Truth be told- when I was tiny, my dad had a couple ancient marble pinball games that I had a lot of fun with, but when I was about five I rode my bike down to the local donut shop and slid a nickle into an old woodrail that I still can't remember the name of, but it had a lot of steel rollover buttons. At ten, the local bowling alley (Carter Bowl) got a brand new machine that nobody could forget- it had multiball, skillshot, incredible artwork, and it was faassst! The name of this machine- Fireball!

I used to play pinball and video games at the arcade, pizza places, the 7-eleven, everywhere when I was in high school. I have very fond memories of all the game play, game sounds, quarters, and trying to get high scores. It was the early eighties. At that time, they had a mixture of pinball and video games.

Fast forward to adult life and the computer age. I used to play a little computer game called Tristan.

I also played “Full Tilt” pinball too. I absolutely loved that Skullduggery game. “Yellowbelly”

Of course, that wasn’t the same thing as a real machine, but it held me over. For awhile…

One day I was looking on ebay for more computer pinball games to play.
Then, I discovered something. You could buy a REAL pinball machine. It never occurred to me. I always associated real arcade machines as belonging to the arcades.

I decided that I would get a new machine, because I wasn’t familiar with all the repairing and everything. I figured it would not break as easy if it was newer. I was really scared of all the mechanical things, wires, and stuff under the playfield and in the back box. I must have been crazy to just jump off the cliff totally blind.

After passing on a couple releases from Stern, I bought a brand new LOTR in 2004. (almost ten years ago now) It just seemed way better than many other machines before it. Boy was I lucky to get that machine as my first pinball! But, it made me picky too. I remember thinking that I would regret not getting a new TSPP when it came out. I’ve always admired it. Years later, I got a pristine 2007 run HOU TSPP with under 350 plays. So in the end, it worked out.

Now I am fine with most simple maintenance and repairs, but I am always learning.

Heh, I got into pinball in the mid-late-1980s because the video game market had pretty much collapsed. I can't say I've ever been out of pinball since then.

It's pretty crazy how most people here and the average person didn't originally realise you can own your own pinball machines and arcade machines.

Getting screwed out of a cragislist deal. Years ago I was promised responded to an ad for a $200 pin. Talked to the seller, made arrangements to pick it up, and it ended up an auction etc. Jacked the price, it happens.

Well, I had my heart set on it and decided to say screw it, bought a WH20 and that was that. I was an arcade guy so pins where on my radar but pricey for me at the time.

I was looking for a skeeball machine and kept seeing pinball machines as well and thought that pinball would be even more fun so picked up a T2 and now am hooked. (Eventually got a skeeball machine as well)

A buddy and I were in Vegas and I was flipping through their little book of things nearby. PHOF caught my eye and we spent entirely too much time there. Headed back for more the night afterwards. That was just over one year ago, got my first pin about 6 months ago and it's been all down hill from there.

Playing games in the wild started it up again at bars or anywhere you can find them. Then finally thought it was time to own one. Also pin leagues and tournaments in which I am lucky to play so many pins in collections that brought back the memories. Sorry I did not got as could not find a choice which matched what I just described. I still think they can do more with pins and waiting the next big thing they add to them.

Somewhat lifelong arcade fan but never into pins. I played tons of pinball video games, even horrible ones like 3D Ultra. After playing TBA I decided to try a couple pins at the arcade the next time I was there and ended up really enjoying Shrek and Iron Man. Didn't take long to realize virtual pinball isn't very good so I'm currently looking to add a couple pins to my game room!

I always played on location and never really considered that owning my own pin was an affordable option. I started looking around on the internet and found that I could start with a good C-list machine and trade my way up from there.

None of the above. I remember playing Fish Tales a lot as a young adult and then played one again many years later at a hotel where I stayed during a fishing trip. I decided it'd be cool if I could buy one because "nobody has a pinball machine in their house."

Is it a resurgence? I hope so, but I am unsure.

I will call it a resurgence if the new manufacturers survive, and a higher number of different pins are produced every year. 2012 was better than before, let's hope the trend continues. I will be convinced if I start to see more pins in Bars and arcades.

Yes, a lot of new owners. But most, like me, were hooked long time ago - 40 years in my case!! I love to see people hooked by virtual pinball.

There is hope.

My buddy gave me a trashed Meteor that he found in the basement of his new home. I got it working and then deployed to Germany for 4 years. When I got back I pulled it out of storage and had to get it working again. It has been downhill ever since.

I had always played Pinball on route but until I went looking for parts, I never realized you could buy them unless you owned or knew someone who owned a bar or some kind of amusement business. Basically, I thought you needed a vending license to buy a new one. What a noob.

I checked off seeing a video . .. but the REAL story is that I read an article in Parade Magazine 3 years ago about Stern being the last pinball machine maker, how they had been in financial trouble, and they were hoping to turn things around with a new pin called Avatar. That's when the 3D movie had just come out. We all know that Avatar didn't set the world on fire, but it had been over 35 years since I owned an old EM and I decided I wanted one. I honestly bought it thinking if a lot of people read that article and bought one of these pins, then Stern would come out of their financial hole and keep on making pins. It was my contribution to keeping the making of pins going. I didn't realize that it would cause me to go freakin' nuts and buy more and more pins, new and used. I THINK I've got 17 now. Lost count! Ha.
Mike

S: (n) revival, resurgence, revitalization, revitalisation, revivification (bringing again into activity and prominence) "the revival of trade"

The trade has been revived.... Whether is lasts is a different question..

