You should own a Pinball Machine

Pinball Fits Active Lifestyles

I believe every household should have a least one pinball machine - especially if you have kids. I am a little biased because I grew up with pinball and I have always known the joys of pinball's simple competition, family interaction, and general social benefits. There are skill sets to acquire and refine and just like golf, it's never the same game twice. But most of all, I believe having a pinball machine around is a fantastic way for any busy family to enjoy some intense R&R at a pace that fits this modern life of ours.

The other day, a neighbor friend of ours and his young son, Jude, were over for dinner and what turned out to be a special event - Jude's first ever round of pinball. It's easy enough to underestimate the range of emotion a child encounters when in control of such a fantastic device... Lights and motion, mechanical sounds, bells; Pinball is after all a carnival in a box. I'm pretty sure that even though Jude may not be old enough to tie his own shoes, he's going to remember playing that pinball for a long time to come.

Now Jude did master the reset button and gave the flippers quite a workout but it will be some time before he's able to match his dad in a round. Taking on Dad is something every kid can enjoy and when that auspicious first win does come, father and son (or daughter) will be able to enjoy a level playing field (pun intended) that few other activities provide. Modern pinball with memory and score boards will even enable competition when everyone is not home at the same time... Let's see golf or badminton do that.

And yet just like lawn sports, Pinball can become a beneficial recreational activity. Spirited play dispels stress quickly and effectively and a great round of pinball can happen in 5 minutes or 20 or over several hours of competitive play. That's quite a lot of therapy for life's little time windows like when you have 15 minutes before dinner or practice or perhaps an entire Friday night.

Take a few minutes and begin the process with a little research. See if you can find the game you played in college or at a friends growing up or reach out and ask for some recommendations... There are some amazing pinballs out there for you and your family to enjoy.

Have a look at what is available:

Gameroomwarehouse.com - [Sponsor]

Internet Pinball Database - [Resource]

Buckaroo - [Pinball I played as a Kid]