(Topic ID: 280986)

The Physical Benefits of Pinball

By Charlemagne1987

3 years ago


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  • 25 posts
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  • Latest reply 3 years ago by bepositive
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    #1 3 years ago

    Okay. I’m not a doctor. And someone could argue that I’m just trying to justify my addiction. But as I was playing pinball last night to de-stress over the election I got to thinking of how much pinball can benefit us physically. It’s great for hand-eye coordination. It gets your heart rate up. It gets you moving (not being a couch potato). And as I said it helps cut down on stress. Of course if you’re drinking and smoking while you’re playing, that’s not so good. But otherwise I think it is physically beneficial. Am I crazy, or does anyone else agree with me?

    #2 3 years ago

    Well, project pinball has been putting them in children's hospitals for a number of years now.

    #3 3 years ago

    Joe Said - joesaid runs Spinners Pinball Arcade in Frederick, MD. It is a Certified Autism Center (by the IBCCES).

    From https://www.spinnerspinball.org/pinball-edu:

    “Pinball provides significant opportunities to target & impact critical development skills including social-emotional, communication, gross & fine motor, coordination as well as visual motor skills.

    By constructing a welcome distraction from the traditional demands of therapeutic exercise, pinball helps engage a child in active play & has been shown to improve behavior such as turn taking, sportsmanship, being more tactful, goal setting, strategy-shifting (for example, learning how to play “safe” vs. taking a risky shot), increase in tolerance thresholds, improving coping strategies, & building confidence as well as community around a common interest.

    Being in an immersive gaming environment also offers caregivers the chance to observe & document experiences in a safe, public setting to help note, track & decrease maladaptive behavior.”

    #4 3 years ago
    Quoted from jeffc:

    Joe Said - joesaid runs Spinners Pinball Arcade in Frederick, MD. It is a Certified Autism Center (by the IBCCES).
    From https://www.spinnerspinball.org/pinball-edu:
    “Pinball provides significant opportunities to target & impact critical development skills including social-emotional, communication, gross & fine motor, coordination as well as visual motor skills.
    By constructing a welcome distraction from the traditional demands of therapeutic exercise, pinball helps engage a child in active play & has been shown to improve behavior such as turn taking, sportsmanship, being more tactful, goal setting, strategy-shifting (for example, learning how to play “safe” vs. taking a risky shot), increase in tolerance thresholds, improving coping strategies, & building confidence as well as community around a common interest.
    Being in an immersive gaming environment also offers caregivers the chance to observe & document experiences in a safe, public setting to help note, track & decrease maladaptive behavior.”

    Thank you for this response. I didn’t think of it in those terms, but it makes sense. I can definitely see the benefits for children, particularly those with autism. Very interesting.

    -1
    #5 3 years ago
    Quoted from Charlemagne1987:

    Okay. I’m not a doctor. And someone could argue that I’m just trying to justify my addiction. But as I was playing pinball last night to de-stress over the election I got to thinking of how much pinball can benefit us physically. It’s great for hand-eye coordination. It gets your heart rate up. It gets you moving (not being a couch potato). And as I said it helps cut down on stress. Of course if you’re drinking and smoking while you’re playing, that’s not so good. But otherwise I think it is physically beneficial. Am I crazy, or does anyone else agree with me?

    Standing up is slightly better for you than not standing up.

    Moving pinball machines is a little exercise.

    That’s pretty much it. I doubt pinball is bringing you much more cardio benefit as a whole than a morning standing in line at the DMV.

    #6 3 years ago
    Quoted from CrazyLevi:

    Standing up is slightly better for you than not standing up.
    Moving pinball machines is a little exercise.
    That’s pretty much it. I doubt pinball is bringing you much more cardio benefit as a whole than a morning standing in line at the DMV.

    No, but I do agree with it being a stress relief. Reducing stress has a tremendous mental health benefit.

    #7 3 years ago

    If I dont play for a couple of weeks and start back up for a few days I can feel my forearms and a couple small muscles in my back getting a slight work out, My wife calls them "flipper muscles" lol

    #8 3 years ago
    Quoted from ForceFlow:

    Well, project pinball has been putting them in children's hospitals for a number of years now.

    I asked Dan Spolar about this at a seminar at Pintastic New England one year. Project Pinball disclaims any medical/therapeutic benefit and (on paper at least) is only placing games for their distraction value.

    I think there are a couple peer-reviewed papers that discuss the socialization benefits of pinball as mentioned elsewhere in this thread.
    .................David Marston

    #9 3 years ago

    I understood from an earlier thread that pinball tournament players are professional athletes....

