Before PacMan, before Space Invaders, before Pong, there were already pinball machines. Okay, okay, there are still pinball machines, but vintage pinball machines are a lot more than just games at the malt shop. Pinball machines may have started out as offshoot of arcade games but these have proven to be more resilient and persistent to the nation’s cultural psyche. Or something like that.
Looking at most movies from the 1950’s and the 1960’s and onward, the bar scene would show a billiard table at one end and pinball machines at another. These are truly ubiquitous machines which collected coins for the establishment’s owner.
Admittedly, there’s not much to do with the game, except to wait till you finished your three balls or tilt the machine. The monotony of the game is the thrill of the game. It’s not boring because it’s not really repetitive. Funny what happens when you concentrate on the ball. Even golfers can’t compare to a pinball machine player when it comes to concentrating on the ball.
Maybe these have been superseded by video games, but old school pinball have a charm, thrill and drama most coin-operated machines can only dream about.