Pinball
A ball-bouncing arcade game with flippers and scoring targets.
Pinball is a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table, bouncing off obstacles to score points. Historically, the board had pins and scoring pockets; today, it is most commonly an arcade game in a cabinet with lights, bumpers, ramps, and flippers. The object is to score as many points as possible before the ball is lost. Major manufacturers have included Bally Manufacturing, Gottlieb, Williams Electronics, and Stern Pinball, with several companies still active.
- 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. His work is acknowledged as the birth of modern pinball. Solid-state electronics and digital displays replaced electromechanical relays in the 1970s.
Reader's Guide
Pinball's significance lies in its evolution from outdoor bowling games to a technologically sophisticated arcade staple. Electrification in the 1930s added lights and sounds, while the shift to solid-state electronics in the 1970s enabled complex scoring and gameplay. Pinball survived competition from video games and remains a niche but enduring form of entertainment, with manufacturers like Stern Pinball and Jersey Jack Pinball continuing production. Its legacy includes influencing video game design and preserving mechanical gaming traditions.
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.
More in Games And Recreation 1-24
Elsewhere in the Games And Recreation universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record