Pinball facts for kids
Pinball is a type of arcade game. In pinball, the player tries to score points by manipulating one or more metal balls on a playfield inside a glass-covered case called a pinball machine. The main objective of the game is to score as many points as the player can. Other objectives are to play as long as possible (by earning extra balls and keeping the ball in play as long as possible) and to earn free games (known as replays).
From the 1940s through the 1970s pinball was banned in many American cities because it was thought to be a game of chance and therefore was considered gambling. The ban stopped in New York City in 1976, when Roger Sharpe, a player renowned for his talent, played so well in front of the City Council that he convinced them that pinball was indeed a game of skill, not just of luck.
Images for kids
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Terminator 2: Judgment Day pinball machine
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An early pinball game without flippers, circa 1932
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A clear walled electromechanical pinball machine created by the Pacific Pinball Museum to show what the insides of pinball machines look like
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A row of pinball machines at the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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The playfield of the High Speed pinball machine
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Flippers are used by the player to redirect the ball
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Slingshots have rubber pads which detect the ball's impact and automatically push it away at speed
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Stationary targets detect the ball's impact and typically increment the player's score
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Rollovers detect when the ball passes over them
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A wire ramp along which the ball can travel
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Dot Matrix Display
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A Terminator 2 pinball machine restored to better than factory condition e.g. by re-plating of all metal parts with chrome
