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1st Pin That Hooked You on Pinball
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<blockquote data-quote="jaredmorgs" data-source="post: 74232" data-attributes="member: 459"><p>OK, this is hard for me to pinpoint *the* pinball that got me hooked. I have a bit of a blur in the heady days of the early 90's when I was in High School, because there was an over-abundance of pinball tables in my local area. </p><p></p><p>I think the first pinball that got me hooked was a Fish Tales down at the bowling alley. This machine, in hindsight, was a strange machine to cut my teeth on. It wasn't the easiest table because it was very fast. And I don't remember lasting very long on it. But there was something about it. Maybe the "fast shot" to the lock after launching. Launch > Flip > BANG into the lock > cue lightshow as your reward. </p><p></p><p>Now, if you are interested, read on for what drove my passion for Pinball...</p><p></p><p>A dedicated (for all intents) Pinball Arcade run by this recently out-of-jail guy getting back on his feet opened up in my neighbourhood. I had ridden past this guys' closed arcade (while he was getting it ready) and remember losing my mind with the tables (many of which were older tables initially 'coz the guy was short on cash) he had on the floor.</p><p></p><p>I remember Big Guns, Twilight Zone, Dracula, Space Invaders, Hook, Dr Who, Whirlwind, Alvin G and Co's Soccerball... The list of stellar tables goes on. There were half pins half videos. But pins were always this guy's passion.</p><p></p><p>He was the only guy who bothered to take the time to actually *show* me how a pinball machine work. I remember having theories about how the flippers worked (wires connected to the buttons that directly actuated the bats) but once I found out how they worked, I was hooked. </p><p></p><p>The mechanics and theory of operation, even at the age of 14, what what hooked me on pinball. The games were merely the carrier.</p><p></p><p>I subsequenty got my first paid job at Pete's "Pinball Palace" (incidentally the same name that featured on some playfield artwork on a certain Rollercoaster themed pinball by Williams - the one with the two ferris wheels <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" />). I cut my teeth on pinball repair under this guy's stewardship. I then went on to work at a rival arcade to his, then he took me on again when the owner asked me to leave due to my ties with Pete. </p><p></p><p>The new arcade, "Play On Inn", had the same balance of videos and pins. The pins were up the back of the arcade, which was always a little darker <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> </p><p></p><p>This time, he had some captial behind him. So a freshly unpacked Cirqus Voltaire, Flintstones, Star Trek TNG, Addams Family, The Getaway, White Water, and some others of that era that escape me.</p><p></p><p>I owe Pete a lot. He was kind of a father figure to me. He gave me my first job ($40 for a whole day's shift, but I didn't really care about the money much - free games!). He taught me about the importance of customer service, and keeping customers happy. He taught me the pride of a well-maintained machine (always had a good supply of parts to ensure no downtime), and he even taught me how to work on electronics (helping me build a complex Subwoofer amplifier from kit).</p><p></p><p>So thanks Pete for the passion of pinball, and the ability to make Ryan's life hell by nitpicking on elements of tables I played over 12 years ago.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jaredmorgs, post: 74232, member: 459"] OK, this is hard for me to pinpoint *the* pinball that got me hooked. I have a bit of a blur in the heady days of the early 90's when I was in High School, because there was an over-abundance of pinball tables in my local area. I think the first pinball that got me hooked was a Fish Tales down at the bowling alley. This machine, in hindsight, was a strange machine to cut my teeth on. It wasn't the easiest table because it was very fast. And I don't remember lasting very long on it. But there was something about it. Maybe the "fast shot" to the lock after launching. Launch > Flip > BANG into the lock > cue lightshow as your reward. Now, if you are interested, read on for what drove my passion for Pinball... A dedicated (for all intents) Pinball Arcade run by this recently out-of-jail guy getting back on his feet opened up in my neighbourhood. I had ridden past this guys' closed arcade (while he was getting it ready) and remember losing my mind with the tables (many of which were older tables initially 'coz the guy was short on cash) he had on the floor. I remember Big Guns, Twilight Zone, Dracula, Space Invaders, Hook, Dr Who, Whirlwind, Alvin G and Co's Soccerball... The list of stellar tables goes on. There were half pins half videos. But pins were always this guy's passion. He was the only guy who bothered to take the time to actually *show* me how a pinball machine work. I remember having theories about how the flippers worked (wires connected to the buttons that directly actuated the bats) but once I found out how they worked, I was hooked. The mechanics and theory of operation, even at the age of 14, what what hooked me on pinball. The games were merely the carrier. I subsequenty got my first paid job at Pete's "Pinball Palace" (incidentally the same name that featured on some playfield artwork on a certain Rollercoaster themed pinball by Williams - the one with the two ferris wheels ;)). I cut my teeth on pinball repair under this guy's stewardship. I then went on to work at a rival arcade to his, then he took me on again when the owner asked me to leave due to my ties with Pete. The new arcade, "Play On Inn", had the same balance of videos and pins. The pins were up the back of the arcade, which was always a little darker :) This time, he had some captial behind him. So a freshly unpacked Cirqus Voltaire, Flintstones, Star Trek TNG, Addams Family, The Getaway, White Water, and some others of that era that escape me. I owe Pete a lot. He was kind of a father figure to me. He gave me my first job ($40 for a whole day's shift, but I didn't really care about the money much - free games!). He taught me about the importance of customer service, and keeping customers happy. He taught me the pride of a well-maintained machine (always had a good supply of parts to ensure no downtime), and he even taught me how to work on electronics (helping me build a complex Subwoofer amplifier from kit). So thanks Pete for the passion of pinball, and the ability to make Ryan's life hell by nitpicking on elements of tables I played over 12 years ago. [/QUOTE]
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