    10
    #10 3 years ago

    Pinball saved my life and continues to be a major source of mental health for me after my Military days ended.
    How's that for benefit.
    For me it's a childhood memory because I never played video games with any regularity(don't even own any) and was more interested in the physical aspect of it even at a young age. Now it's the noise and lights and still the physical part of it but mostly the calm it brings to the storm that rages 24 hours inside my head.
    Who's to say it doesn't have physical benefits because if your heart rate rises it's definitely physically beneficial.
    I can promise you it has mental health benefits on many levels.
    Joe Said valuable service as mentioned, Robert Gagno, etc.....
    There's nothing not beneficial about pinball except your lack of savings account balance once you get in it.

    You are not alone my friend.
    r/
    Mike

    #11 3 years ago
    Quoted from mikepmcs:

    Pinball saved my life and continues to be a major source of mental health for me after my Military days ended.
    How's that for benefit.
    For me it's a childhood memory because I never played video games with any regularity(don't even own any) and was more interested in the physical aspect of it even at a young age. Now it's the noise and lights and still the physical part of it but mostly the calm it brings to the storm that rages 24 hours inside my head.
    Who's to say it doesn't have physical benefits because if your heart rate rises it's definitely physically beneficial.
    I can promise you it has mental health benefits on many levels.
    Joe Said valuable service as mentioned, Robert Gagno, etc.....
    There's nothing not beneficial about pinball except your lack of savings account balance once you get in it.
    You are not alone my friend.
    r/
    Mike

    Great response. Thank you. I hadn't considered the benefits for returning soldiers. And thank you so very much for your service to our country.

    #12 3 years ago

    Physically it depends on what your activity level is if you aren’t playing pinball. If you sit on the couch all day and night and snack then it’s probably great for you. For me I actually get more out of shape the more I play pinball. My entire basement used to be a home gym and now it’s almost all pinball and other arcade style games. I went from exercising 1-2 hours per day to playing pinball 1-2 hours a day. The more machines I buy the less time I exercise!

    #13 3 years ago

    Actually...I think pinball can be a huge stress also in a home. The cost can drive the wife nuts. She ain’t happy that’s a stress. You break a 100 dollar ramp(stress). Newbie stressing about wanting machines. You just have to find balance and a set budget. This is real hard at first. I’m really enjoying the hobby now.

    #14 3 years ago

    Physical I would put it at zero, there are so many things that are much better for you. Emotionally you can find support in anything so its as good as whatever works for you.

    #15 3 years ago

    Pinball seems to be an emotional powder keg and source of stress for most NIB buyers here.

    #16 3 years ago

    Don't forget throwing your back out when you move a JJP game.

    #17 3 years ago
    Quoted from Charlemagne1987:

    Great response. Thank you. I hadn't considered the benefits for returning soldiers. And thank you so very much for your service to our country.

    You're incredibly welcome and it was my honor as it is with any service member. I would go back to boot camp tomorrow if I could and do every second of it all over again. I'm almost 54 and literally if they called me and said go i would go. Keys on the table, see ya, bye. Only place I ever fit in.
    I was on the Aviation side of the Navy for my career choice. I wasn't boots on the ground in Iraq or Afghanistan but my service intersected through both most recent major conflicts from 1987-2007 like a million others before, during and after me. There is no attempt to steal any valor here. Those Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, and Marines that go through that hell on earth on the front lines will always deserve and have more respect than I will ever try to claim or be part of. They are the real heroes.
    I started on F-14s in Miramar and then changed platforms and became a Naval Aircrewman on P-3's for many years as an InFlight Avionics Technician and Ordnanceman Qualified as well. We lack the guns but we can carry Armageddon in a tube. On the ground I ran Maintenance Control for many years as well as a Quality Assurance Chief, etc... Lots of fun, lots of long hours that I wouldn't trade for a second, good times and tough ones and it was my inability to adapt to any sort of civilian existence after 20 plus years of type A bring it every day get it done lifestyle that life came to a screaching halt. In the end when I retired I tried to drink myself to death 24/7 and almost succeeded more than once. It wasn't until my Master Chief (who incidentally is literally the only person from my navy life I still keep in contact with every now and again via text) buddy literally told me to clean myself up and helped me start to navigate real life. Stopped drinking that day 12 years ago and remain sober. Reality outside of the military is a problem for me plain and simple. Job worked until it didn't and had to leave my govt job after a few years. I would've eventually been fired and that's a massive accomplishment for any fed govt position to get yourself fired. I didn't want that on my checklist of accomplishments.
    I could blather on and on all day with my nonsense but there are many more struggling worse than I am, I'm 100% sure of that.
    Back to pinball. It works for me. It's not just the playing either, it's the tinkering and learning and making modifications etc.... I probably do all that nonsense as much as I play to be honest.
    r/
    Mike

    #18 3 years ago
    Quoted from mikepmcs:

