# the state of pinball 4/4/26...walk and talk #pinball with me **Source:** Walt Wood Pinball **Type:** video **Published:** 2026-04-04 **Duration:** 15m 1s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuNBnY4hEUw --- ## Analysis Walt Wood critiques the modern pinball design trend toward accessibility and ease, exemplified by Pokémon Pinball, arguing it represents a broader cultural shift toward simplification across gaming and media. He contrasts contemporary games with '90s classics like Jurassic Park and Back to the Future that challenged players and built resilience, and expresses concern that manufacturers have abandoned the serious player base in favor of casual accessibility. Wood also discusses his tournament participation and community contribution, and traces the beginning of this trend to John Wick's design compromises. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Pokémon Pinball is too easy and lacks meaningful challenge compared to '90s pinball games — _Walt Wood, opening discussion of Pokémon Pinball_ - [MEDIUM] Stern designed Pokémon Pinball for maximum accessibility in response to difficulty complaints about games like John Wick and X-Men — _Walt Wood, speculating on Stern's design rationale_ - [MEDIUM] John Wick's removal of guns from the design was the 'beginning of the end' for serious pinball game design — _Walt Wood's opinion on John Wick as turning point_ - [MEDIUM] Modern games across all media (films, games, TV) are designed to be easier with assistance features (GPS, aim assist, wall-hacks) — _Walt Wood, broader cultural observation comparing pinball to FPS games and other media_ - [MEDIUM] Godzilla is more immersive and well-designed than Star Wars due to superior mode design and player engagement — _Walt Wood, comparing Keith Elwin and Ray Day designs_ - [HIGH] Manufacturers are abandoning serious/veteran players in favor of casual accessibility — _Walt Wood's core thesis about game design direction_ - [MEDIUM] Future pinball releases will be remakes/remasters that are inferior to originals — _Walt Wood's prediction about industry direction_ - [HIGH] Walt Wood score-kept extensively at Texas Pinball Festival on Friday, sacrificing his own tournament entries — _Walt Wood, personal anecdote about his community involvement_ ### Notable Quotes > "I'm not trying to be like old man you know on the porch and kicking up dirt. I'm just saying like, 'Yo, where's the challenge?'" > — **Walt Wood**, ~2:30 > _Core statement of his concern about game difficulty; preemptive defensive tone_ > "They say, 'Fuck you, dude. We don't want you anymore. You guys are too good.'" > — **Walt Wood**, ~7:00 > _Characterizes how easy modern games feel to experienced players_ > "I think this is a sign of the times, guys. Like look around. Like look at everything. Look at the movies. Look at music, TV. Our video games. They're all like so easy." > — **Walt Wood**, ~4:15 > _Broadens critique from pinball to industry-wide trend toward casualization_ > "John Wick was the beginning of the end. Because that was the first time they caved." > — **Walt Wood**, ~11:30 > _Identifies John Wick's gun removal as the pivot point toward easier game design_ > "You're asking for Kill Bill with no katanas. You know, you're asking for a Duke Nukem with no guns. Essentially like a Duke Nukem with no guns is what you're asking for." > — **Walt Wood**, ~12:45 > _Illustrates absurdity of removing guns from John Wick via comparison_ > "Of all the pro players, you're the only one that score kept." > — **Unnamed person at tournament (quoted by Walt Wood)**, ~8:45 > _Recognition of Walt Wood's community contribution and volunteer work_ > "I love I'm a positive guy. I'm very positive. But yo, I got to be honest. If you're giving me shit I'm not just going to swallow it and be like, 'Yo, it tastes good.'" > — **Walt Wood**, ~14:15 > _Frames his critique as honest feedback, not negativity_ > "Star Wars, bro, it's just it's boring as hell. There's no moments, dude." > — **Walt Wood**, ~6:30 > _Direct critique of Ray Day's Star Wars design despite respecting Ray Day_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Walt Wood | person | Content creator, experienced pinball player, tournament participant and volunteer score keeper; speaks from perspective of veteran player frustrated with modern game design trends | | Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; target of critique for designing accessible games like Pokémon Pinball and making design compromises like removing guns from John Wick | | Pokémon Pinball | game | Recent Stern release criticized by Walt Wood as too easy and lacking challenge; cited as example of industry trend toward accessibility | | Keith Elwin | person | Pinball designer at Stern; praised by Walt Wood for Godzilla's