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Who wrote this article? There isn't any mention of the marketing here past new IPs being licensed for machines. The headline doesn't mention the most surprising

by alexb_ 3y ago

Who wrote this article? There isn't any mention of the marketing here past new IPs being licensed for machines. The headline doesn't mention the most surprising part of the article (that machines are now connected to the internet for global high scores). They call Rick and Morty a "bizarre cult cartoon". All this article does is talk about how pinball machine sales are up, concludes it's nostalgia, and then lets a guy who's interested in pinball serve as their anecdotal evidence for it being nostalgia. Then mentions some pinball history. I think there's a lot more that could have been said here, and a lot better people that could have answered a lot better questions. I doubt the average Economist reader even knows that pinball machines actually have objectives and games inside.

cocacola1 3y ago
I think Economist articles are anonymous.
te_234305 3y ago
It's a little more than just pure nostalgia considering that new games are being made, notably by Stern (https://sternpinball.com/ https://sternpinball.com/) and several other smaller companies. The history they highlight is a bit oddly framed. Based on some manufacturing numbers (https://pinballmag.fr/en/the-best-selling-pinball-machines-of-all-time/ https://pinballmag.fr/en/the-best-selling-pinball-machines-o...) it is true that the 1970s were probably pinball's peak decade, but there was also a smaller "bump" in pinball in the early-mid 1990s when the dot matrix display and increasing computer power transformed the complexity of the game (the best selling pinball of all time, Addams Family, was made in this period). My guess is if there is a nostalgia factor, it is probably driven more by those that discovered pinball then, instead of the 1970s. My understanding is that the current resurgence in pinball is due to a combination of the "arcade bar" phenomenon and especially the home collector's market. Apparently there was a huge surge of growth in the pinball market during the pandemic (https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/coronavirus-leads-to-spike-in-pinball-popularity https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/coronavirus-leads-to-s...), this of course due to everyone being cooped up at home.

by alexb_ 3y ago

cocacola1 3y ago

I think Economist articles are anonymous.

te_234305 3y ago

It's a little more than just pure nostalgia considering that new games are being made, notably by Stern (https://sternpinball.com/ https://sternpinball.com/) and several other smaller companies. The history they highlight is a bit oddly framed. Based on some manufacturing numbers (https://pinballmag.fr/en/the-best-selling-pinball-machines-of-all-time/ https://pinballmag.fr/en/the-best-selling-pinball-machines-o...) it is true that the 1970s were probably pinball's peak decade, but there was also a smaller "bump" in pinball in the early-mid 1990s when the dot matrix display and increasing computer power transformed the complexity of the game (the best selling pinball of all time, Addams Family, was made in this period). My guess is if there is a nostalgia factor, it is probably driven more by those that discovered pinball then, instead of the 1970s. My understanding is that the current resurgence in pinball is due to a combination of the "arcade bar" phenomenon and especially the home collector's market. Apparently there was a huge surge of growth in the pinball market during the pandemic (https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/coronavirus-leads-to-spike-in-pinball-popularity https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/coronavirus-leads-to-s...), this of course due to everyone being cooped up at home.