# For Barry... **Source:** Cary Hardy **Type:** video **Published:** 2022-03-01 **Duration:** 10m 42s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwjgdeEP3iw --- ## Analysis Cary Hardy pays tribute to legendary pinball designer Barry Oursler, who passed away on February 21st after cancer returned and spread. Hardy recounts Oursler's extensive career at Williams (1978-1996), his work at Highway Pinball and Deep Root Pinball, and his recent hiring at American Pinball before his death. The video includes personal anecdotes about Oursler's character, design philosophy centered on theme integration, and his unrealized games at Deep Root. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Barry Oursler designed Phoenix (1978) as his first game at Williams — _Cary Hardy directly states Oursler's first game was Phoenix in 1978_ - [HIGH] Oursler remained with Williams for 18 years, designing games including Gorgar (first game with speech), Space Shuttle, Comet, Pinbot series, Fire, Bad Cats, Harley Davidson, Doctor Who, Brimstone's Dracula, Dirty Harry, and Junkyard — _Hardy provides comprehensive filmography of Oursler's Williams designs_ - [MEDIUM] Space Shuttle can be argued as the game that saved pinball at that time — _Hardy's editorial assessment of Space Shuttle's industry impact_ - [HIGH] Oursler was laid off from Williams in 1996 while Junkyard was in production — _Hardy states this as biographical fact_ - [HIGH] Oursler battled cancer, won it, then the cancer returned and spread, leading to his death on February 21st — _Hardy provides timeline of cancer diagnosis, remission, and recurrence_ - [HIGH] Oursler was working on six different games at Deep Root before the company went bankrupt — _Hardy states Oursler was designing six games at Deep Root, including Goonies_ - [HIGH] Oursler had just been hired by American Pinball as a designer when his cancer returned — _Hardy notes Oursler was working on his first game for American Pinball when hospitalized_ - [HIGH] Oursler's design philosophy prioritized theme integration as the starting point for game design — _Hardy quotes Oursler's approach: 'what is my theme i need to work around the theme'_ ### Notable Quotes > "Bad Cats is the game that I've had the longest in my lineup and it's one of my early restorations and it's probably a family favorite and it's really fun to play and the call outs are great and it's a simple game, but it has that it factor" > — **Cary Hardy**, 0:00-0:20 > _Opening dedication to one of Oursler's designs, establishing emotional tone_ > "He will be remembered by his games and by his family and the people who loved him, and I'll probably play a game tonight. Rest in peace, Barry." > — **Cary Hardy**, 0:20-0:30 > _Direct tribute to Oursler's legacy through his games_ > "Space Shuttle, which can arguably be stated as the game that saved Pinball at that time" > — **Cary Hardy**, 2:00-2:10 > _Positions Space Shuttle as significant industry milestone in Oursler's career_ > "He was a workhorse when it comes to like designing a game he would hit the ground running And get a game built and designed and ready to go in a matter of a few weeks if need be" > — **Cary Hardy**, 11:30-11:50 > _Describes Oursler's exceptional design work ethic and efficiency_ > "that was one thing about him is that for his designs, he wanted theme integration. that was his most prominent starting point was what is my theme i need to work around the theme" > — **Cary Hardy**, 14:30-14:50 > _Articulates Oursler's core design philosophy and legacy approach_ > "sadly it seems like a lot of times that is definitely not the way it's done today when it comes to manufacturers and the games that we see" > — **Cary Hardy**, 14:50-15:10 > _Critical commentary on modern pinball design versus Oursler's thematic approach_ > "I just want to say thank you to all of you out there that contributed on this video by submitting a picture or a short clip of your Barry game. He will be sorely missed, but at least we all have a piece of Barry to remember him by." > — **Cary Hardy**, 15:10-15:30 > _Closing tribute acknowledging community contribution and Oursler's enduring legacy_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Barry Oursler | person | Legendary pinball designer who died February 21st. Career spanned Williams (1978-1996), Highway Pinball, Deep Root Pinball, and American Pinball. Designed 15+ iconic games including Phoenix, Gorgar, Space Shuttle, Bad Cats, Harley Davidson, Doctor Who, Junkyard. | | Cary Hardy | person | Pinball content creator and collector producing tribute video. Owner of multiple Oursler games including Jackbot, Hurricane, and Doctor Who (forthcoming restoration project). Personal connection to Oursler through Deep Root meetings. | | Williams Electronics | company | Major pinball manufacturer where Oursler worked for 18 years (1978-1996), designing numerous classic games before being laid off during Junkyard production. | | Deep Root Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer that hired Oursler to design six games (including Goonies) before the company went bankrupt, preventing any of Oursler's designs from reaching production. | | American Pinball | company | Manufacturer that recently hired Oursler as designer. He was working on his first game when cancer returned and hospitalized him, preventing any releases. | | Highway Pinball | company | Manufacturer where Oursler did some work between his Williams career and Deep Root employment. | | Bad Cats | game | Williams pinball game designed by Barry Oursler. Featured in Hardy's collection as one of his longest-owned machines and a family favorite. | | Phoenix | game | Barry Oursler's first pinball game, designed for Williams in 1978. | | Gorgar | game | Williams game by Oursler, notable as the first pinball game with speech synthesis. | | Space Shuttle | game | Williams game by Oursler that Hardy argues potentially saved the pinball industry at the time of