Over the weekend, Rochester became the center of New York’s pinball universe, hosting the New York State Pinball Championship at The Rochester Pinball Collective in East Rochester. The venue is a fitting host—home to 82 machines, it’s the second-largest pinball location in the state and a testament to the game’s enduring appeal.
While pinball may seem like a modern arcade staple, its roots stretch back centuries, evolving alongside many of the world’s most familiar games.
The Early Origins of Pinball
The story of pinball begins outdoors. Games involving rolling balls or stones across grass—such as bocce or bowls—gradually evolved into local variations of ground billiards, where players used sticks to strike balls toward targets while navigating obstacles. Over time, these games branched off into familiar sports like croquet and golf.
As entertainment moved indoors, these concepts were adapted to tables and pub floors. Games like billiards, bowling, and shuffleboard laid the groundwork for what would eventually become pinball. Tabletop versions of these early games are the direct ancestors of the machines we recognize today.
Bagatelle and the Birth of Modern Pinball
One of pinball’s most important predecessors was an 18th-century French table game called bagatelle. Players used a cue to shoot balls up a slanted board filled with pins and scoring pockets, earning points based on where the ball landed. Gravity, obstacles, and chance were central to the experience—core principles that still define pinball.
In 1869, British inventor Montague Redgrave brought bagatelle to the United States, manufacturing tables in Cincinnati. Two years later, in 1871, he patented a game called “Improvements in Bagatelles,” introducing the spring-loaded plunger that launched the ball. This innovation marked the clearest step toward the modern pinball machine.
Pinball’s Boom—and Its Backlash
By the 1930s, pinball machines had become coin-operated, making them an affordable form of entertainment during the Great Depression. That decade also saw major technological leaps, including electrification, which added lights, sounds, and more complex gameplay.
By the end of 1932, roughly 150 companies were manufacturing pinball machines—most of them in Chicago, which remains the heart of pinball production to this day. In 1947, the introduction of flippers transformed pinball from a game of chance into a game of skill, forever changing how it was played.
Ironically, this evolution didn’t save pinball from controversy. Beginning in the early 1940s, pinball was banned in many U.S. cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Milwaukee, and New Orleans. Authorities linked the game to gambling, organized crime, and juvenile delinquency.
New York City’s ban was led by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, who argued that pinball robbed schoolchildren of their hard-earned nickels and dimes. La Guardia organized raids across the city, confiscating thousands of machines. In dramatic fashion, he even joined police in smashing pinball machines with sledgehammers before dumping the remains into the city’s rivers.
The ban lasted until 1976, when a New York City hearing demonstrated that pinball was a game of skill, not chance, and therefore not subject to gambling laws.
Decline, Revival, and a Competitive Future
Pinball enjoyed another boom in the 1990s, fueled by licensing popular movies and pop culture icons. The Addams Family pinball machine, released in 1992, became the best-selling machine of the modern era with over 20,000 units sold. Other popular titles included Indiana Jones and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
However, the rise of home consoles and video games led to a market decline in the late 1990s. Many assumed pinball’s golden age had ended.
Instead, a revival began in the 2010s. New manufacturers entered the scene, incorporating modern electronics, LCD screens, and deeper rule sets. Competitive pinball leagues flourished, and live-streamed tournaments introduced the game to new audiences.
Pinball by the Numbers
Pinball’s passionate community continues to push the limits. The longest recorded pinball marathon lasted an astonishing 62 hours and 21 minutes, achieved by Andrew Robishaw in Lakeland, Florida, from September 1–3, 2023—played entirely on a Stranger Things-themed pinball machine.
From its humble beginnings as a wooden table game to championship tournaments in places like Rochester, pinball has survived bans, technological shifts, and changing tastes. And judging by the crowds gathered around those flashing machines this weekend, the silver ball still has plenty of life left in it.