# GAMEWORKS SCHAUMBURG **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2017-08-31 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2017/08/31/gameworks-schaumburg --- ## Analysis A location review of GameWorks Schaumburg (Chicago suburb) from August 2017, documenting its current pinball offerings and venue setup. The venue operates four Stern pinball machines (Family Guy, 24, Iron Man, Ghostbusters) in average condition alongside numerous arcade games, skill games, and entertainment attractions. The author expresses concern that pinball is being phased out despite the broader pinball renaissance. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] GameWorks was originally a joint venture between Sega and DreamWorks with creative input from Steven Spielberg — _Direct historical statement about GameWorks founding_ - [HIGH] GameWorks was sold to a private investment group in 2011 — _Ownership transition statement_ - [HIGH] There are 7 currently operating GameWorks locations in the USA (as of August 2017) — _Opening sentence of article_ - [HIGH] GameWorks has reduced pinball offerings from 6-9 machines in the past to 4 currently — _Direct observation: 'In the past, GameWorks has had six to nine pinball games available to play...Currently there are the four pinball games listed above'_ - [MEDIUM] Pinball is being phased out at GameWorks locations — _Author opinion based on location observation: 'like many similar places such as Dave and Busters, pinball is being phased out, or at least not featured at GameWorks'_ ### Notable Quotes > "It saddens me to say this, but it's my opinion that GameWorks does not currently have a lot to offer pinball players; if you are interested in the other games also, it might be worth your time." > — **Article Author**, End of article > _Primary conclusion about GameWorks' limited pinball appeal and broader phasing-out concern_ > "I feel that it is a probable lost opportunity given that pinball is making a strong comeback; I hope that eventually GameWorks will put in more and newer pinball games at this location." > — **Article Author**, Final paragraph > _Expresses frustration about missed opportunity despite industry-wide pinball renaissance_ > "In the past, GameWorks has had six to nine pinball games available to play; some pinballs were also ticket dispensers." > — **Article Author**, Pinball section > _Documents historical reduction in pinball inventory_ > "GameWorks is 21+ after 9pm every day. This is clearly noted in a large banner above the entrance that people with children clearly do not read." > — **Article Author**, Venue operations section > _Humorous observation about venue age restrictions and enforcement_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | GameWorks Schaumburg | location | Entertainment arcade venue in Schaumburg, Illinois; one of 7 operating GameWorks locations in USA as of 2017 | | GameWorks | company | Entertainment venue chain; originally Sega/DreamWorks joint venture with Steven Spielberg input; operated by Sega Sammy Holdings; sold to private investment group in 2011 | | Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of all four pinball machines at GameWorks location | | Family Guy | game | Stern pinball machine, 2007; available at GameWorks Schaumburg | | 24 | game | Stern pinball machine, 2009; available at GameWorks Schaumburg | | Iron Man | game | Stern pinball machine, 2010; available at GameWorks Schaumburg | | Ghostbusters | game | Stern pinball machine, 2016; available at GameWorks Schaumburg | | Sega | company | Co-founder of GameWorks joint venture; later operated GameWorks through Sega Sammy Holdings | | DreamWorks | company | Co-founder of GameWorks joint venture with Sega | | Steven Spielberg | person | Provided creative input to original GameWorks venture | | Sega Sammy Holdings | company | Tokyo-based parent company that owned and operated GameWorks; Sammy Corporation is major Pachinko/Pachislot manufacturer | | Streets of Woodfield Shopping Plaza | location | Shopping center in Schaumburg, Illinois where GameWorks is located | ### Topics - **Primary:** Location reviews and venue condition, Pinball machine availability at entertainment venues, Pinball marginalization in chain entertainment venues - **Secondary:** GameWorks history and business operations, Arcade venue pricing and payment systems, Pinball machine condition and maintenance ### Sentiment **Negative** (-0.65) — Author expresses disappointment about limited pinball offerings and apparent phasing-out trend, despite acknowledging some positive aspects of the venue (food, entertainment variety). Sadness and frustration dominate the closing assessment. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** GameWorks reducing pinball inventory from 6-9 machines to 4, with no plans mentioned for expansion; transition to electronic ticket system suggests operational shift away from traditional pinball (confidence: high) — Direct observation of reduction: 'In the past, GameWorks has had six to nine pinball games available to play...Currently there are the four pinball games listed above' - **[market_signal]** Disconnect between pinball industry momentum and commercial arcade chain engagement; GameWorks treating pinball as legacy content rather than growth opportunity (confidence: medium) — Author notes: 'I feel that it is a probable lost opportunity given that pinball is making a strong comeback' - **[sentiment_shift]** Author observes broader trend of pinball being marginalized at chain entertainment venues despite 2017 pinball renaissance in enthusiast/collector markets (confidence: medium) — Author states: 'like many similar places such as Dave and Busters, pinball is being phased out, or at least not featured at GameWorks' and 'GameWorks does not currently have a lot to offer pinball players' --- ## Transcript