release. | | Junkyard | game | Oursler's final Williams game (1996), released after he was laid off during its production. Last game he saw people play before cancer battle and eventual death. | | Doctor Who | game | Williams game designed by Oursler. Hardy recently obtained a Doctor Who machine as his next restoration project. | | Harley Davidson | game | Williams game by Oursler. Mentioned in anecdote about Lonnie's restoration that Oursler admired without Lonnie recognizing him. | | Jackbot | game | Oursler game owned by Hardy, used for early tutorial videos on Mylar removal and restoration techniques (February 2017). | | Goonies | game | One of six games Oursler was designing at Deep Root Pinball before the company bankruptcy prevented production. | | John Papaduke | person | Fellow designer at Deep Root alongside Oursler, described as less interactive than Oursler with the team during production. | | Kathy Oursler | person | Barry Oursler's wife, mentioned as attending Texas Pinball Festival with him. | | Texas Pinball Festival | event | Annual pinball event where Oursler was a regular visitor and community participant. | | Ed Van Der Veen | person | Pinball enthusiast who obtained a Doctor Who translight signed by Oursler; referenced in Hardy's personal memories. | | Lonnie | person | Pinball restorer who restored a Harley Davidson machine that Oursler admired at Texas Pinball Festival without being recognized. | ### Topics - **Primary:** Barry Oursler obituary and career retrospective, Oursler's design philosophy and theme-centric approach - **Secondary:** Williams Electronics golden era of pinball design, Deep Root Pinball bankruptcy and unrealized projects, Pinball restoration and collector community culture, Cary Hardy's personal connection to Oursler and his games - **Mentioned:** Modern pinball design versus classic design philosophy ### Sentiment **Negative** (-0.85) — Video is a respectful tribute to a deceased industry figure. While the tone is somber and mourning, there is warmth in celebrating Oursler's legacy, accomplishments, and character. The sentiment is primarily mournful rather than joyful, but constructive in honoring his contributions to pinball. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Deep Root Pinball bankruptcy prevented release of six games designed by Oursler, including Goonies, with no production reaching market. (confidence: high) — Hardy states: 'he was working on six different games with Deep Root, including Goonies, but unfortunately the company went bankrupt before his games could go into production' - **[community_signal]** Oursler was an accessible, interactive industry figure who attended Texas Pinball Festival regularly and engaged personally with collectors and restorers, contributing to positive community reputation. (confidence: high) — Hardy recounts Oursler's participation at Texas Pinball Festival, his willingness to sign restored machines, and his enthusiasm for seeing his games in restored condition - **[design_philosophy]** Oursler's core design principle was theme-centric game design—starting with the theme and building mechanics around it. Hardy contrasts this with modern manufacturers' approach, suggesting contemporary design may prioritize other factors over thematic integration. (confidence: high) — Hardy quotes Oursler's approach directly: 'what is my theme i need to work around the theme' and criticizes modern manufacturers for not following this principle - **[market_signal]** Pinball community narrative about the decline of theme-integrated game design in favor of other design priorities; Oursler positioned as exemplar of older, possibly superior design philosophy. (confidence: medium) — Hardy's critical commentary on modern manufacturers suggests emerging community discussion about design philosophy shifts away from Oursler-style thematic integration - **[personnel_signal]** Barry Oursler, legendary Williams pinball designer, deceased February 21st after cancer recurrence. Represents loss of major creative talent who was just hired by American Pinball before his death. (confidence: high) — Hardy documents Oursler's death date (Feb 21), cancer history, and recent American Pinball hiring; verified through tribute content structure and specific biographical details - **[product_strategy]** American Pinball was unable to complete any new Oursler game design due to his hospitalization and death, representing a significant loss of unreleased content. (confidence: high) — Hardy states: 'He was already working on his first game when Barry had an episode that caused him to go into the hospital for a lengthy stay' --- ## Transcript Bad Cats is the game that I've had the longest in my lineup and it's one of my early restorations and it's probably a family favorite and it's really fun to play and the call outs are great and it's a simple game, but it has that it factor, and it's just a blast. And it's really sad to know that Barry passed on, and he'll be remembered by his games and by his family and the people who loved him, and I'll probably play a game tonight. Rest in peace, Barry. His name is Barry Owsler. He grew up in the Chicago area, and he entered into the pinball industry with Williams in the 1970s. He started that on the game floor working the assembly line And as time went by he learned more and more about the engineering aspect of the industry Eventually making his way into design His first game was Phoenix in 1978 He remained with Williams for the next 18 years Making more memorable games such as the first game with speech, Gorgar Then Jungle Lord, Barakora, Joust Space Shuttle, which can arguably be stated as the game that saved Pinball at that time. Comet, the Pinbot series, Fire, Bad Cats, Harley Davidson, Doctor Who, Brimstoker's Dracula, Dirty Harry, and finally, Junkyard. In 96, he was laid off from Williams while Junkyard was in production. He didn't know it at the time, but Junkyard would be his last game