immersive design and mode depth compared to other modern games | | Godzilla | game | Stern pinball game by Keith Elwin; used as positive example of engaging, challenging game design that maintains player immersion | | John Wick | game | Stern pinball game; marked as the turning point where manufacturers began compromising game design (removal of guns); criticized as 'beginning of the end' for challenging pinball | | X-Men | game | Recent Stern game mentioned as difficult/challenging; Walt Wood expresses love for it despite code complexity | | Ray Day | person | Pinball designer at Stern; designer of Star Wars; Walt Wood respects him but criticizes Star Wars as boring and lacking immersive modes | | Star Wars | game | Recent Stern game by Ray Day; criticized by Walt Wood as lacking engaging modes and immersion despite having some cool moments (Death Star destruction) | | Foo Fighters | game | Pinball game mentioned by Walt Wood as example of games designed for serious players, contrasted with modern easy accessibility focus | | Jurassic Park | game | Classic '90s Williams pinball game; used by Walt Wood as example of challenging games that rewarded skill development | | Back to the Future | game | Classic '90s pinball game; referenced as challenging title requiring lock strategy and skill to progress | | Lethal Weapon 3 | game | Classic '90s pinball game mentioned by Walt Wood as part of his formative pinball experience | | Junkyard | game | Pinball game used by Walt Wood as difficulty comparison point; cited as harder than Pokémon Pinball | | Bob Matthews | person | Long-time veteran pinball player (approximately 70+ years old); mentioned as lifelong tournament participant and legend in the community | | Jack Danger | person | Pinball designer mentioned by Walt Wood; designer of John Wick; Walt Wood criticizes his game design philosophy but notes he has only seen him in tournament settings | | Texas Pinball Festival | event | Major pinball tournament where Walt Wood participated and volunteered as score keeper, sacrificing his own tournament entries to support the community | | Williams | company | Classic pinball manufacturer; Walt Wood references Williams games from the '90s era as examples of challenging, well-designed machines | ### Topics - **Primary:** Game difficulty and accessibility trends in pinball, Pokémon Pinball reception and design philosophy, John Wick as turning point in manufacturer design compromises, Broader cultural shift toward ease and accessibility across media/gaming, Comparison of modern vs. classic '90s pinball game design - **Secondary:** Designer quality and game immersion (Keith Elwin vs. Ray Day), Community engagement and tournament participation, Future of pinball manufacturing and remake strategy ### Sentiment **Neutral** (0) ### Signals - **[design_philosophy]** Walt Wood identifies fundamental tension between Stern's accessibility-first design approach (exemplified by Pokémon Pinball) and veteran player demand for challenge and depth (confidence: high) — They want to make this game as accessible as possible... That just is a code word for easy... What do these new games say to us? They say, 'Fuck you, dude. We don't want you anymore. You guys are too good.' - **[sentiment_shift]** Veteran and experienced players expressing frustration that modern pinball games are not designed for them; sentiment of being excluded from target market (confidence: high) — Walt Wood's extended critique that manufacturers have abandoned serious players in favor of casual accessibility; games are designed for new players, not 15-30 year veterans - **[design_innovation]** Walt Wood critiques John Wick's gun removal as a design compromise that prioritized IP compliance over thematic coherence and challenging gameplay (confidence: medium) — That was the first moment where they started babyfying the game... You're asking for Kill Bill with no katanas... Duke Nukem with no guns... That's what they asked for. - **[gameplay_signal]** Pokémon Pinball's shot layout is criticized as lacking difficulty; described as 'wide open' with easy mid-field shots and accessible ramp paths (confidence: high) — It looks so easy... What shots are hard?... And then all the four shots are like wide open. You know, and the middle, it's like, 'What the hell dude?' Even Junkyard was harder to hit. - **[industry_signal]** Broader industry trend toward casualization and accessibility across entertainment media (games, films, music, TV), with manufacturers following suit (confidence: high) — This is a sign of the times... look at the movies. Look at music, TV. Our video games. They're all like so easy... GPS arrow telling you which way to go... FPS shooters... you can see through the walls now. - **[product_strategy]** Walt Wood predicts future pinball