Date: August 2017 Location: Streets of Woodfield Shopping Plaza 601 North Martingale Road, Suite 115, Schaumburg, IL 60173, USA GameWorks can be found in the SE corner of the Streets of Woodfield Shopping Centre complex located in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg. It is is one of 7 currently operating GameWorks locations in the USA. ![The bar area at GameWorks in Schaumburg](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/gameworks-schaumburg/5-gameworks-schaumburg.jpg) The bar area at GameWorks in Schaumburg GameWorks had originally been a joint venture between Sega and DreamWorks with creative input from Steven Spielberg. GameWorks was later owned and operated by Sega Sammy Holdings of Tokyo, Japan. Sammy Corporation is one of the major manufacturers of Pachinko and Pachislot games. GameWorks was sold to a private investment group in 2011. I found myself in the Schaumburg area recently to visit with a friend visiting from Brazil, and it was ‘Half Price Monday’ so I paid GameWorks a visit. ![Hal-price Monday promotion](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/gameworks-schaumburg/7-gameworks-schaumburg.jpg) Hal-price Monday promotion All of the games (including pinball) at GameWorks are operated by their plastic card credit system. If you do not have a GameWorks card to load your credits onto, you may purchase one for $2 at the same time that you purchase credits. GameWorks somewhat pay back the purchase of the card by giving you 14 additional credits worth $3.50. ![The card payment system](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/gameworks-schaumburg/1-gameworks-schaumburg.jpg) The card payment system ![Credits pricing](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/gameworks-schaumburg/2-gameworks-schaumburg.jpg) Credits pricing GameWorks also offers a ‘Day Pass’ that gives you unlimited play on ‘black box’ games and a $10 card for the ticket games which are called ‘red box’. The day passes are available for a discount quite frequently and can be had for as little as $55.00. If you check in with Yelp on a weekday, GameWorks will give you 30 mins of free play: Mention Coupon GE138. There are other special promotions which are detailed on the photo below. ![Special deals are available each day](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/gameworks-schaumburg/14-gameworks-schaumburg.jpg) Special deals are available each day The pinballs: Family Guy – Stern, 2007 24 – Stern, 2009 Iron Man – Stern, 2010 Ghostbusters – Stern, 2016 In the past, GameWorks has had six to nine pinball games available to play; some pinballs were also ticket dispensers. Since then GameWorks has gone to an electronic ticket dispensing system that I didn’t take the time to fully check out. Currently there are the four pinball games listed above located on the upper level not far from the rather distracting Dance Dance Revolution games. ![The pinballs were busy](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/gameworks-schaumburg/12-gameworks-schaumburg.jpg) The pinballs were busy The pinballs available to play at GameWorks when I visited were in what I would call average condition – from what I could tell all of the playfield features seemed to be in operating condition but a good cleaning would certainly help. ![Family Guy](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/gameworks-schaumburg/3-gameworks-schaumburg.jpg) Family Guy ![Iron Man](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/gameworks-schaumburg/8-gameworks-schaumburg.jpg) Iron Man ![Ghostbusters](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/gameworks-schaumburg/6-gameworks-schaumburg.jpg) Ghostbusters ![25](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/gameworks-schaumburg/15-gameworks-schaumburg.jpg) 24 GameWorks has a bar on each level, sports on TV as well as a menu of popular ‘pub food’ (read: high calorie) favorites. The majority of the games at GameWorks are skill games such as Air Hockey, Pac-Man Smash, Skeeball, NBA Hoops, Operation, Billiards, Football Toss, Claw Machines, Virtual Bowling, etc. or video games of various types and vintages. One of the more popular shooting games is Terminator Salvation. There are 7D interactive rides as well as virtual reality roller coasters and Darkride XD but these are on the pricey side costing $7.00 and up per ride. ![The Operation arcade game](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/gameworks-schaumburg/10-gameworks-schaumburg.jpg) The Operation arcade game There are three party rooms available including the upscale Skybox which has very nice decoration and would probably be great for adult parties and corporate events. ![The Skybox lounge](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/gameworks-schaumburg/13-gameworks-schaumburg.jpg) The Skybox lounge GameWorks is 21+ after 9pm every day. This is clearly noted in a large banner above the entrance that people with children clearly do not read. After 9pm there are usually shorter waits for the most popular games. ![The entrance lobby at GameWorks](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/gameworks-schaumburg/9-gameworks-schaumburg.jpg) The entrance lobby at GameWorks It saddens me to say this, but it’s my opinion that GameWorks does not currently have a lot to offer pinball players; if you are interested in the other games also, it might be worth your time. I got the distinct feeling that like many similar places such as Dave and Busters, pinball is being phased out, or at least not featured at GameWorks. I feel that it is a probable lost opportunity given that pinball is making a strong comeback; I hope that eventually GameWorks will put in more and newer pinball games at this location. _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 1cf3b9a0-f9b7-42bb-8a34-990acc1dfbe5*