# When was pinball popular? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 9, 2025, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066 "2025-02-09T00:10:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/41 "2025-02-10T01:13:04Z")
Maybe in Milwaukee, but not in some other cities. Most noticeable, New York City where they were banned from 1942-1976. They were considered a game of chance until _GQ_ writer Roger Sharpe but on a demonstration for the city council. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/42 "2025-02-10T06:13:44Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > According to the documentary _Happy Days_ they were definitely around in the 1950s. Ha! You’re right, of course, but _Happy Days_ was set in the 1950s. Bally’s “Nip It” pinball game was made in 1973. It caused much amusement among us pinball aficionados. The producers would have been better off with Gottlieb’s “Knock Out” (1950) or pushing things a little, “Slick Chick” (1963). > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > They were considered a game of chance until _GQ_ writer Roger Sharpe but on a demonstration for the city council. Yes. Sharpe proved that pinball games were indeed a game of skill, before a panel of NYC city councillors. See his book, _Pinball!_ (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1977) for what he did and how he convinced them that pinball is indeed a game of skill. Plus, his book has plenty of photos of those great old games. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/43 "2025-02-10T06:32:01Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Yes. Sharpe proved that pinball games were indeed a game of skill, before a panel of NYC city councillors. And he’d got such a supple wrist! How do you think he did it? I don’t know. There’s an episode of the Honeymooners where Ralph and Ed play pinball in a bar. It’s been ages since I’ve watched it, but I think I remember Ralph trying to influence the ball’s path by baaaaarely bumping the table with his hip. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/44 "2025-02-10T06:52:42Z")
Thus the Tilt mechanism was developed. It was invented by Harry Williams, who produced Williams pinball games, and the company later became WMS Gaming, giving up pinball for slot machines. There are three tilt mechanisms installed on every machine: **Pendulum Tilt:** Just as it sounds. A pendulum is hanging in a copper ring. If the pendulum touches the ring, because the player hits the machine too strongly, then tilt. **Ball Tilt:** This prevents the machine from being picked up from the bottom. A steel ball in an inclined track stays at the bottom of the track. But if the machine is picked up, the ball rolls forward, and hits a contact. Result? Tilt. **Slam Tilt:** The simplest of all, the most common, and most machines have six or seven of these: in the backbox, on the floor, on the sides, on the coin box, and so on. Just a contact on a springy piece of copper. Hit (“slam,” hence the name) the machine hard enough, and a slam tilt will make contact, resulting in, well, a tilt. Had a lot of fun times working on those old EM games. Can you tell? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/45 "2025-02-10T23:21:54Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > games like Ms PacMan and others appealed to girls more than pinball ever did. Bite your tongue! ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/46 "2025-02-10T23:29:35Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > The hardest part about that was calling various places around town to find the correct coil. Now you just post what you are looking for to several MBs, and check to see if someone happens to be selling one on eBay. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/47 "2025-02-11T01:24:00Z")
You don’t even need to do that; just go to [marcospecialties.com](http://marcospecialties.com) or a half dozen other sites and buy whatever coils or switches you need new in box. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/48 "2025-02-11T04:02:35Z")
YouTuber Alec at Technology Connections has done at least two videos about the inner workings of pinball machines. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ue-1JoJQaEg/maxresdefault.jpg "Old pinball machines are amazingly complex") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/E3p_Cv32tEo/maxresdefault.jpg "The step-by-step, mechanical logic of old pinball machines") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3p_Cv32tEo) ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/49 "2025-02-11T04:25:21Z")
Seattle has a [pinball museum](https://seattlepinballmuseum.com/game-list). Space is tight but was a ton of fun the time I went. I won a game first time I played Capt Fantastic in over 4 decades. I would say that back in the day, I was a contender for a pretty fucking good high school amateur. Often would only have a quarter, and if I didn’t win, that was it. Often times, I’d rack up a bunch of games, “sell” those for a quarter and, hey, free pinball. I’m blanking on the other machine from that same era that I loved. No idea about now, but Santa Cruz boardwalk used to have (in the late 70’s) a huge collection of pinball machines that were ancient at the time. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2025, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/50 "2025-02-22T17:38:04Z")
Costco was recently selling a Jurassic Park-themed pinball machine. (Roughly $5000 IIRC). I put it on my Christmas list. 🙂 In college in the early 70’s we had a bowling alley on campus, plus 2 pinball parlors within a few blocks. I spent most of my free hours and many many quarters there. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2025, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/51 "2025-02-22T17:54:49Z")
The Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda is definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066.md?page=2)