Pinball Wizards: Jackpots, Drains, and the Cult of the Silver Ball

by Adam Ruben

Pinball’s history is America’s history, from gambling and war-themed machines to the arcade revolution and, ultimately, the decline of the need to leave your house. The strangest thing about pinball is that it persists, and not just as nostalgia. Pinball didn’t just stick around—it grew and continues to evolve with the times. Somehow, in today’s iPhone world, a three-hundred-pound monstrosity of wood and cables has survived to enjoy yet another renaissance.
 

Pinball is more to humor writer Adam Ruben than a fascinating book topic—it’s a lifelong obsession. Ruben played competitive pinball for years, rising as high as the 80th-ranked player in the world. Then he had children. Now, mired in 9,938th place—darn kids—Ruben tries to stage a comeback, visiting pinball museums, gaming conventions, pinball machine designers, and even pinball factories in his attempt to discover what makes the world’s best players, the real wizards, so good. Along the way, Ruben examines the bigger story of pinball's invention, ascent, near defeat, resurgence, near defeat again, and struggle to find its niche in modern society. 
 

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Games

272 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2017

Reviews

[Igrowastreesgrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update with review later.

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pinball Wizards is an appropriate title for this book, because author Adam Ruben is his own sort of pinball wizard – he somehow made an entire book about pinball thoroughly entertaining.

The book is far better written than it has any right to be, and Ruben structures it in such a way as to keep it interesting throughout. Rather than simply tell a history of pinball, Ruben weaves three different stories together throughout the entirety of the book. The first story is the history of pinball, which provides to be far more interesting than I would have assumed – it seems ridiculous now that there was ever a pinball prohibition period, but apparently that was a thing. The second story is an investigation into the future of pinball, by looking at the current manufacturers, including small start-ups, to see the new direction that the game is going. Finally, the third story that Ruben sprinkles in is a little memoir about his pinball career, if you want to call it that. He was, at one time, ranked 80th in the world of competitive pinball. That was before he had kids, and this book takes place after he had kids – you can imagine how his skills have dulled over time given his lack of spare time to hang around in arcades.

I have little interest in pinball aside from occasionally dropping a quarter or loonie into a machine about once every couple of years when I happen to stumble across one, but I still found the book extremely interesting. Each of the three stories is interesting enough, but Ruben weaves them together with a great deal of humour and colourful characters, making this a surprisingly fun read.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. The free copy did not affect the content or score of this review.

[Jason Pittman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam takes the reader on an adventure into pro pinball competition while zinging the reader along the pinball backstory. Adam's own pursuit of pinball glory follows the ups and downs and loops of pinball's past, and he's woven the two together to create a terrific tribute to his favorite pastime.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

Pinball Wizards is an unapologetically personal diary of a pinball enthusiast. While there are some historical aspects added, really this is about Ruben and his love of the silver ball game/tournament play. Which can be both good and bad in this instance: if you are interested in reading a diary of what it's like to be at a professional tournament when your wife doesn't agree with the pasttime and you don't make it into the top placement, you'll find the book enjoyable. But if you are looking for a diverse and in depth discussion of pinball, you won't find it here.

What this does bring to the table is a wonderful personality and an engaging writing style that pulls you in. From discussions of Mayor LaGuardia destroying Pinball machines in wartime New York ("LaGuardia is a douche!") to encounters with the likes of Gary Stern and the Sharpe Brothers. Although tournament pinball runs through most of the book, the past/present/future of pinball are topics lightly touched on as well in a way that makes you want to keep reading. It's like having the most fun guy in the room telling you about his pinball knowledge/experiences - but without a filter.

Problematic for me is that the book jumped around all over the place (yes, bouncing around like a pinball). One paragraph will be about Bagatelle pinball and then suddenly we are discussing leaving the kids behind to go to a tournament. Then a page later suddenly we are talking about the invention of solid state and rise of arcades. Then a background on arcade owners will morph into suddenly discussing licensing issues with movie tie-ins. I desperately wanted some order and to read more about the history/facts/characters than whether or not his ball drained fast on the fourth tournament machine of the night. And I wanted all the tournament reporting to be in one section so I actually felt like I was there - instead of being bumped out of the mood/action constantly with random pages of other information.

There was, naturally, a lot missing. Heavy discussions on Stern and how it operates but nothing on e.g., Atari entering the scene in the 1980s, European makers such as Sonic Pinball, what drove so many of the creative changes in the golden age, the first to have ramps, first to have multiballs, etc. Ruben covers the first 'extra ball' briefly but then it's off to another topic altogether. I felt at the end that I knew a lot more about him than that I gained any appreciable information about pinball. From the structure of the book, I think he started to really get into the history but then realized it was too weighty a topic and so stopped with the history after the 1940s and then just moved on to the personalities and characters. That's a shame because the 1980s was a great age to really discuss and is completely missing here. Bally and Williams stories are particularly missing, other than to discuss a few of the more famous/respected designers/employees who were laid off but found employment back in the industry eventually.