manufacturing will focus on remakes/remasters rather than innovative new designs, and these will be inferior to originals (confidence: medium) — I just think it's going to keep going in this direction... they're just going to keep pumping out remakes. Or like remasters... Pretty much like shittier versions of the older better games. - **[community_signal]** Walt Wood actively participates in tournament infrastructure as a volunteer score keeper, sacrificing his own competition time for community benefit (confidence: high) — I score kept so long when I was at the Texas Festival that I couldn't even get all my classics entries in... I sacrificed my time so I can score keep... all day. - **[gameplay_signal]** Godzilla praised for superior mode design and immersive gameplay compared to Star Wars, despite both being recent releases from Stern (confidence: high) — Why am I not immersed in this game like I am in Godzilla? Why?... there's no modes where I'm like, 'Oh, yo, that mode, this mode and the other one is dope.' - **[historical_signal]** Walt Wood uses '90s Williams/Bally games as benchmark for challenging, rewarding game design that developed player skill and resilience (confidence: high) — I grew up in the '90s. I had games like Lethal Weapon 3... Jurassic Park... Those games were tough... They challenged me... The feeling of conquering this game... I could apply that lesson you learned to a lot of different things in life. - **[sentiment_shift]** Walt Wood expresses respect for designers (Ray Day, Keith Elwin) while simultaneously criticizing their game designs on merit; separates personal respect from design criticism (confidence: high) — I love Ray Day. Don't get me wrong... It's not cuz I want to lick Elwin's balls... It has nothing to do with licking nuts. It has to do with just being honest. - **[competitive_signal]** Discussion of tournament culture where experienced players volunteer and keep scores; mentions extensive participation at Texas Pinball Festival (confidence: medium) — I score kept all day on Friday... I couldn't even get all my classics entries in... I had hundreds of people here, dude. It's all about everybody. --- ## Transcript Hello. What is up? I'm walking down the road. Just figured I'd check in with you fine folks, see what's going on. Pokémon Pinball, still haven't had a chance to play it. But I've seen people playing it and I'll be honest with you like it looks so easy, man. I don't know how I feel about it. It's just a bummer, man, cuz I get why Stern did it. It's like, "Okay, well, people are having a hard time with games like John Wick and X-Men for different reasons, right? The code, Jack's design, you know, there's different reasons." My thing is like bro, like I grew up in the '90s. I had games like Lethal Weapon 3. I had games like what was another one? Jurassic Park. Jurassic Park isn't easy, the easiest one. I mean, yeah, they'll give you the multiball and third ball, but you know. That doesn't make it That doesn't mean it's easy. Even Star Wars with the little gate that comes down. Not easy to hit that under pressure cuz then the music builds and you got to hit it under pressure. Those games were tough. But what I What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to just quit pinball? [] no. You bet your ass I didn't quit. I adapted. I got better. I got stronger. The game challenged me. You know? I was right there. Cammie and Kyle said it the best in special when lit. And if you guys don't remember what he said, he's like he said something like, "You want to keep the player like I had two balls locked and I was right there. I was one shot away from getting whatever." Like that's the way those games kept you. Cammie and Kyle's games were like that in the '90s, too. Back to the Future is a great example cuz you got to lock each ball. Oh, man. But they challenged me. They made me want to play again. You know? And I feel like my brain got stronger. Like I got I got like like that that uh the feeling of conquering this game. Like you could apply that lesson you learned to a lot of different things in life. Like whenever you're in faced with a challenge in life you could look at that. You could remember remember I I overcame that game. I can overcome this, you know? That's the way those games made me. They made me overcome challenges in life better. You know? But what the [] is this with Pokémon? It's like what kind of challenge is this, you know? Like I'm not trying to be like old man you know on the porch and [] kicking up dirt. I'm just saying like, "Yo, where's the challenge?" Like what what shots are hard? What [clears throat] is hard about this? You know? And like I get it, you beat the mode, you get the shot ax. Okay, great. And then all the four shots are like wide the [] open. You