A pinball story told by pinball people
A pinball story told by pinball people.
Himself
Himself
Himself
14 May 2006
THE SITUATION facing the pinball designers at Williams Electronic Games in 1998: come up with something new, or see the world's largest pinball manufacturer be shut down forever. And Williams' designers did come up with something amazing: a brand new kind of pinball machine—"Pinball 2000"—that fused video with classic pinball gameplay, preserving what was great about pinball yet opening up all-ne
01 Oct 2009
What made more money than the entire American movie industry through the 50s and 60s? Pinball. Special When Lit rediscovers the lure of a lost pop icon. A product of the mechanical and electrical age, the American invention swept the world and defined cool. Now it is relegated to a nostalgic footnote deserving a better fate. Joining the fans, collectors, designers and champion players from across the globe who share a world many of us didn't know still existed.
11 Feb 2023
Discover the untold story of Pinball and Arcade in Australia in this heart-warming, and at times heart-breaking, nostalgic journey through the golden era of gaming.
31 May 2023
A married couple working together at a pinball museum explore the state of pinball and what it means to them.
02 May 2016
Mastering classic pinball arcade games requires focus, agility and dedication. Robert Gagno has all these traits. It might explain why he surged from a complete unknown to one of the world's best players in five years. The achievement is even more impressive considering he was diagnosed with autism at age three. His success on the pinball circuit made him part of a community that provided acceptance and encouragement. With his parents' support and determination, Robert has exceeded every expectation placed upon him. As he approaches adulthood, his next challenge is to become more self-sufficient and gain his independence. From high-stakes tournaments across the continent to his day-to-day search for employment, we follow Robert's persistent progression to overcome obstacles and manage the highs of success and lows of falling short. In Wizard Mode, flashing lights and triple combos highlight an outstanding individual who continues to beat the odds and set records.
21 Oct 2009
The art and science to better pinball play.
21 Jun 2025
A run-through of, art rock duo, Pinball's formation, discography, and all-around existence, with featured interview snippets from other musicians, record store owners, and visual artists.
03 Jul 2019
Arcadia opened in 2014 serving local southern Maine brews, classic pinball, arcade games, game consoles and tabletop gaming. As the owners renovate to offer more games with expanded space for the community to come together and play, Arcadia is also preserving and saving the person-to-person social element of gameplay.
17 Apr 2017
A devoted family man in rural Wisconsin gives up the security of a successful 20-year career to pursue his dream in the boom-or-bust world of pinball manufacturing. While trying to break into a tough competitive market and build a thriving business, he must navigate the bumpy roads that new startups inevitably face, without plunging his family into financial ruin. THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT: THE SPOOKY PINBALL STORY chronicles the journey of The Emery Family – Charlie, Kayte, Morgan (“Squirrel”), and Corwin (“Bug”) – as they meet the challenges of building their family-run business in the small community of Benton, Wisconsin. With no backup plan, Charlie and his Spooky Pinball team are all-in and committed to doing whatever it takes to succeed.
Steve Fudge wins a local pinball championship in his hometown, Saint Joh, New Brunswick, Canada, which earns him a seat in the North American Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Follow him on his journey to raise money for flights and hotel by doing stand up comedy, a kickstarter campaign, and raffles all while tracking down pinball games in several cities to prepare for the big tournament.
03 Jun 2015
A short documentary about women that play organized pinball in the San Francisco Bay Area.
15 Nov 2015
A documentary about pinball. “Let’s enter the magic world of pinball. From its early beginnings, through the golden years in post-war decades. Until its unfortunate decline in the nineties, and beyond… Let’s visit the manufacturers, let’s meet the designers, let’s take a closer look at the techniques, let’s meet the players, the collectors and the experts.”
19 Sep 2017
What's the use in owning a pinball machine if you don't know anyone who can fix it?
19 Mar 1975
After a series of traumatic childhood events, a psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind boy becomes a master pinball player and the object of a religious cult.
01 Jan 1963
Vibrant, bursting with color (shot in the late, and much lamented Kodachrome) and ringing with bells and whistles, Wayne Sourbeer’s ode to the joys of the lowly pinball machine is a visual feast; Colored balls whiz, clink, and crash across the laminated landscapes. Dim bulbs illuminate the gaudy caricatures that stare back at the player. Neon lights flash in streaks of hot pink, red, and blue.
25 Oct 1973
Rick Lemming (Rijk de Goyer) lives in the heart of Amsterdam, where he holds a dovecote and a saloon with slot machines. His best friend Ed Svaan, the champion of karate in the Netherlands, is deeply in love with singer Lily (Sylvia Christelle). With the help of Ed, Lilly concludes a contract with a television director who assures everyone that he will make a high-profile film. Rijk wants to check where his boyfriend and girlfriend are being drawn in and secretly watches the shootings. In fact, a pornographic film is being shot.
08 Aug 1973
A white dropout struggles to become a cartoonist and filmmaker, drawing inspiration from the harsh, gritty world around him. Still sharing his rundown apartment with his middle-aged parents, an oafish slob of an Italian father and a ditzy nutcase of a Jewish mother, he's ridiculed and looked down upon by his friends, hypocrites who run with violent gangs and the Italian Mafia, and a shallow Black girl who makes her living downtown with the pimps and pushers. The cartoonist gets a chance to pitch a film idea to a movie mogul, but the story proves too outrageous: a far-future Earth, depleted by war and pollution, where a mutant antihero challenges and kills God.
01 Apr 1979
Tilt is the story of a precocious young girl who is a pinball wizard. Because she does not get on with her parents, Tilt is contemplating running away from home. Skipping school one day, she decides to go to to Mickey's Bar. Mickey, who is Tilt's good friend, helps her set up a gambler for a pinball game. Because the gambler is unaware of Tilt's pinball wizardry, he is easily hustled out of his money. While watching the confrontation, a young man named Neil Gallagher, who is an aspiring musician, is impressed with Tilt's ability, congratulating her after the win. Neil invites Tilt to watch him sing at a rock concert, and after his performance she believes he can become a great singer. Because Neil needs money for a demo tape of his songs, he has an idea of taking Tilt with him and having her hustle would-be gamblers.
27 Jun 1980
It's a summer of fun for two teenaged boys who spend their time chasing two sisters, annoying a biker gang, and basically getting into typical sophomoric hijinks whenever they can.
17 Mar 2023
The dramatic comedy is based on the true story of writer and pinball wizard Roger Sharpe, chronicling his journey to overturn New York City’s 35-year ban on pinball.