Most interesting was the end where the current state of pinball was covered. From start ups that succeeded and failed (often taking preorder or investor money down the drain with them) and the innovative changes coming to pinball in the future (interactive with smart phones, etc.). This includes tours/interviews with the guys creating competition for Stern, who was the last man standing in the pinball manufacturing field for several years.

There is a list of resources for more information on the back. By the end of reading this, I realized I would have loved to read a more curated, heavily edited, but very Ruben thorough discussion of pinball rather than his tournament experience. He has a great voice with some smile worthy bon mots continually interspersed throughout. But I'd love a good editor to put it all into a semblance of order rather than the very random topic jump that was so distracting here. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Seth Arnopole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned to count in part because of the Sesame Street “Pinball Count” song (with accompanying animation). My father’s best friend had an old-fashioned pachinko game at his apartment that I played constantly. I grew up with pinball games still a significant presence in video arcades, and my adolescence coincided with the late ‘80s-early ‘90s pinball boom. In short, I was primed to be a pinball-obsessed adult, especially once a museum full of playable machines dating from the 1940s onward opened up near my home.

Adam Ruben gives us a history of the game, stories about the machine manufacturers, a view of the contemporary pinball landscape, and an account of the world of pinball competitions, all with a sense of humor that doesn’t overpower the writing. I love a book with a generous serving of trivia; I even learned that there is a mustard museum in Wisconsin.

I can’t be objective about this book. I am just so happy that it exists.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won an advanced copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Woo-hoo! Multiball!

I wasted a good part of my 20s and 30s behind the flippers of a pinball machine. So I jumped on this book when came up as a Goodreads Giveaway. When I got a Goodreads "You Are a Winner" email, I shouted in glee (yes, really). I don't get a chance to play very much anymore, but I still have big place in my heart for everything about the game.

Pinball Wizards is a detailed, scholarly work on the history of pinball, complete with footnotes,* appendix and index. It is also hysterically funny. Like, laugh out loud funny. The chapters more or less alternate between history and facts, and Ruben's participation in competitive pinball.

I have a passing familiarity with the history of pinball. I've seen the pictures of New York Mayor Laguardia with his sledgehammer smashing machines, and know the game was illegal in many states until surprisingly recently. But the origins, as well as the latest developments in the game, were all new to me. I'm one of those old-school players who prefers the older electromechanical games without all the fancy gizmos. I'm not sure whether I'd enjoy some of the newer manufacturers' games he covers, but it was fascinating to read about them. It makes me hopeful for the future of the game.

The chapters on the author's participation in PAPA (Professional & Amateur Pinball Association) competitions was really fun and interesting. I think I enjoyed it more because he isn't a #1 player; most year that he attended he was struggling to hold his own among the mid-range players. He's in it for the fun and challenge. He paints a great picture of the world of competitive pinball, a world I didn't even know existed.

Ruben spends a lot of time on pinball artwork, as well he should since it's such a integral part of the game. He often addresses - and makes fun of – the pictures of enormous-breasted women that adorn the backglass of almost every game. Like comic book characters, these images still come with the territory.

Which leads to the book's one huge flaw: The lack of any kind of images at all. This is a major drawback, since visuals and graphics is such a major part of the game.** It would have been great to have photos of so many things: the games he refers to often, the "toys" on some of his favorite games, the machines put out by the new manufacturers. It also would have been helpful to have diagrams of some of the mechanisms he refers to. I had to read Pinball Wizards with my phone in hand, constantly looking for images.

The book also could have used a Glossary.

I give the book 7 stars, and take away 2 stars for the lack of images. I added Ruben to my Favorite Authors list pretty early on. I'm anxiously waiting for his next book.

*Don't skip the footnotes. These interesting tidbits are often Adam Ruben at most humorous.
**Looking for photos, I remembered I had bought a book about pinball about 20 years ago with lots of photos. Could it be, could it just be...Yes! The 1977 Pinball! by Roger C. Sharpe. Free game!!

[Edwin Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

PINBALL WIZARDS by Adam Ruben is about the history of pinball told through the eyes of a avid pinball fan, coupled with the writer's adventures in competitive pinball and his reflecting on why people have been drawn to pinball over the years.
It's clear that Ruben is a pinball fanatic and enjoyed learning about and writing about pinball. He delves into it's beginning, how it was considered a tool of gambling for a long time and banned many places and Ruben carries used through to today. He covers the ups and down in popularity in the latter half of the 20th century and considers that despite the game being minimized almost to extinction several times, it keeps coming back and tries to figure out why that is. He walks the reader through the major players and major events and even recounts his attempts at the biggest pinball tournament in the country. Throughout, Ruben never takes the writing of the book too seriously; through a random funny moment or recognizing a funny play on words that are born out of pinball and therefore the book is all the more endearing and fun to read.
I think everyone has played pinball at least once in their lives, and therefore everyone could enjoyed reading PINBALL WIZARDS. I know that I after reading PINBALL WIZARDS, I want to find the nearest pinball parlor, arcade, or bar with a pinball game and play a few rounds.
Thank you to Chicago Review Press, Adam Ruben, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Zachary Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of everything I've read so far this year, Pinball Wizards has to be one of my favorites. I found the history of Pinball to be fascinating and complex. Ruben's visits to the PAPA pinball tournaments were also illuminating and entertaining. Suddenly, I think I'm in love with pinball, too! Not all of Ruben's jokes land (in fact, quite a few of them made me groan) but when they do, they're sidesplitting. I was so enthused about Pinball Wizards that I actually started reading it slower...which is rare for me. I was simply enjoying the book so much I decided to cherish it rather than blast through.

