Episode 88 - Pinball on Location
Support the show and get a link to the private dischord channel: ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast This episode is all about why pinball's natural habitat is on location, and why location pinball still matters (and matters much more than private collections) in the year 2025 and beyond. Our whole podcast is basically centered around the importance of pinball being put on location, but this episode in particular is a love letter to on location pinball...with swearing. Support the show
Kineticist’s take
Location pinball is pinball's natural habitat and the only path to sustainable industry growth.
Synopsis
Alan and Papa Duke discuss pinball on location as the industry's foundation, arguing that location play is essential for player acquisition, affordability, variety, social connection, and long-term hobby growth. They contrast location play with home collecting, emphasizing that operators: not collectors: drive game sales and innovation, and warn against the industry becoming a wealth-gated collecting hobby disconnected from public exposure.
Highlights
- Gary Stern said Stern Pinball now sells 70% of their games to the home market
- Other manufacturers (non-Stern) sell approximately 90% of their games to home collectors
- Pinball's stock market performance directly impacts how critically collectors evaluate new releases
- Getting into pinball requires repeated exposure over time: no one falls in love on first play
- Operators make purchasing decisions based on earning potential, not theme preference or personal taste
- Playing pinball on location costs a few dollars; buying home machines costs $6,000-$15,000
- Rob Burke has attempted to buy every pinball machine and 'is getting damn close'
Entities
- Harley Davidson· company
- Stern Pinball· company
- Dungeons and Dragons· game
- Flash Gordon· game
- Godzilla· game
- Jaws· game
- John Wick· game
- King Kong· game
- Lord of the Rings· game
- Whitewater· game
- Portland, Oregon· location
- Wedgehead Pinball Podcast· organization
- Alan· person
- Gary Stern· person
- GM SPD / Game Speed· person
- Keith Elwyn· person
- Papa Duke· person
- Rob Burke· person
- Discord server· product
- Ko-fi· product