How pinball’s fortunes have flipped as retro trend grows around the world
From the US to Germany to Britain, pinball machines and halls are seeing a revival as old and new fans alike gather to chase high scores
Step into an unassuming industrial building in Teltow, just outside Berlin, and a bright, clacking universe unfolds: around 50 pinball machines line 200 square metres (2,150 square feet), from classics like Wizard and The Addams Family to modern hits such as Game of Thrones.
Welcome to Flipperhalle Berlin – proof that pinball is back in vogue.
While the pinball market in the United States, the world’s largest, has seen a dramatic revival since the mid-2000s – fuelled by the rise of arcade bars, or “barcades,” that pair vintage games with food and drink – the trend has spread far beyond the US, with pinball machines popping up in breweries, restaurants and dedicated pinball bars around the world.
Germany has its own hotspots. In the southwestern state of Rhineland-Palatinate, one museum houses 150 machines – most of which can be played – dating from 1930 to today.
And every weekend in Teltow, visitors can play their way through decades of pinball history at Flipperhalle Berlin, owned by Jörg Meissner.
“It’s an excessive indulgence of my hobby,” admits Meissner, a 59-year-old master electrician who began playing at 15 and never lost his fascination.