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10-17-2019 10:21 AM
Hello and welcome back to our continuing coverage of this 35th annual Pinball Expo.
While Wednesday features the kick-off Bumper Blast party, Thursday is the first full day of events and, as in previous years, that begins at 9am when the buses arrive to transport Expo attendees to the Stern Pinball factory tour.
Expo attendees wait for the buses to arrive
The first bus arrives for the Stern Pinball factory tourThe Stern Pinball factory is located in Elk Grove Village, which is around 30 minutes by bus south of the Pinball Expo hotel in Wheeling.
More buses arrive and take tour guests to the Elk Grove Village factory
The sign outside the factory
There was a separate entrance into the factory for the tour guestsWe’ll return to the Stern Pinball factory tour shortly, but once guests returned to Wheeling the seminar schedule began.
13:30 – Dino Gaspari: A Custom Pinball Is Within Your Reach
The first seminar was by Dino Gaspari from Pinballdepot.ca who spoke about how his company can create a custom-themed pinball to your own specifications. He said the cost is within your reach and usually takes around a month from start to finish.
Dino GaspariHe showed pictures of several custom games he has created, including a special Pinball Expo machine which he was displaying at the show.
14:00 – Jim Schelberg: Pinball – To Infinity And BEYOND!
Jim returned with more clips from his vast archive of pinball references in TV, movies and advertising.
Jim SchelbergIn addition, he played a multiple-choice pinball quiz with prizes for those getting the correct answers.
3:00pm – Roland Nitsche: Pinball & People
Roland’s showed a series of pictures from his game hall in Germany where he has a collection of one hundred machines.
Roland NitscheRoland said on social media in Germany, people don’t like pinball because the games are made in America, although he admitted that was just his take on their attitude. He buys both brand new and older games, with his most recent purchases being Black Knight: Sword of Rage and Elvira’s House of Horrors.
3:30pm – Neil Shelton & Kyle Troy: Pinquest 101- Learn How To Play From The Creators
Neil explained what Pinquest is, why he and Kyle created the pinball location finder and challenger app and how they launched it in May 2019 to bring new players into the game.
Neil SheltonKyle then explained how members of the audience could download it, find a location, see which games they have and the challenges they need to complete to finish the quest and win a prize.
Kyle TroyThe duo then answered questions about how the location or operator is incentivised to participate in the scheme.
4:00pm – Doug Watson: The Origin Of Ideas
Doug talked about his history in the games business, both in pinball and in video games, before going into teaching. He then spoke about the history of art in pinball and how it changed over the years, allowing far more detailed imagery to be printed on pinball backglasses.
Doug WatsonDoug said the artists who most influenced the direction of his art were Paul Faris who spearheaded the new creativity and Gordon Morrison who Doug said he rebelled against in his initial style of design but subsequently came to appreciate it.
4:15pm – Gordon Hasse Jr.: The Golden Age Of Pinball; The Men The Machines, The Memories
Gordon said everyone has their own subjective ‘Golden Age’ but he said most people would agree that the post-war period up to the 1960s was pinball’s true Golden Age.
Gordon Hasse Jr.Gordon examined the popular culture of the time, the trends, aspirations and innovations which sparked the public’s imagination, making them ripe for use as themes in pinball.
6:30pm – Josh Kugler & Joe Schober: American Pinball Talk
Josh and Joe will be up shortly.
We will be back later today with pictures from that factory tour while we continue with our extensive coverage of all the seminars at Pinball Expo 2019.
More...
Hello and welcome back to our continuing coverage of this 35th annual Pinball Expo.
While Wednesday features the kick-off Bumper Blast party, Thursday is the first full day of events and, as in previous years, that begins at 9am when the buses arrive to transport Expo attendees to the Stern Pinball factory tour.





13:30 – Dino Gaspari: A Custom Pinball Is Within Your Reach
The first seminar was by Dino Gaspari from Pinballdepot.ca who spoke about how his company can create a custom-themed pinball to your own specifications. He said the cost is within your reach and usually takes around a month from start to finish.

14:00 – Jim Schelberg: Pinball – To Infinity And BEYOND!
Jim returned with more clips from his vast archive of pinball references in TV, movies and advertising.

3:00pm – Roland Nitsche: Pinball & People
Roland’s showed a series of pictures from his game hall in Germany where he has a collection of one hundred machines.

3:30pm – Neil Shelton & Kyle Troy: Pinquest 101- Learn How To Play From The Creators
Neil explained what Pinquest is, why he and Kyle created the pinball location finder and challenger app and how they launched it in May 2019 to bring new players into the game.


4:00pm – Doug Watson: The Origin Of Ideas
Doug talked about his history in the games business, both in pinball and in video games, before going into teaching. He then spoke about the history of art in pinball and how it changed over the years, allowing far more detailed imagery to be printed on pinball backglasses.

4:15pm – Gordon Hasse Jr.: The Golden Age Of Pinball; The Men The Machines, The Memories
Gordon said everyone has their own subjective ‘Golden Age’ but he said most people would agree that the post-war period up to the 1960s was pinball’s true Golden Age.

6:30pm – Josh Kugler & Joe Schober: American Pinball Talk
Josh and Joe will be up shortly.
We will be back later today with pictures from that factory tour while we continue with our extensive coverage of all the seminars at Pinball Expo 2019.
More...