friend agreed to assist me on the trip and that made the journey possible.

Pinball Ancestry Tour

I made a number of signs so people could do a short self-directed tour. This included a 4-part tour through pinball ancestry.

I do not think these signs were successful. Most people did not stop to read things, and were instead taking in the whole spectacle of the show.

I will have to re-think how I present this kind of information in the future. Perhaps making this into a pamphlet that people could take home and read at their leisure? Until then, here are the signs:

1 - Aristocratic Table Games

2 - Pin Bagatelle

3 - Toy Bagatelles

4 - The Coin-Op Revolution

I had this FAQ sign printed up as well, but it's just as easy to dump the text here in the post.

Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pinball Ancestry?
Whiffle (1931, Automatic Industries) is generally considered the first ‘pinball machine’. It kept the balls separate from the player, allowed for automatic re-circulation, and collected payment. I use Pinball Ancestry to describe all of the game history that got us to Whiffle.
What are the eras of pinball?
These are the broad eras that I use for my own research:
Before 1931: pinball ancestry (here there be dragons)
1931: purely mechanical coinop pinball starts with Whiffle (Automatic Industries)
1947: the flipper era begins with Humpty Dumpty (Gottlieb). Often considered the start of ‘modern’ pinball.
1977: Solid state era takes hold, with digital displays and integrated circuit control.
1991: DMDs era begins with Gilligan’s Island (Midway) and Terminator 2 (Williams)
2013: the LCD era starts with The Wizard of Oz (Jersey Jack)
Where did you get these and can I buy them from you?
These antiques were assembled over a decade+ across 4 continents, through following auctions and networking with collectors. I am not interested in selling them individually, but I would consider trading all of my antique pinball ancestry gear (non-coinop) for a modern Stern Pro (GZ/DP/AIQ/TMNT/FF/etc). I would include my 1933 Rock-Ola Jigsaw in the deal for a Premium, or equivalent.
Who invented pinball?
Now you’re just being silly.