Two longtime pinball fans are taking advantage of a recent revival of the classic game with a new place for everyone to play right in Kips Bay. NY1's Roger Clark filed the following report.
It's the unmistakeable sound of balls hitting bumpers, points piling up, the noise exuding from a place where pinball is king.
"It's like mixing old school with new computer games so you feel like everyone can be part of it," said one pinball player.
"I mean there's an actual metal ball and you are actually hitting it," said another pinball player.
Modern Pinball NYC opened two and a half months ago, the brainchild of Steve Zahler and Steve Epstein, pinball players who met at a tournament a few years back. They've latched on to what seems to be the recent resurgence of pinball, opening the interactive showroom at 362 Third Avenue where you can buy a machine, but also play the games until your fingers just can't take it anymore.
In Epstein's case, it was a return to the business. His family owned an arcade near Times Square for years.
"The whole idea that pinball was coming back in New York City was on my radar and I thought it was time to re-open and come back really strong with something that was really special," Epstein said.
Pinball was actually illegal in the city for years until 1976. It went underground again as video games started popping up in places where pinball machines traditionally held court, and maintaining video games was a lot less expensive. That's when pinball began disappearing from corner stores and arcades.
"Pinball I believe was taken away from the people, and I think when people come here and start playing and see how much fun they are and reconnect with their past, they get addicted, and there is no pulling them away from that machine," Zahler said.
At Modern Pinball NYC they even have pinball classes to give you some tips on the game. But most of all, Zahler and Epstein want folks to have some fun playing the game they fell in love with.
"In my old store I probably used to play two hours a day here I play about an hour a day so there is a real reason to come back and do this," Epstein said.
For more information, visit modernpinballnyc.com
Watch the video here
http://www.ny1.com/content/news/201797/modern-pinball-wizards-unite-at-kips-bay-arcade
It's the unmistakeable sound of balls hitting bumpers, points piling up, the noise exuding from a place where pinball is king.
"It's like mixing old school with new computer games so you feel like everyone can be part of it," said one pinball player.
"I mean there's an actual metal ball and you are actually hitting it," said another pinball player.
Modern Pinball NYC opened two and a half months ago, the brainchild of Steve Zahler and Steve Epstein, pinball players who met at a tournament a few years back. They've latched on to what seems to be the recent resurgence of pinball, opening the interactive showroom at 362 Third Avenue where you can buy a machine, but also play the games until your fingers just can't take it anymore.
In Epstein's case, it was a return to the business. His family owned an arcade near Times Square for years.
"The whole idea that pinball was coming back in New York City was on my radar and I thought it was time to re-open and come back really strong with something that was really special," Epstein said.
Pinball was actually illegal in the city for years until 1976. It went underground again as video games started popping up in places where pinball machines traditionally held court, and maintaining video games was a lot less expensive. That's when pinball began disappearing from corner stores and arcades.
"Pinball I believe was taken away from the people, and I think when people come here and start playing and see how much fun they are and reconnect with their past, they get addicted, and there is no pulling them away from that machine," Zahler said.
At Modern Pinball NYC they even have pinball classes to give you some tips on the game. But most of all, Zahler and Epstein want folks to have some fun playing the game they fell in love with.
"In my old store I probably used to play two hours a day here I play about an hour a day so there is a real reason to come back and do this," Epstein said.
For more information, visit modernpinballnyc.com
Watch the video here
http://www.ny1.com/content/news/201797/modern-pinball-wizards-unite-at-kips-bay-arcade
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