Pinball is a type of arcade game, usually coin operated. Points are scored by a player by manipulating one or more of the small steel balls on a play field inside a glass covered cabinet known as the pinball machine. The player has to score as many points as possible. Some of the present day pinball machines have a simple story line, where the player has to complete certain goals in a certain order to complete the game. High points are scored when the player uses a different method to complete the game.
The ball, or balls, has to strike the different targets in the game in order for the player to win points. There is a drain at the bottom of the playing field, usually partially protected by the player, using plastic bats called the flippers. The game will end when all the balls fall into the drain, and none remain on the field. Players can earn extra points, and bonus games known as replays, for keeping the ball in play for as long as possible.
The Origins of Pinball Mixed With Many Other Games
The origins of Pinball are not clear, and seem to be threaded through with the history of many other games. Outdoor games like bowls, or ground billiard played by hitting the balls with sticks around obstacles could have something to do with the beginnings of pinball. Croquet and golf are also often considered possibilities in the creation of pinball. Outdoor games like this sometimes led to indoor versions that one could play on a table. Billiards or bowling and shuffleboard, played on a table, are the likely precursors of the modern pinball machine.
Relation to Bagatelle
In the mid 1800s, a British inventor settled in the United Stars, and manufactured some bagatelle tables. Bagatelle is a billiards-derived indoor table game, and the object of the game is to get a few balls past wooden pins into holes that are guarded by wooden pegs. This developed into bar billiards, and strangely enough, bagatelle is also related to miniature golf. The bagatelle tables invented by the British inventor shrank in size so they could fit on top of a bar or counter, and there was a spring launcher introduced. A variant using metal balls and fixed metal pins led to the modern derivation of pinball and pachinko.
Pachinko is a gambling game played in Japan, which is a close relative of Pinball,and online bingo in UK although it involves shooting many small balls into a vertical playfield.
Players Can Now Play Online
Modern Pinball arcades are still very popular, and every country has places where players can enjoy all the latest varieties of the game. There are still developers who are creating newer, faster and more exciting versions of the pinball. Everybody has played a Pinball machine. There are even elementary versions for children available in toy shops. The latest development is for pinball machines to be added to the list of games available to be played on a mobile device. Every flipper, bumper and sound effect has been emulated. They can be accessed now on any laptop, all forms of smart phone or tablet, whether Apple or Android, as well as PlayStation consoles.