know, and the and then and then the middle, it's like, "What the [] dude?" Even Junkyard was harder to hit and I I see the game is like a lot like Junkyard now the more I look at it. And I'm just like, "Yo, even Junkyard was like I don't know, it seemed harder. Like that magic toilet shot can be a dick, you know? I'm just saying, I think this is a sign of the times, guys. That's how I think about it. And this is just my thoughts as I'm walking home. Like this is nothing big. I'm just like curious what you guys think, but times. Like look around. Like look at everything. Look at the movies. Look at music, TV. Our our video games. Like look at all of them, man. They're all They're all like so easy. Like there's a GPS arrow telling you which way to go. Dude, I see FPS shooters and you can see through the walls now. What the [] are you doing? Like bro, when we played Counter-Strike back in the day, you couldn't see through the walls. You had to rely on your [] headset. Now I look on the [] thing and kids are like looking through the walls and [] Bro, you weren't allowed to do that back in the day and now this is like just [] standard. What the [] is this? Cuz people [] People [] back then when I was playing, dude. "Oh, hacker." It's like, "No, bro. I just have a [] headset." God, I feel like there's a [] UFO in front of me, dude. It's some [] with their [] high beams on. Well, bro, it's like I have a [] headset. I could hear you running down the [] hallway. Maybe you should learn how to crouch, you know? But that was Counter-Strike. And we adapted. We got stronger. I can't even play these first-person shooters, dude, cuz like I'm looking through the walls and [] I'm like, "What the [] is this, dude?" Why am I able to see you through the [] wall, you know? And then you get you there's aim assist. Like half the FPSs, I have to turn off [] aim assist. Like what the [] are you doing, dude? What happened to our games, bro? So don't don't like don't be surprised that pinball is following the same trend. Don't be surprised. And don't be surprised that I told you here. [laughter] I told you first. Or maybe half of you already know and I'm the guy that says it, but whatever the [] You heard it here. Like I'm telling you. This is a sign of the times, man. Like they think we're all dumb, dude. They got to like [] spell out everything for us. I mean, listen to Jack, dude, when they were launching the game. We want to make this game as accessible as possible. So you can walk up and figure it out as accessible as possible. That just is a code word for easy. You want to make it easy easy as possible, dude. So what does that mean to players like like you and and me? There's a lot of players like you at like me out there who have been We've been playing our whole [] lives, dude. Like what? 15, 20, 30 years? There's some people like like [] Bob Matthews is like 70-something, dude. I see him at every [] tournament. The guy is a [] legend. How long's he been playing? Since the butt crack of time, dude. You know? So I'm saying like what do these new games say to us? They say, "Fuck you, dude. We don't want you anymore. You guys are too good." And then it's always the same thing. "Oh, we'll just make the code deeper and this one and that one." Kiss my nuts. I don't see it. Like dude, I love Ray Day. Don't get me wrong, but [] Star Wars, bro, it's just it's boring as [] There's no moments, dude. I mean, when you destroy the Death Star and it kills your [] thing, that's cool. But that's that's it, bro. But there's no modes where I'm like, "Oh, yo, that mode, this mode and the other one is [] dope." You know, I'm just like, "What the [] dude? Why am I not immersed? I'm not immersed. I'm not immersed in this game like I am in Godzilla. Why?" It's not cuz I want to lick Elwin's balls and I don't want to lick Ray Day's balls. It has nothing to do with licking nuts. It has to do with just being honest. This is the truth of the matter. [] I love X-Men, bro. I love Foo Fighters. I don't even know Jack Danger, dude. I've only seen He's a tall [] I'll tell you that. I've only seen him in tournament rooms. Sometimes they'll come into tournament rooms, bro. But when I'm playing in the tournament, dude, I'm grinding. I'm like a [] blur. Me in the [] tournament rooms, dude, I'm a [] blur. I'm running around. I try to keep score if I can and volunteer if I got time. Cuz I It's just I don't know, man. I just feel like I've had people come up to me and be like, "Dude, you know what? Of all the pro players that's what they say. I don't think I'm a pro player. But that's what they said. Of This dude's like, "Of all the pro players, you're the only one that score kept." And I was like, "Fucking hell, bro. That means a lot, you know?" I'm not doing it so people come up. I'm just doing