Pinball Collectors, Collections, and Why They Collect (Case Study #2)

Today on Pinball Aficionado, we're going to return to the world of collecting; the people, the games, and the reasons why they go about acquiring them. What drives someone to collect 300 pound machines that cost thousands of dollars and take up massive amounts of real estate anyway?

Our pinball hobby is full of different types of people, from operators who get games and put them out to earn money, to collectors, big and small, who may acquire games for many reasons. Whether it's the one game they grew up with, or someone who gets these machines as quasi art installations that they can enjoy in their home, the reasons are varied. A while back we looked at our first collector, an opeator with a large number of machines. Today we're going to look at an enthusiast that can be seen as the opposite, a die hard fan with a single game.

Dennis' awesome Surfer!

COLLECTOR CASE STUDY #2:

Collector: Dennis

Location: South Florida

Number of Games: 1

Reason for Collecting: Pinball is Life and you have to start somewhere. Hehe!

Dennis and his Wife at the Pinball Asylum!

Pinball Aficionado: "Do you go after any particular types of games, eras, or the titles from a certain designer or company?"



Dennis: "I Really like solid states and EM's. The basic rules and ease of getting into them appeals to me. I have started to understand and get into modern DMD games, but its a completely different approach; it's more about knowing the rules and maximizing features, modes and multiballs which is pretty cool but much more complicated to wrap your head around all the craziness."


PA: "Why did you choose the game you picked, how did you acquire it?"


Dennis: "I went with my wife to the Orlando Free Play Florida last year (2015) and they had a couple of EM's one of which was Surf Champ which is the 4 player version of Surfer and my wife and I loved it. We came back to it throughout the weekend so, for us, it stood out as a table that offered us repeated challenge and fun. Some time later a collector posted he had a working Surfer for sale, so I went to try it out and liked it, and he even offered to deliver it! I have wanted a pinball machine to practice my shots, etc. and this was a perfect opportunity, and for the price, i couldn't pass it up."


PA: "When acquiring a game, did you do it for a specific reason (gameplay, art, opportunity)?"


Dennis: "For me, this specific table had a little bit of everything. Cool bright colors, good art, good bumper location, good spinner location, drop down targets, and some nice challenging and satisfying shots. Again, out of all the games at Free Play Florida, this one stood out for my wife and myself, so I already knew the boss (my wife) liked it, so that's always good when getting something that's going to take half of the living room space it has permission to be there :-) "


PA: "Anything else you'd like to share???"


Dennis: "The pinball scene in south Florida is amazing! I have met so many incredible, friendly and selfless people that are in this hobby to enjoy themselves but also to share their love of pinball with the rest of the community. The Village BBS (ed. note: an amazing forum for collectors in FL) has been a great place to share ideas, stay up to date with events and stay in touch with a lot of the people involved. I really enjoy going to events and seeing the same friendly faces, as well as new people, and talk about whats going on in the world of pinball and how it has gotten more interesting throughout the years. Through the local events I have gotten into the competitive pinball scene and it has been a very fun ride. The Florida APE was an amazing show this year, and am always looking forward to a new expo or convention that I can attend. I am set to attend the Replay FX in Pittsburgh this year and am eager to hang out and cheer for my pinball friends."


PA: "Awesome! Thanks for your time."


Dennis: "No problem."


So, all you aficionado collectors out there, why do you collect? What kinds of games do you go after? If you'd like to be featured in a future profile, shoot me an email!


Till next time!

What Makes a Pinball Shot Feel Good: The Answers!!!

Some of the Shots available in Stern's Star Trek

Wow! Well after throwing that question out there (What Makes a Pinball Shot Feel Good), I was blown away by the response. Answers poured in from aficionados all over the pinball community. Tournament players, novices, collectors, operators, techs, designers, even the VP of Design at Stern Pinball chimed in!!!

Here are some of their responses:

"The best shots are the ones that can be dialed in by the player to be made with regularity and therefore be satisfying."

-- Marcel Gonzalez (Showrunner - Florida Arcade Pinball Expo)


"Feedback- its all and only about feedback- the choreography of the event , the things you see, hear, the emotion evoked by the realization that you have: advanced, achieved a goal, completed something, incremented score, heard or discovered a piece of the story, evoked an emotion from an opponent whether real (your buddy) or virtual( the animated 3d Hulk toy you just hit). The smooth transition of the ball is a visually and aurally perceived event. Feedback- like all games is the magic."

-- George Gomez (Designer, Stern Pinball VP of Game Design)


"It's about satisfaction. It's such a relief when you achieve it, like a weight is lifted off your shoulders and you're on top of the world. (Especially those difficult, timed shots worth a ton of points)."

"It feels similar to scoring that winning goal/basket/TD/Home run/KO punch and getting a rise from the audience.

Same with golf, pool or bowling. When that ball rolls a strike, or falls in the intended hole/pocket, it evokes the same visceral reaction as scoring a super jackpot."

-- Joel Cohen (Tournament Player)


"Pinball does an amazing job of letting you know that YOU are the one in control...but it also does a great job of letting you know that YOU screwed it up...love a great shot, but I also like the feeling of great ball control. To me there's greater satisfaction from a solid live catch/drop catch/cradle separation followed by a tough shot."

-- Carlos Porta (Tournament Player)


"The best shots are not too easy, not too hard, and have good feedback so you know you did something cool, or that you pushed forward in the rules of the game."

-- FLECOM (Operator/Tech/Collector)


"Not an easy question, I think a pinball design is not about one shot... its how all the shots, flow (up & down), rebounds, bounce, rest, jumps, timing, and many more factors. I guess ultimately for me a "shot" is part of a larger composition...and it is all related in some fashion."

-- John Popadiuk (Pinbal Designer)


"What makes a good shot for me is that it puts me into a Peak Experience. A peak experience is that sweet spot my mind gets into when it faces a desirable challenge, a challenge that is difficult enough to not be boring but not too difficult where it puts me off. It’s at a specific level where I have to focus at the peak of my ability. When I get into a good flow of making shots and keeping the ball alive who I am and what I think about diminish and only the pinball and the field exist. Sometimes I get so lost in that flow that the boundaries between my fingertips and the flippers disappear. When I keep shooting the shots I need to hit faster and smoother than I can think normally is what makes pinball extremely enjoyable for me."

-- Joshua Fay (Pinball Enthusiast)



Wow, so from most of these responses, it would appear that the key is not so much in a particular shot, but the many things that the player experiences in tandem during a good game. Factors like challenge, rebounds, flow, feedback, sound, choreography, all play a part in making pinball feel good.

So going back to the original question, I guess that the reason why a shot might feel good even if the ball leaves your direct control lies not in a single shot alone, but in the overall design and its impact on the player and how it makes him or her feel. The beauty lies not in the single tree, but in the forest it calls home.


To sum it up, here's an amazing video that I feel encapsulates all of the factors mentioned. It's called "The Last Empire" by Adrian Seifert. Check it out!