# Extra... Extra...

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2001-10-31  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/news/newsletter.html

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball launched a new monthly newsletter in October 2001 featuring an interview with legendary designer Pat Lawlor about the Monopoly pinball machine, his first collaboration with Stern. Lawlor discusses his design philosophy emphasizing balance between accessibility and depth, his career trajectory from video games through Williams, and specific features of the Monopoly game including thematic playfield elements and rule design.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Pat Lawlor began his pinball career in 1986 after meeting Larry DeMar, creating a prototype for Banzai Run that was sold to Williams — _Direct quote from Pat Lawlor interview in official Stern newsletter_
- [HIGH] Great coin-op games are defined by revenue generation for operators, requiring balance between challenge and accessibility — _Pat Lawlor's design philosophy statement in newsletter interview_
- [HIGH] Monopoly pinball includes Railroads, utilities, dice-rolling mechanics, and 'passing GO' concept as three-dimensional representations of board game elements — _Pat Lawlor description of game features in interview_
- [HIGH] A bubble level for playfield pitch adjustment is being introduced starting with Monopoly pinball — _Newsletter Tips and Tricks section #1_
- [HIGH] Monopoly pinball is Stern's first collaboration with Pat Lawlor Design — _Newsletter headline and opening paragraph_

### Notable Quotes

> "Great coin-op games by definition are those which collect the most money for their operators. Everything we do is designed to enhance the player's experience so that he is willing to spend as much time as possible with the game."
> — **Pat Lawlor**
> _Core design philosophy emphasizing operator revenue and player engagement as primary design drivers_

> "The game MUST be challenging, but not intimidating. It must also be accessible so that a great deal of time need not be spent learning its basic elements. Once those elements are learned, however, the game must have enough depth to earn for its operator for an extended period."
> — **Pat Lawlor**
> _Articulation of the balance between casual appeal and depth that defines successful pinball design_

> "Everything that is done in Pinball is a continuation of the games that have come before. The game (Pinball) has been in its current form, more or less, for 50+ years."
> — **Pat Lawlor**
> _Historical context on pinball's evolution and continuity of design principles_

> "It isn't often that a game designer has the opportunity to do a variation on a classic theme. MONOPOLY pinball allowed us to do a three-dimensional representation of the items contained in the MONOPOLY board game."
> — **Pat Lawlor**
> _Designer perspective on licensed theme adaptation and thematic translation to physical pinball mechanics_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Pat Lawlor | person | Legendary pinball designer; designed Addams Family and Twilight Zone; leading Monopoly pinball project for Stern |
| Stern Pinball Inc | company | Pinball manufacturer launching monthly newsletter service in 2001; producing Monopoly pinball |
| Monopoly pinball | game | New Stern Pinball game based on Monopoly board game license; first collaboration between Stern and Pat Lawlor Design; features Monopoly-themed playfield elements |
| Larry DeMar | person | Williams software designer; met Pat Lawlor in 1986; helped launch Lawlor's pinball design career through Banzai Run prototype |
| Williams | company | Pinball manufacturer; hired Pat Lawlor as designer after Banzai Run sale by Larry DeMar |
| Bally | company | Parent company of video game group where Pat Lawlor worked from 1980-1984 |
| Hasbro Inc | company | Owner of Monopoly trademark and intellectual property |
| John Krutsch | person | Mechanical Engineer on Monopoly pinball design team at Pat Lawlor Design |
| Louis Zoziarz | person | Software Engineer on Monopoly pinball design team at Pat Lawlor Design |
| Greg Dunlap | person | Software Engineer on Monopoly pinball design team at Pat Lawlor Design |
| Steve Kordek | person | Pinball great and design influence cited by Pat Lawlor |
| Steve Ritchie | person | Pinball great and design influence cited by Pat Lawlor |
| Pinball News | organization | Media outlet publishing this article and archiving Stern newsletter content |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Pat Lawlor design philosophy, Monopoly pinball game features and design, Licensed IP adaptation to pinball, Operator vs player experience balance
- **Secondary:** Stern Pinball newsletter launch, Playfield maintenance (bubble level), Pinball industry history and evolution

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Enthusiastic coverage of new Stern newsletter and Monopoly pinball project; celebratory tone regarding Pat Lawlor's involvement; constructive and professional interview context

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Stern Pinball launching monthly newsletter service to preferred customers, indicating customer engagement and community building strategy in 2001 (confidence: high) — Stern Pinball Inc has launched a new service for pinball enthusiasts, collectors and those in the amusements trade - a newsletter
- **[design_philosophy]** Pat Lawlor articulates core design principle balancing operator revenue generation with player engagement and depth (confidence: high) — Great coin-op games by definition are those which collect the most money for their operators... The game MUST be challenging, but not intimidating
- **[announcement]** Monopoly pinball officially announced as first Stern-Pat Lawlor Design collaboration (confidence: high) — The MONOPOLY pinball game is Stern Pinball's first collaboration with Pat Lawlor Design
- **[licensing_signal]** Hasbro's Monopoly IP successfully licensed to Stern for pinball adaptation (confidence: high) — MONOPOLY AND MR. MONOPOLY are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc.