For me, it was better games. I remember when TSPP and LOTR came out, and I was a 6th grader. Playing both pins were definitely some of my favorite middle school moments.

Lol BK was my middle school game

Same here!

Parents had game route in the 90's. Have had a nice set of A list titles since. I guess WOZ got us to buy back in. Now I have my own house and looking for my first pin. At least Il get to play their WOZ.

eBay!! I stumbled upon a Black Knight in 1998, and was shocked to see about 500 more pins on eBay. I totally forgot about collecting Viewmaster stuff after that.

This!!!!!

image-2.jpg

Works for me!

mid life crisis - turning 40

2 things that got me back: The Pinball Arcade and this web site. Pinball arcade brought some nostalgic memories, and this site's Pin Map helped me find nearby locations with fantastic lineups.

I <3 Flesh Gordon!
Such an underrated game...

The number one thing that got me into wanting to collect pins was LEDs.

Growing up I always hung out at a local bowling alley, played JOKERZ, when I was 8 and then i got my first job at that same bowling alley and they had a CFTBL. I mastered that game like no other back then, I could replay on it every damn time and play for hours after my shift was over.

A few years back, I remembered that damn little jingle during attract mode on CFTBL and wanted to hear it again, so i youtubed creature pinball and saw one decked out in all its LED glory and knew right then and there that pinballs were no longer pinballs but "classic art".

Yep !! Many Moons ago Flash Gordon was the very fist pin I bought.

Note: Although it was fully working - mine was missing the naked lady mod.

What got me into pinball was playing e-m type pins in the mid/late 70's.
What got me back into pinball was that in 2004 when I found that you could buy pins on ebay.
What got me back into pinball in 2011 was more free time and money, and Pinside website.

PHOF I went to Vegas to visit my friend and we were looking for an arcade. We discovered the hall of fame and I was hooked ever since.

A few things got me BACK. Background...

Pre 1992- played mostly arcade games. Galaga, Peter Packrat, Arkanoid, Street Fighter II, NBA Jam, ect.
1992- T2 came out and at my local arcade you had to wait an hour in line to play it. It was THAT important.
1993- The next year IJ came out and I played that game hundreds of times over the course of a year.

Those were the important arcade events I can remember up until about 2001 when I went to an amusement auction and bought Street Fighter, Klax, and Crystal Castles all broken... many more auctions followed the next few years buying mostly broken stuff for cheap. Also got an Asteroids from Goodwill for $80. Built a MAME cabinet in 2002 when it was actually quite a challenge hacking a keyboard and such.

Fast forward to 2005... Was up to about 15 arcade games by then. I traded an upright Pole Position for my first pin, a Jokerz! Over the next 7 years I found some great deals here and there, mostly buying broken stuff and forcing myself to fix it. (I once bought a broken Game Plan pin JUST to learn how to troubleshoot and fix a company I had never worked on before--->I know I am crazy at this point but didn't care about the strange looks others gave me...)

Present day - I now have 18 arcade games (mostly color vectors) and 20+ pins in my current collection scattered around 3 buildings. I can fix just about anything arcade/pin related and enjoy tinkering just as much as playing.

So, the single biggest thing that got me in to the pinball hobby was liking to tinker with big broken toys. Also, understanding what makes them amazing and entertaining enough to put money in them.

visual pinball brought me back to a hobby i thought was lost in my country. then i realized it was very much alive.

LOL at all the thumbs up for this classic pic. It fits most any thread.

Major Havoc?

Waiting for the flash? Ahha. Just kidding.

Never had one but I had a chance to buy one years ago from a friend and passed. I really don't think the gameplay is very good. I think my friend sold his for $1800 IIRC but that was like 6 years ago.

Well I stand corrected. I was going to say my obsession with arcade games transitioned back into pinball but on second thought I think it was totally flash gordon =)

I bet that sheet of glass on the Flash is worth more than invisiglass!

I saw that movie.

I was just reintroduced to it. Local bar had several and rediscovered it. So.. none of the above

Williams Arcade on the PS3.

Blastpheme! It's a subtle game for sure. Not for everyone.

I was an arcade junky in the 80's & early 90's. I missed those days something fierce.

Built a MAME cab in 2011 & discovered Visual Pinball/Future Pinball soon after. In short order, the gf & I spent more time playing the pin simulations than we did of the arcade games. Started searching the web, thought about building a pin cab, saw real pins for sale, decided I should get one, found pinside, and now have four pins... all from reputable pinsiders.
Now fixing up half of my basement to make a game room that could comfortably hold a dozen or so machines. The other half of the basement will be for storage & a workshop... with a rotisserie.

None of the above. Two things got me into pinball in a more serious way:

1) I found Clay's repair guides online;
2) I found RGP.

Once I found those two sites, I felt comfortable buying some of the SS games from my youth.

-Steve

Panic.................Having been heavily involved in the late eighties and through the nineties I Freaked when I was browsing at the prices the last few years.Lucky for me I held on to a few of my favs.Oh and Pinside for sure.I never knew there was this many into it!

The reasonable prices brought me back......

it was the Williams collection on the ps2

Pinball Arcade followed by Pinside a few days later. The day after that I went to Lloyd's in Hopkins and I was hooked.

I had three pins before I got married 10 years ago but never thought twice about getting one again until I played Gorgar on Pinball Arcade which revived memories of playing as a teenager.

For me it was two things.. I found Virtual Pinball and started planning a cabinet.. So I bought a cheap Pinball to gut, but enjoyed working on fixing it so much I couldn't gut it.. Then I bought a HUO Addams Family for CHEAP!!!.. Been re-hooked ever since.