The most popular games are about music or movies that people are familiar with, like Guardians of the Galaxy, Terminator 2, Guns N’ Roses, or Led Zeppelin.” “For example, the Godzilla machine plays old sixties movies on its screen,” Mark said. New machines are still being made, and they have more robust sound systems, video screens, and even touch screens. The sounds and music are part of the appeal of playing a pinball game. When Mark hosts a tournament, he said it sounds like a full-blown arcade. “Pinball ownership also takes mechanical skills, because the games sometimes break or a fuse goes out, but I’ve gotten pretty good at fixing them.” “Controlling the ball is a practice in physics,” Mark said. According to Mark, a game can last a few minutes, but experienced players can keep the ball moving for half an hour. Pinball machines have advanced, but the goal remains the same: keep the ball “in play” for as long as possible and hit various targets to score points. Now, they have circuit boards and digital displays.” “The machines were mechanical then, with switches and relays. It came out in the mid-sixties, and the goal was to hit all the card targets,” Mark said. “The first one I bought, King of Diamonds, was special because it was one of my favorites when I was young. Mark Schwisow likes to say his enthusiasm for playing pinball is a story in three acts.Īct One: As a young adult in the 1970s, Mark played lots of mechanical pinball at bowling alleys and convenience stores.Īct Two: As a father, Mark introduced his children to pinball machines in the mid-80s as something they could play together.Īct Three: As a retiree, Mark remembered his enjoyment of playing pinball, so he bought a machine four years ago, and then another, and then another, and now he owns 20 machines and hosts pinball tournaments.
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