---

## Transcript

Story dated 31st October 2001.

Stern
Pinball Inc has launched a new service for pinball enthusiasts, collectors
and those in the amusements trade - a newsletter. The first of these
newsletters is shown below and the bulk of it comes from a brief interview
with Pat Lawlor about the Monopoly pinball game.

The
plan is to send out these once a month to their "Preferred Customer"
list, whatever that means. You too can receive the newsletter by registering
at the Stern Pinball web site.

WELCOME
TO THE FIRST EVER STERN PINBALL NEWSLETTER

STERN AND PLD UNITE TO MAKE MONOPOLY PINBALL

The best-selling board game in history is now the

hottest pinball machine on the boardwalk.

The MONOPOLY pinball game is Stern Pinball's first collaboration

with Pat Lawlor Design. Pat Lawlor, designer of The Addams Family
and

Twilight Zone and several other of the most successful pinball

machines of all-time, along with his team of Mechanical Engineer
John

Krutsch and Software Engineers Louis Zoziarz and Greg Dunlap,
have put

together a pinball machine worth its weight in $$$. Featuring
Free

Parking, Electric Company, and Break the Bank ramp shots, a
MONOPOLY

game board in the center of the playfield, and the voice of
MR. MONOPOLY

making all sales final, MONOPOLY pinball is classic and modern
pinball

all wrapped up into one.

In this, the first Stern Pinball Newsletter, we have interviewed

Pat Lawlor on MONOPOLY pinball and a few other things as well.
Let's

hear what he had to say.

STERN NEWS: Pat, what led you to become a pinball designer?

PAT LAWLOR: I had been working in the coin-op business since
1980

when I was hired by a group that was part of Bally to do video
games.

That lasted until the industry's video collapse in 1984. In
1986, I met

one of Williams' premier software designers, Larry DeMar, and
we built a

prototype for what was to become Banzai Run. Larry sold the
idea to

Williams and I began my career as a pinball designer at that
point.

SN: What do you feel are some of the key elements that go into

making a great pinball machine?

PL: Great coin-op games by definition are those which collect
the

most money for their operators. Everything we do is designed
to enhance

the player's experience so that he is willing to spend as much
time as

possible with the game. The game MUST be challenging, but not

intimidating. It must also be accessible so that a great deal
of time

need not be spent learning its basic elements. Once those elements
are

learned, however, the game must have enough depth to earn for
its

operator for an extended period. All of this is a balancing
act that is

carried out with the goal of a fun game that hopefully translates
into a

strong collecting career for the piece.

SN: Having been the designer of such classic hits as The Addams

FamilyAE and Twilight ZoneAE, how would you characterize the
MONOPOLY

pinball? Is this a continuation of your past work, or is MONOPOLY

pinball something new altogether?

PL: Everything that is done in Pinball is a continuation of
the

games that have come before. The game (Pinball) has been in
its current

form, more or less, for 50+ years. I have been lucky enough
to work with

and learn from some of the pinball greats. People like Steve
Kordek,

Steve Ritchie, Larry DeMar, and others. So yes, MONOPOLY pinball
is a

continuation of mine and other peoples work.

SN: Could you tell us a little bit about your newest game,

MONOPOLY pinball?

PL: It isn't often that a game designer has the opportunity
to do

a variation on a classic theme. MONOPOLY pinball allowed us
to do a

three-dimensional representation of the items contained in the
MONOPOLY

board game. Railroads, the utilities, rolling the dice, and
the very

concept of passing GO are all included in our pinball machine.
The

challenge in the design of the game was to keep the game simple
enough

for a casual player, yet deep enough for the dedicated street
player. We

think we have accomplished that to a large degree. The shots
and rules

are such that just shooting the ball around the playfield will
start

various fun things. But to be really good at the game a player
must come

back again and again. This translates to strong earnings for
an

operator. It was an honor to design for the MONOPOLY license
and we hope

players have as much fun playing as we did making the game.

SN: Thank you Pat for taking the time to speak with us and much

success with MONOPOLY pinball and any other future projects
you have in

store.

PL: Well thank you for this opportunity to speak with you and

everyone in the pinball community.

TIPS AND TRICKS #1

THE BUBBLE LEVEL IS BACK!

From the MONOPOLY pinball onward, you will notice that there
is a

level located on the lower right side of each playfield. This
level

allows for accurate pitch adjustment of the playfield. And without

proper playfield pitch, the game can either play too fast or
too slow.

The bubble level will, therefore, help you maximize revenue
and keep

your pinball machine challenging and fun for a longer period
of time.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"The
ball is wild!"

-Harry Williams

MONOPOLY AND MR. MONOPOLY are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc.

Back
to the news index

Back
to the front page

©
Pinball News 2002

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 41562736-ce2c-4f6f-a3d7-be58ba09e4b0*