Modern Pinball NYC
“The World Pinball Player Ranking
system, which was invented by the
International Flipper Pinball Association
[in 2006], provides a way for pinball players to get ranked worldwide,” Zahler
explains. “That definitely provided some
of the impetus to get the gamers back into
pinball … and because of that, there have
been many tournaments held all around
the world.”
Modern Pinball NYC houses an
exceptionally well-curated and maintained collection, including high-tech,
21st-century treasures like Avatar,
Avengers, Metallica and The Walking
Dead. Among its 30-plus games, the
arcade boasts an Addams Family
machine, reportedly the most popular
pinball game ever made.
The space is also open to educational
outings for grade school children all
the way up to college undergraduates.
Students can learn about physics, art
and sound; a recent class from New
York University explored gravity’s
impact on the pinball, and how an
electromagnet works.
Zahler compares pinball to chess:
Both games can be learned in minutes,
mastered over a lifetime and enjoyed
by any player of any skill level. “If you
want to dig in deep, you can,” he says.
“Every different game provides a very
different experience.”
EightyTwo combines arcade
fun with a bar atmosphere.
Brain Games
More than 40 rotating games keep
crowds at EightyTwo entertained.
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Zahler’s observation touches on a relatively recent reversal in public opinion
that has contributed to the resurgence
of arcades: Games, it turns out, can be
good for you. Author and game designer
Jane McGonigal argues that gaming
provides a series of profound physical and emotional gains. One benefit is
“fiero” (the Italian word for pride). It’s
“an emotional high we don’t have a good
word for in English,” she explains in her
book, “Reality is Broken.” Another is
eustress, the “good” stress that is vital for
long-term well-being.
Combine these benefits with the
extra bonuses of arcades, such as social
interaction and friendly competition,
and public gaming starts to look like a
healthy alternative to the home gaming
systems that initially doomed arcades.
But while advances in technology hurt arcades in the past, today’s
tech seems to be contributing to their
revival. Both Atkinson and Zahler
recount stories of kids and teens—
many raised without childhood arcade
experiences—taking up real-life pinball after learning how to play on iPad
simulations. The advent of vintage
video-gaming message boards online,
and smartphone apps like Pinfinder,
which helps gamers locate the nearest
pinball machine, have also facilitated
the arcade boom.
Home gaming may still hold a
vastly larger market share, but arcades
offer the benefit of face-to-face social
interaction—not to mention the very
real thrill of posting one’s high score
initials in a real-life setting. Compared
to a night out at the movies, they’re
affordable fun.
TOP PHOTOS BY JULIANA LESCHINSKY PHOTOGRAPHY
Steve Zahler of Modern Pinball NYC
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