If you thought you knew all there was to know about pinball (which most of us probably assumed wasn't much) then I urge you to pick up this book. And those who are already pinball maniacs will probably get a kick out of it, too!

[Joseph Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief history of pinball, from its origins, to development of different components and play styles, to legal trouble, intertwined with the experience of attending a pinball tournament 3 times. This book feels like a starter for further research, as I found myself googling various things mentioned in the book, from pinball precursors, various pinball table art, to arcane pinball laws. The style is fairly light, and Ruben weaves in anecdotes about his pinball experience, as well as comments from players and industry titans.

I would only recommend this book if you already have a deep love of pinball, or like obscure history. The book could have done without the 3rd return to the tournament.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book about the history of pinball and pinball fandom itself. For a relatively short book the author manages to cover well over a hundred years (and more) of material and off the top of my head I really can't think of any specific aspect of the industry/fandom he doesn't address at some point in the tome. It might sound like the kind of thing only hardcore pinball fans would enjoy, but even if you don't know anything about the hobby (or way of life, if you're really hardcore about it) I still think you'll gleam some enjoyment of the experience. I mean, it would've been cool if he would've went off on some tangents about "Fish Tales" and "White Water," but hey, there's only so much print space to work with, isn't there?

[Miles McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, comprehensive overview of pinball's history, the state of the game today and a small glimpse at where it's headed. Along the way, Adam Ruben introduces us to the motley crew of people that make up the contemporary pinball playing community. I have a lot of friends who are into pinball (some even compete in PAPA) and I wanted to learn more, but I didn't want anything too overwhelming or technical. Adam seems to recognize that the potential for confusion in this topic is high, so he is careful not to get too in-depth and gets into the ins and outs of the pinball industry without getting too technical. Highly recommended!

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met the author, Adam Ruben, at a story-telling event. His story was pretty good, but I was surprised to find him hawking this book in intermission. Turns out he plays at the same arcade as I do. Of course I bought the book from him since pinball is one of my hobbies. The book is surprisingly good. I say "surprisingly" not as a backhanded compliment, but as a true surprise that there was so much I didn't know about pinball. He weaves his personal relationship to pinball into its history and future with humor and detail, and maybe even a little suspense. I really enjoyed the book, and I learned a lot.

[Brandon Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book. It gives the history of pinball mixed with the experiences of a “not very good” competitive player. The author’s writing style is very interesting and has great flow. I highly recommend this book to both pinball enthusiasts as well as people who would just like to learn about the history of pinball. Great work.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a pinball witch, this was a wonderful look into the history of my favorite game and the stress that comes with competition. It's amazing that while this book was written in 2018, a lot of the companies and IPs mentioned have come into fruition as games (or are coming out soon, like Rick and Morty). A good read for aficionados!

[Gene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read that talks about the current resurgence in pinball as well as its history in our culture. The crazy thing is that while it was recently written, so much has already changed in the landscape. It was cool to read about people I know and events I was competing at and the universal themes we all struggle with with the silver ball!

[R. Moores · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. The history of pinball is surprisingly fascinating and the author's story of trying to recapture his past pinball glory as a father and husband in his mid 30s was hilarious and relatable.

Quirky and cool, just like pinball!

[Orion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never use the word Delightful for books but this one was Delightful. Obviously well researched, and seasoned with a playful sense of humor. His own personal journey as a player makes for an entertaining sub plot as well.

[Matthew Gilmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, great read.

[Andrew Reighard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great study on what it meant, means, and will mean to love pinball.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, engaging, and interesting book about the history and fascination of the game of pinball. Yes, you can still play pinball. If you don't know what pinball is and have never played, check it out!

[Luke Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best pinball book of 2017

A fun read. A personal journey combined with some history. If you love pinball you'll enjoy Adams wit and stories.

[Peter McDermott · Rating 2 out of 5]

My rating is probably unfair. I probably don't care enough about Pinball, but the book didn't make me care any more about it.

[Kacey Crum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting how pinball took off like Fortnite today.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few books I've actually laughed out loud reading.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read about the history of pinball. I especially enjoyed the author's depiction of his family life while making his pinball journey.

[Jak Krumholtz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruben does a great job of juggling details without letting them slow things down.

[Chris Ainsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part pinball history, part pinball tournament scene memoir. A fun overview for those new to the game, and an invigorating refresher for those that play.

[Michael McCaughey · Rating 4 out of 5]

One half is a great campfire telling of the history of pinball, one half is a gonzo journalism tale about a middle age dad's experience at a pinball tournament. Both halves are well done and this is an excellent, excellent book about the greatest thing ever invented.

The best and worst part of this book is just how many dad jokes the author crams in.

But, seriously, this is now my go-to when recommending pinball history books.