it to try and keep the you know, the gears moving. Because there's a lot of people that want to qualify, dude. You know? It's not all and I realize it's not all about me. That's the problem with a lot of these pro players, dude. And I'm not like dogging on anybody. I'm just saying like they think it's all about them. I need to get my time in, but yo, there's hundreds of people here, dude. It's all about everybody. That's the way I look at it. So if I can score keep keep it moving I'll [] do it, you know? Until I get kicked out like Texas. Even though, bro, I score kept all [] day on Friday. I score kept so long when I was at the Texas Festival that I couldn't even get all my classics entries in. That's how much of a gangster I am and I care about it, the community. I'm serious, dude. I'm not even trying to be a smart ass. I did that. I sacrificed my time so I can score key and like all day. I had them put it on my phone, dude. I I I know who to ask to do that. If you ask the wrong people, they'll be like, "No, you're not allowed." You got to ask the right [] you know, that's where it is. So, I did it. Ah, [] But yeah, gang. Going back to what I was talking about, I think this is a sign of the times. I think this is just the the way it's going to be like here on out. You know. And they're just like they don't really like want to make games for us anymore. Like games like Foo Fighters and X-Men and even John Wick, dude. John John Wick's a fun shooter. I mean, do you know what I was thinking about the other day? John Wick was the beginning of the end. Because that was the first time and you might be like, "What What are you talking about, [] You going You drinking your [] crazy juice again?" Never. I say John Wick is the beginning of the end. And the reason I say that is because that was the first time they caved. They took all the [] guns off, remember? We Remember they want us to memory hole it, but I didn't memory hole it. I remember I haven't even seen a [] movie and I probably won't cuz I'm like I don't know. I feel like I'm like not into I don't want to say like outgrown it cuz there's probably many many [] who are my age and older who are all about it and I'm not trying to like Yeah, I'm not trying to like offend you [] I'm into Pokémon. So, you know tit for tat or whatever. Tomato, tomato. We all have our interests. But for me, I'm just like I'm not into like action movies anymore. I don't know why. And it's too much like ba like in your face, you know? Like a diary of video diarrhea in your face. I like the old action movies like Dirty Harry and [] But yeah, like I'm cool with all those designs. Like I was saying, poop like a [] Jack Danger design like but that was where it started. I interrupt myself a lot. Sorry. [laughter] That was where it started when they took the [] guns off of Wick. I'm telling you. That was where it started and you're going, "What What are you talking about?" But that was when they caved. They should have been like They They go They go "Dear Stern, we would kindly like you to take all the guns off your game." And somebody at Stern should have been like, "Do you understand what you're asking? Do you want to You're asking for Kill Bill with no katanas. You know, you're asking for a [] Duke Nukem with no guns. Essentially like a Duke Nukem with no guns is what you're asking for. This is a tall order." But that's what they asked for. You know? [sighs] That was the first moment where they started babyfying the game or making it more like kids like. And look at the direction we're in now, man. You know. So, I don't know how the future's going to go. I just think it's going to keep going in this direction. They're going to keep doing that and they're just going to keep pumping out remakes. Or like remasters or whatever the [] they're calling them. Pretty much like shittier versions of the older better games is what they're going to be doing. And trust me, bro. I'm not trying to be negative. I love I'm a positive guy. I'm very positive. I look forward to [] in life. I take a moment to stop and smell the roses [sighs and gasps] and appreciate it. I'm that guy, dude. But yo, I got to be honest. If you're giving me [***] I'm not just going to swallow it and be like, "Yo, it tastes good." Take your medicine kind of thing, you know? I'm not doing that. I got to be honest. But I don't know. I was just walking home. I had some thoughts. I just wanted to just talk about it for a bit. Maybe you guys are into it, maybe you're not. I just got off work. I was walking home. So, I figure here you go. Here's 15 minutes of walk to wood coming at you. [laughter] Yeah. Goodbye. _(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v5)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 54ff3823-9950-4cdc-8b3e-eb108fe5a94f*