Pinball
A ball-bouncing arcade game with flippers and scoring targets.
Pinball encompasses a range of games where a ball is launched into a specially designed table, ricocheting off obstacles to accumulate points. Early versions featured a board studded with nails, known as pins, and hollows or pockets that awarded points when the ball came to rest in them. In its modern form, pinball is primarily an arcade game housed in a cabinet, incorporating lights, bumpers, ramps, and other targets. Players use flippers to hit these elements and execute various shots, with the general goal of achieving the highest possible score before the ball is lost. Most machines use one ball per turn, except during multi-ball phases, and the game concludes when the ball or balls from the final turn are lost.
The game’s origins are deeply connected to outdoor ball games like bocce and bowls, which evolved into ground billiards and eventually indoor table games such as billiards and bagatelle. In France during the reign of Louis XIV, billiard tables were modified with wooden pins and holes, leading to bagatelle. Between the 1750s and 1770s, a variant called Stosspudel appeared in Western Europe, replacing the cue with a coiled spring and plunger to shoot balls up an inclined playfield—a mechanism still used in pinball today. In 1871, British inventor Montague Redgrave, who had settled in the United States, patented improvements to bagatelle that popularized the spring launcher and introduced playfield bells, marking a key step in pinball’s evolution. By the 1930s, coin-operated versions known as “marble games” or “pin games” emerged. In 1931, David Gottlieb’s *Baffle Ball* became the first major hit of this era, selling for $17.50 and dispensing multiple balls for a penny. Later that year, distributor Raymond Moloney, frustrated by shortages of *Baffle Ball* units, founded Lion Manufacturing to produce his own game, *Ballyhoo*, which sold 50,000 units in seven months. Historically, major manufacturers have included Bally Manufacturing, Gottlieb, Williams Electronics, and Stern Pinball. Today, active manufacturers include Stern Pinball, Jersey Jack Pinball, American Pinball, Chicago Gaming Company, Pinball Brothers, Dutch Pinball, Spooky Pinball, and Multimorphic, Inc., along with several smaller boutique firms.
- field
- Arcade gaming / Amusement
- known_for
- Spring plunger, flippers, electromechanical and electronic scoring
- earliest_known_ancestor
- 1500s table versions of garden bowling games
Lore & Background
The origins of pinball are intertwined with outdoor games like bocce and bowls, which evolved into ground billiards and eventually tabletop versions such as billiards and bagatelle. In France during the reign of Louis XIV, billiard tables were narrowed with pins and holes, leading to bagatelle. Between the 1750s and 1770s, the variant Billard japonais introduced a coiled spring and plunger, directly ancestral to pinball and pachinko. Montague Redgrave’s 1871 patent for improvements to bagatelle, including a spring launcher and playfield bells, is acknowledged as the birth of modern pinball. By the 1930s, coin-operated versions called marble games or pin games appeared, with Whiffle in 1931 considered the first by some sources. David Gottlieb’s Baffle Ball became the first major hit, selling for $17.50 and dispensing balls for a penny, with production reaching 400 machines daily. Raymond Moloney’s Ballyhoo, with a larger playfield and ten pockets, sold 50,000 units in seven months. Pinball machines feature a cabinet with a playfield containing lights, bumpers, ramps, and targets; players use flippers to keep the ball in play and score points. Most machines use one ball per turn except during multi-ball phases. Major historical manufacturers include Bally, Gottlieb, Williams, and Stern; current makers include Stern, Jersey Jack, American Pinball, Chicago Gaming, Pinball Brothers, Dutch Pinball, Spooky Pinball, and Multimorphic.
Reader's Guide
Pinball’s significance is rooted in its long evolution from outdoor ball games to a coin-operated arcade fixture. The game’s direct ancestors include tabletop versions of bowling and billiards, such as bagatelle, which by the mid-1700s already used a spring plunger to launch balls up an inclined playfield toward pins and scoring holes. Montague Redgrave’s 1871 patent for this spring launcher and his addition of playfield bells are widely considered the birth of modern pinball. Coin-operated versions emerged in the 1930s, with early hits like *Baffle Ball* and *Ballyhoo* establishing major manufacturers such as Gottlieb and Bally. The core gameplay involves propelling a ball into a cabinet filled with lights, bumpers, ramps, and targets, using flippers to keep the ball in play and score points, often during multi-ball phases. Pinball’s behavior as a mechanical, player-controlled game of skill and chance has allowed it to persist alongside video games, influencing electronic game design while maintaining a dedicated niche. Today, companies including Stern Pinball, Jersey Jack Pinball, and several boutique manufacturers continue to produce new machines, preserving the tradition of mechanical arcade gaming.
Did You Know?
- The spring plunger used in pinball was first introduced in the bagatelle variant Billard japonais between the 1750s and 1770s.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pinball?
Pinball is a ball-bouncing game in which a player launches a steel ball onto a tilted table packed with bumpers, ramps, and scoring targets. Using flippers, the player tries to keep the ball in play and rack up as many points as possible before it drains.
Who are the major Pinball manufacturers?
Bally Manufacturing, Gottlieb, Williams Electronics, and Stern Pinball are the most prominent names in the industry's history. Several of these companies are still active and continue to design and produce new tables today.
What is the main objective of a Pinball game?
The player aims to score the highest possible point total by bouncing the ball off targets, bumpers, and ramps while using flippers to steer it. A round ends the moment the ball is lost through a drain, so precise flipper timing is essential to extending play.
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