The classic game of pinball is growing in popularity in Sydney, in parallel with the hobby’s resurgence internationally.
The ‘cult of the silver ball’ has had its ups and downs since the first pinballs were invented in the 1930s in the US. The whole industry nearly collapsed around the year 2000 when the Williams company stopped making pinballs and there was only one manufacturer left standing. The last 25 years have seen the number of new models produced each year increase from only a couple to about a dozen.
The COVID-19 outbreak meant that distributors had to focus on home sales and rentals. It is still a big part of the market, with companies like Stern and Jersey Jack producing pinballs stuffed with extra gadgets and features that appeal to home hobbyists. There’s a whole cottage industry kept alive by the passion of enthusiasts and word-of-mouth.
At the time of writing, there are over 220 pinballs in public venues across the Sydney Basin. They’re in a variety of places, mostly arcades and pubs, such as Koko Amusement in George Street CBD or the Courthouse Hotel in Newtown, hybrid bar locations like Beercade in Redfern, Willie’s Wondercade in St Peters, and the unique Flipper Fellowship in a church hall in Arncliffe. A good way to find them all is through the volunteer-updated website.
In most of these places, you’ll find a mixture of the latest machines and classics from the 1990s. In recent years, with sophisticated computer-controlled LED lighting and sound complemented by a backglass monitor screen, pinball is a complete tactile and multimedia experience.
Beercade, close to Redfern station, is a combined bar and amusement arcade with 20 pinballs, plenty of video games, a pool table and free board games too. It’s a pinball mecca for fans, but also has locals popping in for a casual drink. This type of venue has been gradually growing in popularity in a number of cities worldwide.
“We’ve been here for four years and now we’re expanding next door so we’ll have more space and more games,” owner Roger Robertson said.
Some popular new titles include Godzilla, John Wick, Dune, Jaws, Foo Fighters, King Kong, Avatar, Deadpool and Dungeons & Dragons.
The mechanics on the new machines have to be seen to be believed. In Stranger Things, a drive-in theatre screen parts to reveal the demogorgon, where you try to shoot the ball into its mouth. In Jaws, you aim at a moving shark fin that pops up from under the playfield while the ominous soundtrack plays. And in Dungeons & Dragons, the moving head of a dragon shoots balls out of its mouth during an eight-ball multiball.
Alongside the newer machines are popular classics that have stood the test of time, like The Addams Family (1992), which sold 20,000 units, making it the best-selling machine of all time. Other games from this ‘platinum age’ of pinball include Medieval Madness, Attack from Mars, Monster Bash, The Getaway, Indiana Jones and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Some new machines have consciously retro-style themes and simpler layouts, like Pulp Fiction and Total Nuclear Annihilation, while others go for cult fanbases, like Big Lebowski and Alien. One unique machine is based on The Walking Dead, but has been re-themed with Michael Jackson’s Thriller zombies and renamed The Moon Walking Dead.
For those new to the game, it’s easy to get started. Most pinballs cost $2 for three balls and have a swipe for credit cards. Some locations sell tokens or tap cards that are loaded with credit. Plunge the ball and the fun starts. Rather than flip away chaotically, it’s best to try and control the ball by cradling it with the flipper and aiming for flashing targets. Getting the ball into the ‘ball lock’ three times usually starts a multiball when everything lights up and goes crazy.
Once you build up your skills, you might even want to start entering competitions.
There’s an international competition and ranking system coordinated by the International Flipper Pinball Association and a number of weekly tournaments held in Sydney and nearby, including Penrith, Wollongong and Newcastle.
One friendly place where this is happening is at Flipper Fellowship, at Bayside Anglican Church in Arncliffe. The minister, Zac Veron, is a pinball fan and his personal collection of over 20 machines is open on Thursday nights for competition and once a month on Saturdays for Flippermania, which attracts some of Australia’s top players vying for IFPA points. Casual play sessions have recently commenced on Monday nights and Friday afternoons for schoolies.
It is also confirmed that Escher Lefkoff, a pinball world champion, will be making an appearance there in April to hold a pinball masterclass. He has recently relocated to Australia from the US, so with any luck, some of his skills, or at least enthusiasm, may rub off and help push a new generation of players to high scores.
