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The glory of game technology surrounds us, and it keeps on improving. Today, we enjoy the excitement of electronic video games that amaze us with their levels of difficulty and life like graphics. But what about the days before video games? What did people do for their gaming entertainment? One very popular activity was pinball. It may sound old fashioned, but if you’ve never played, you should try it. Pinball can be just as exciting to play as a video game.

Believe it or not, pinball has been around since the times of the ancient Greeks. Well, not exactly pinball, but they did play games that were similar to pinball. They would dig holes on a hillside and roll round stones down the hill. The earliest modern machines were introduced in 1930. They weren’t exactly like the pinball machines that we’re used to today. Instead, they were small and light with no legs, and were designed to be played on countertops. They also had no flippers. The only way to control the ball was with the plunger shot at the beginning of the game, and by lightly shaking the machine.

The game was popular because at the time the country was going through the Great Depression, and people did not have very much money. Pinball was a way for people to entertain themselves at a very low cost. And, as a reward for high scores, prizes of cash were given (although it was only a few cents). People wanted the money so bad that they would try to cheat by shaking and lifting the game. Because of this continuous problem, the tilt mechanism was invented. Now, when you shake the game to hard, it tilts, and you lose your turn.

Pinball machines at the time were like today’s video games. A certain machine would only be popular for a few months, until a newer and more exciting machine was introduced. In 1947, the pinball machine changed forever. This was the year that the flipper was invented. With flippers added to the game, a player could keep the game going for a much longer time, and could rack up a higher score.

Playing pinball is a very exciting experience. It is completely different from playing today’s video games, because you are interacting with a real ball and using your body to help keep the game alive. If you’ve never played it, go to an arcade and try it. You might find out that you love it!