Born in the late 1960’s I grew up in New Zealand experiencing the arcade culture boom of the 1970’s. I saw first-hand the move from electro-mechanical arcade games to video screen-based coin-op entertainment. The then brand new Midway/Taito arcade game Space Invaders took most of my pocket money as an 11 year old. It was everywhere. That year, in 1978, the arcade video game boom was strong all over the world and into the early 80’s nearly killed pinball. In 1984 the success of the pinball game Space Shuttle is credited with buying some extra time for the industry — for leading manufacturer Williams Electronics at least.

When I was 14 years old my older brother was an amusement machine technician in Lower Hutt. He traveled much of the lower North Island servicing the games they had on site. He would sometimes take me to his workshop where I was fascinated by all the carcasses of pinball and arcade games being worked on.

When that company opened the Silverball Palace (1981–1984) spread over two floors, it was like a dream come true for me. I was there the day before opening, where my friend and I had free rein on all of the authentic USA-made games. A mixture of pinball and video arcades, these had all been imported from Japan second-hand in order to avoid the strict importation tariffs for new product that NZ was under at the time

I continued to seek out pinballs but the supply in and around Wellington seemed to dry up somewhat, after the closure of the Silverball Palace. I do remember the arrival of Grand Lizard in 1986 and would travel from Upper Hutt into the city just to play it. Games that followed, such as F-14 Tomcat and Swords Of Fury I also remember.

In 1990/91 I was hawking around Melbourne then Wellington to play the latest great games: Funhouse, Bride Of Pinbot, Terminator 2, The Addams Family, Getaway, Fish Tales and others.

In the local newspaper I saw this old machine advertised for sale. It was a 1963 Beat The Clock (the very first multi-ball game from Williams). I bought it for $800, took it home and started tinkering and making it run well. I still have this game today.

In those days, for location pinball Cuba Cuba was a favourite haunt, as was Midnight Espresso. The best arcade was Crystal City on Manners St.

After much dedicated saving, my second pinball purchase was a brand new White Water in 1993, which led me in to the world of operating at local bars and cafes as a taxable activity.

The early1990’s was a boom period, often referred to as the “golden age of pinball”. The build quality of machines was strong and the production numbers were in the thousands to tens of thousands. However, by 1995-96 sales were beginning to drop, largely caused by internet gaming and popular home consoles from Sony and Nintendo. In 1998, pinball suffered what was thought to be a death knell; pinball’s most noteworthy manufacturer: Williams/Bally (who merged in 1988), closed their doors. The shareholders were chasing good profit margins and decided to instead focus on the burgeoning casino market.

The pinball industry struggled on with only one manufacturer left, Stern (formerly Data East, then Sega).

Stern had some difficult times ahead as the only major manufacturer left in a deflated market. This was especially true in the mid to late 2000’s, and in 2009 was facing closure, were it not for some outside investor(s).

2010 and 2011 saw some modest successes with Iron Man and Tron Legacy, but I think the following year - 2012, pinball radically jumped ahead with the release of AC/DC. The biggest name in contemporary rock music. It sold in huge numbers all over the world giving pinball the much needed shot in the arm.

AC/DC was the 21st game designed by arguably the industry’s most prolific and successful designer: Steve Ritchie. It was also the first pinball to be released at three price points (pro, premium and limited edition) and appealed immensely to the growing collector market.

Now fast forward to the 2020’s. As some people look for physical, non screen-based entertainment activities, pinball is on the upswing again. The coming together of market trends and the craft beer movement, has meant pinball is finding a footing again as a great social activity. Over the last few years, the emergence of new manufacturers such as Jersey Jack, Spooky and Multimorphic would confirm this theory.

For me, many pinball and arcade games have come and gone through my possession. At one point in around 2008 I pretty much exited the industry and sold most of my collection at comparatively low prices. The market was so flat. Some titles I’ve even owned 3 times, occasionally buying back the very same machines.

Through it all, I’ve had lots of fun and met many wonderful people in the hobby. Some of these folks you will hear from in my podcast interviews on this site.

I have enjoyed being a player, collector, operator, repairer and restorer, and now since approx 2014, a competitor.

The IFPA social tournament circuit is buoyant, both in NZ and internationally. If you want to know more about that and get involved, check out IFPA Pinball in NZ and internationally.

So here we have Pinball Spots; my Wellington, New Zealand-based shop window to all things pinball — podcasts, stories, and great places to play my games.

Please check in as often as you like.

If you have any comments or stories of your own, I’d love to hear from you.

Happy flipping! Cheers,