    You're incredibly welcome and it was my honor as it is with any service member. I would go back to boot camp tomorrow if I could and do every second of it all over again. I'm almost 54 and literally if they called me and said go i would go. Keys on the table, see ya, bye. Only place I ever fit in.
    I was on the Aviation side of the Navy for my career choice. I wasn't boots on the ground in Iraq or Afghanistan but my service intersected through both most recent major conflicts from 1987-2007 like a million others before, during and after me. There is no attempt to steal any valor here. Those Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, and Marines that go through that hell on earth on the front lines will always deserve and have more respect than I will ever try to claim or be part of. They are the real heroes.
    I started on F-14s in Miramar and then changed platforms and became a Naval Aircrewman on P-3's for many years as an InFlight Avionics Technician and Ordnanceman Qualified as well. We lack the guns but we can carry Armageddon in a tube. On the ground I ran Maintenance Control for many years as well as a Quality Assurance Chief, etc... Lots of fun, lots of long hours that I wouldn't trade for a second, good times and tough ones and it was my inability to adapt to any sort of civilian existence after 20 plus years of type A bring it every day get it done lifestyle that life came to a screaching halt. In the end when I retired I tried to drink myself to death 24/7 and almost succeeded more than once. It wasn't until my Master Chief (who incidentally is literally the only person from my navy life I still keep in contact with every now and again via text) buddy literally told me to clean myself up and helped me start to navigate real life. Stopped drinking that day 12 years ago and remain sober. Reality outside of the military is a problem for me plain and simple. Job worked until it didn't and had to leave my govt job after a few years. I would've eventually been fired and that's a massive accomplishment for any fed govt position to get yourself fired. I didn't want that on my checklist of accomplishments.
    I could blather on and on all day with my nonsense but there are many more struggling worse than I am, I'm 100% sure of that.
    Back to pinball. It works for me. It's not just the playing either, it's the tinkering and learning and making modifications etc.... I probably do all that nonsense as much as I play to be honest.
    r/
    Mike

    Let’s hope that doesn’t happen!

    If they are calling 54 year olds back in you know shit is beyond Fd!!

    #19 3 years ago

    "Honey pinball is good for your health", time to buy an other game

    #20 3 years ago
    Quoted from mikepmcs:

    It wasn't until my Master Chief (who incidentally is literally the only person from my navy life I still keep in contact with every now and again via text) buddy literally told me to clean myself up and helped me start to navigate real life.
    r/
    Mike

    Thank God for your Master Chief. I'm 52 and as I look back on my life I can say that I have regret for having never served. I have many relatives who did, including my (now deceased) grandfather who was one of the Marines who stormed Iwo Jima in WWII and my brother who served in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. I know and respect what it takes for soldiers to return to civilian life after their experiences in the military. I'm glad you've been able to work through your demons with the help of friends and this pinball hobby we all love so much.

    #21 3 years ago
    Quoted from Charlemagne1987:

    Thank God for your Master Chief. I'm 52 and as I look back on my life I can say that I have regret for having never served. I have many relatives who did, including my (now deceased) grandfather who was one of the Marines who stormed Iwo Jima in WWII and my brother who served in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. I know and respect what it takes for soldiers to return to civilian life after their experiences in the military. I'm glad you've been able to work through your demons with the help of friends and this pinball hobby we all love so much.

    Thank you for sharing. Your grandfather! HOLY!! The stuff he experienced. I can't even imagine. Thank you to your brother as well. True hero.
    Also to you for the support as it's obvious you hold our military close.
    Back to pinball, didn't mean to derail your thread.
    Pinball is good for everyone in many ways.
    r/
    Mike

    #22 3 years ago
    Quoted from mikepmcs:

    Thank you for sharing. Your grandfather! HOLY!! The stuff he experienced. I can't even imagine. Thank you to your brother as well. True hero.
    Also to you for the support as it's obvious you hold our military close.
    Back to pinball, didn't mean to derail your thread.
    Pinball is good for everyone in many ways.
    r/
    Mike

    Absolutely, my friend.

    #23 3 years ago

    So the last couple times I tried to play sports competitively I was injured, including a torn meniscus while playing hoops. Part of the reason I like pinball is competing, so indirectly, it’s physically beneficial because it keeps me off the court where I’d inevitably be injured. Does that count?

    #24 3 years ago
    Quoted from Chisox:

    So the last couple times I tried to play sports competitively I was injured, including a torn meniscus while playing hoops. Part of the reason I like pinball is competing, so indirectly, it’s physically beneficial because it keeps me off the court where I’d inevitably be injured. Does that count?

    Yup. That counts.

    #25 3 years ago

    Difficult choice between buying pinball parts or food may induce weight loss !

    Be well Shane

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