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Galactic Dimension is a supersized pinball machine built for the Phæno science center in Wolfsburg. The pinball was built on a steep ramp in the exhibition hall and has a gigantic playfield, which measures 3×6 meters in total.

Created by: Niklas Roy. More pics/vids: [link]

Fascination is a multiplayer arcade and carnival game that was popular starting around the 1920s. It consisted of rolling a rubber ball into holes to try to get 5-in-a-line (like BINGO). Games were played against other players, often with 20, 30 or more players, and continued until someone won. The games were all interconnected and stopped feeding the ball back to players once there was a winner – a high tech feature that prevented disputes and kept the games moving quickly. The basic concept has been used in countless amusement park and arcade games, like roll-a-ball derby games.

Fascination was popular enough that “Fascination parlors” were opened in a few locations outside of amusement parks such as the one in Times Square in the photos below. They also featured an announcer who would call the action for maximum excitement, similar to a horse race.

Like pinball, there were many legal actions against Fascination with it being considered by some a gambling game and not a game of skill. Additionally, similar to the way Pachinko still operates today in Japan, there’s evidence that winners at some locations were given either tickets or prizes that were then redeemed for cash at a “store” not far away. As other games became popular (like pinball), Fascination parlors added them and they became more like traditional arcades with Fascination as the centerpiece.

In the 1980s, possibly into the ’90s, Circus Circus in Reno, NV had Fascination and I played it as kid. On busy nights the announcer would be there. Of course, it was purely for prizes and plushies by then. Playland not at the Beach also had a small bank of Fascination machines before it closed. So did the original Playland at the Beach in San Francisco, and Chutes at the Beach which preceded it.

More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascination_(game)

What an amazing night. Fun format, friendly weather, good people! Speaking of which, Chris Rummell wins the field of 34 with 10 wins out of 11 matches! Only Amanda was able to take a game off of him on old school Bally Eight Ball. Way to go! Ralph Margado and David C. Lee tied for 2nd with 9 wins and 2 losses each. Ralph has really improved in the last few seasons to start notching some high finishes!

We got another suprise visit from Jeffrey Neumann. Jeff goes back to my early 2010 days of pinball. He travels all over the country visiting every pinball location, league, show or tournament he can find. He’ll be back to join us for Pin Golf in two weeks.

Thanks to Max Martin for helping me select games and to David C. Lee for another great tutorial on Twilight Zone. Oh, and thanks to Stephanie Harris for bringing cake to share. Also, people went nuts for nuts, and emptied the entire rest of the stash. You guys are nuts!

This weekend is the Pin A Go Go pinball festival in Dixon, CA. It’s about an hour and ten minutes drive from Alameda. It’s the oldest pinball show in the western US and has a very laid back, chill attitude. Check it out for a day or the whole weekend!

https://www.pin-a-go-go.org/