# Around the Playfield with Jon Norris
by [Jeff Patterson](/author/jeff-patterson) · May 24, 2018 · [This Week in Pinball](/news/category/this-week-in-pinball)

> Interview with Jon Norris, pinball designer.

## **Interview Flyer**

[Jon Norris](/pinball-people/jon-norris) is a pinball designer, currently working for deeproot Pinball.

‍

## **Around the Playfield with Jon Norris**

‍

### **The Start Button: How did you first get into pinball?**

*My first job was working at a bicycle shop that had a candy machine and a pinball machine. The game was* [*Sweetheart*](/pinball-machines/sweetheart-1950)*, priced at 10 cents per play. At first, I just played a few games per week, but I eventually found myself going to bowling alleys and the local miniature golf course to play pinball. I even remember the operator installing a brand new Rogo in the bowling alley. This was the first time I ever saw a brand new machine.*

‍

### **The Plunge: What was the first pinball machine you bought?**

*The bike shop owner decided that we were putting too much money into the pinball machine, so he bought a* [*Gulfstream*](/pinball-machines/gulfstream--tropic-fun-1973) *(I later bought that game from him). The year would have been 1974 or 1975.*

‍

### **The Skill Shot: What is your best pinball achievement or favorite pinball moment?**

*Achievement: Inventing Mode Based Games.*

‍

*Moment: At the Stan Harris Auction, Dick Buschell told me that a game I had just won an auction bid on was Stan’s favorite game. (The auction was a 2 day affair in 1995 that had 100s of games and vending machines, Stan Harris was a well-known game & vending operator)*

‍

### **Good Shots, Bad Bounces: What is your favorite and least favorite pinball machine?**

*Least Favorite: Any Multiplayer game made prior to 3″ flippers (with a couple of exceptions such as* [*Scuba*](/pinball-machines/scuba-1970)*).*

‍

*Most Favorite Wood rail:* [*Straight Shooter*](/pinball-machines/straight-shooter-1959)

‍

*Most Favorite Metal rail EM:* [*Slick Chick*](/pinball-machines/slick-chick-1963)

‍

*Most Favorite EM (w/ 3″ Flippers):* [*King Pin*](/pinball-machines/king-pin--pin-up-1973) *(GTB)*

‍

*Most Favorite Early SS:* [*Eight Ball Deluxe*](/pinball-machines/eight-ball-deluxe-1981)

‍

*Most Favorite Modern (made within last 10 years):* [*TRON: Legacy*](/pinball-machines/tron-legacy-2011)

‍

### **The Wizard Mode: What is your dream theme you’d like to see made into a pinball machine?**

*I can’t talk about this subject today. Ask me this question again next year.*

‍

### **The Tilt: What is the dumbest mistake you’ve made in pinball (mishap moving a machine, messing up trying to fix a machine, etc.)?**

*Don’t Ever put a Bookshelf Speaker on top of the Backbox of a Pinball Machine!!! Everybody reading this knows what happened next.*

‍

### **The High Score: Describe the pinball hobby in one word.  
**

*Exhilarating*

‍

### **Match – Next Game: Where do you see the pinball hobby in 5-10 years?**

*Deepening and expanding. Social media has really made pinball into an international hobby. I have FB friends from many different countries and regions around the world. I also see competitive pinball expanding and becoming more popular.*

## Related
- Game: [Cue Ball Wizard](/games/pinball/cue-ball-wizard)

---
_Canonical URL: https://www.kineticist.com/news/around-the-playfield-with-jon-norris_