Pinball

Pinball is an arcade game in which players launch a ball into a glass-covered machine and use flippers to keep it in play while scoring points on targets, bumpers, ramps, and other features.

Pinball is an arcade game in which players launch a ball into a glass-covered machine and use flippers to keep it in play while scoring points on targets, bumpers, ramps, and other features. The game evolved from earlier tabletop games such as bagatelle and became a major coin-operated amusement in the 20th century. Modern pinball machines often include themes, lights, sounds, and complex rule sets.

Gameplay

Pinball is played on a machine where a steel ball is launched onto a sloped playfield. Players use flippers and other controls to keep the ball active, hit scoring features, and complete objectives before losing the ball. The object is usually to score as many points as possible before the ball is lost.

History

Pinball traces its roots to bagatelle and similar tabletop games. Modern coin-operated machines appeared in the early 1930s, and the game grew into a major amusement industry with widely recognized manufacturers. Pinball developed from earlier games such as bagatelle, which used pins and scoring holes.

Legal and cultural status

Pinball was treated in some jurisdictions as a game of chance and was banned in many American cities for decades. In New York City, a 1976 decision helped overturn the assumption that it was purely gambling. Pinball was long disputed as a game of skill versus chance, contributing to legal restrictions in some places.

Machines and manufacturers

Commercial pinball has been shaped by manufacturers such as Bally, Gottlieb, Williams Electronics, and Stern Pinball. The Internet Pinball Machine Database catalogues commercially made machines and related materials.