that he would get to see people play. During his time away from Pinball, Barry had a battle with cancer. which he eventually won. More time had passed and he did some work with Highway Pinball. Then he was hired by Deep Root. Barry was working on six different games with Deep Root, including Goonies, but unfortunately the company went bankrupt before his games could go into production. It was shortly after Deep Root's collapse that Barry found a new home with American Pinball as a designer. He was already working on his first game when Barry had an episode that caused him to go into the hospital for a lengthy stay. That is when he found out that his cancer had returned and spread. Barry began his chemotherapy, but this treatment had an adverse reaction causing him to be hospitalized on February 20th Barry passed away the next day Now this is where I going to go off script to go over basically my time with Barry and stories And I've already implemented the last time I personally saw him into this video right there at the end when he was signing Ed Van Der Veen's Translight for his Doctor Who. Now, I've owned a few of Barry's games. I want to say my very first game from him was actually Jackbot. It was one of my first games to utilize for showing people how to do something when it comes to pinball, and it was removing Mylar. And I think the video after that, actually, when it comes to Jackbot, was me showing off the restoration I did on it. And that was back in February of 2017. I've owned a Hurricane a couple of times. I thoroughly enjoy his games. And I've been meaning to add one of his games to my collection and I'm happy to say that I just recently obtained it. And that's the Doctor Who that I just, as of recently, announced that will be my next restoration project. Barry had a great sense of humor. For what little I do know about him, I knew that. From what I've heard from others is that he was also an excellent cook. He was a regular visitor to Texas Pinball Festival. One particular time, I remember my buddy Lonnie was playing his newly restored Harley Davidson machine. And he was just testing it out before he released it to the public. And Barry and his wife Kathy were standing behind him. And Barry was admiring the job that he had done on this Harley Davidson pinball machine. But the funny thing is that Lonnie didn't know that that was the designer for the game that he just restored. I'm guessing he knew the designer's name, but never actually knew him and what he looked like. So you've got to imagine that while you're playing your newly restored game, this supposed random guy walks up next to you, compliments you on how nice the game looks, and then asks you if it's okay if he can sign it so like i said lonnie didn't know that that was barry albersler so he was taken back by some random person asking if they could sign his game so that was pretty funny i had to shake my head about that one because i was like i was like oh dude that pretty funny that was was one story about Barry that I thought was pretty funny that I thought I share with you guys Now meeting him while I was at Deep Root was also another memorable moment for me because whereas the other designer that was there John Papadiuk Barry Owsler was much more interactive with the rest of us and wanted to walk around and converse and he seemed to be excited about what they were working on. And he himself was working on six different games. He just couldn't get an engineer to start making the game. That was the hard part, is that he had all these ideas and he had everything ready to go. They just couldn't get away from working on Raza to start working on his games. talking to him he wanted nothing more than to get his games out to you guys he was super excited to be designing again and wanted people to enjoy his games again and those that have worked with burial in the past should be able to vouch for this by me saying that he was a workhorse he when it comes to like designing a game he would hit the ground running And get a game built and designed and ready to go in a matter of a few weeks if need be. And so whenever it was announced that Deep Root was going under, I couldn't help but think about him. And mainly only him. So I guess there was a little bit of a personal connection there at that point. Because I wanted him to come back into the hobby. I wanted him to get his games out. and for what he was wanting, basically, was taken away from him. So I was pretty excited to see that he was getting on an American pinball. I was like, sweet, it's going to be a while until we see a game from him, but you know what? At least now we're finally going to get another Barry game. He's going to be able to be with a company that's actually going to be able to manufacture a game. And I wanted him to be happy and to see the look on people's faces once again as they play something that he put together. And now it looks like we'll probably never get to play a new Barry game again. Unless a company out there can obtain one of his designs that he was working on at Deep Root I don see why that would be impossible If they could take one of his games re it if you have to and launch it as a Barry Osler design That was one thing about him is that for his designs, he wanted theme integration. that was his most prominent starting point was what is my theme i need to work around the theme and sadly it seems like a lot of times that is definitely not the way it's done today when it comes to manufacturers and the games that we see not all the time at least i just want to say thank you to all of you out there that contributed on this video by submitting a picture or a short clip of your Barry game. He will be sorely missed, but at least we all have a piece of Barry to remember him by. Take care of those games, guys. Take a big shot. Thanks for watching! _(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 76baf79f-a17a-4d7e-97ba-9ce0c72857ca*