Why visit this place

For the most part, a pinball machine is just a pinball machine. But for some people, this is a monument to the perfect combination of complexity, skill and speed of development. That's why the Pinball Hall of Fame, which features over two hundred working machines, has been in operation for seven decades.

Over the years, founder Tim Arnold has built a vast array of machines, from magnetic drive models to modern digital marvels. They are accompanied by descriptions of historical value, most of which are handwritten on cards.

Arnold invites everyone to play his slot machines. All you need is quarters. Arnold has redesigned some of the machines so that visitors can better appreciate their inner beauty.

Take, for example, his painstaking reconstruction of a 1978 car dedicated to the band Kiss. Paying attention to the smallest details, Arnold is like an Italian restorer working on the Sistine Chapel. And such love for the collectible is everywhere.

Story

In the mid-1940s, pinball was banned in most major cities in America, including Chicago, where the game was created and is still being made today. As the game's popularity grew, legislators quickly began calling it a form of gambling, as well as a "waste of time and money" for young people. Many cars were destroyed and the pinball ban remained in place until 1976.

When the ban was lifted, the hobby returned. The cars, appearing in every bar and gas station across America, attracted a huge part of the youth. There was even a push for the game to be recognized as an official sport. Pinball was everywhere.

However, the 1980s brought innovation to the gaming world — the availability of home gaming systems like the NES almost wiped out pinball. If not for the surge of interest in it in the early nineties, pinball would have died. Today, there is only one manufacturer of pinball machines left in the world.

To keep the pinball experience alive, Tim Arnold, a former owner of Michigan arcade halls, founded the Pinball Hall of Fame. It is a museum open to the public and contains one of the world's largest collections of slot machines available for play.

Arnold collected about a thousand refurbished machines in various states, and brought every last one with him to Las Vegas. For the next 20 years, Tim worked on his cars and hosted Fun Nights for the locals. People came to play games, and Tim donated the proceeds to charity.

The Pinball Hall of Fame opened at its current location in 2009. Tim continues to donate the money he earns to charity.

What to play

Early pinball technology is on display with a collection of 1950s wooden rail cars. Electromechanical games, known as EM games, are the dominant technology that emerged in the early 1970s. A great example of this is the 1971 Bally Fireball.

Solid-state games with computer processors and digital scoreboards appeared in 1977. It also features a variety of classic arcade games from the 1980s and 90s, including early Atari and Nintendo models.

Many games feature pop culture themes and classic movies from TV shows such as Star Trek, Indiana Jones and The Simpsons, as well as games themed around characters from the Marvel and DC Comics franchises.

All machines have been brought to their original working condition and are available for the game to visitors of all ages. The old game models are offered at 25 cents and the new models at 50 cents. The game room is a family-friendly alternative to nearby casinos and arcades, and all proceeds from the game go to charity.