That said, private collectors are willing to pay top dollar for new pinball machines. For example, the AC/DC limited edition – the most recent game on the market—is priced at $8,500. Many of the games in recent years have centered around pop culture, such as movies and TV shows, and introduced interactive elements.
"The fact that people are collecting these things and spending the money to do it is indicative to me that something is going on," Gomez said.
THE PINBALL CYCLE
Pinball fever dipped in the 1980s with the arrival of arcade video games. Pinball popularity rebounded in the early 1990s when the Addams Family machine came out and was the highest selling game ever with over 20,000 units sold. Interest tapered off when too many machines were made and some failed to evolve and be innovative. They were traded at taverns for video games that were easier to operate, generated more money and took up less space.
Even though pinball machines took up a small section of arcade floor space, it didn't help that arcades were disappearing thanks to home gaming consoles and online gaming.
lvivanco@tribune.com | @lvivanco
