# Vacation America

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2003-10-23  
**Beat:** Pinball

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

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## Analysis

A 2003 article reviewing Churchill's Vacation America, a home pinball game being produced by Chicago Gaming Company, set to release before Christmas 2003. The game features simplified design philosophy with a 7-segment display, single-playfield layout, infrared detection instead of rollover switches, and minimal maintenance requirements—targeting casual players rather than competition enthusiasts.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Vacation America was first shown almost a year before October 2003 and was expected to be available for purchase before Christmas 2003 — _Article states 'Almost a year after it was first shown, the game should be available for purchase before Christmas 2003'_
- [HIGH] The game uses infrared LEDs for detection instead of rollover switches throughout the playfield — _Article explicitly describes: 'Rather than use rollover switches, the game uses infra-red LEDs to bounce light off the passing ball and into a receiver to detect it'_
- [HIGH] Vacation America contains only seven solenoids total (two for slingshots, three for jet bumpers, two for saucer kickouts) — _Article states: 'Apart from the flippers, there are only seven solenoids in the game, two for the slingshots, three for the jet bumpers and two for the saucer kickouts'_
- [HIGH] The game has no modes apart from multiball — _Article directly states: 'There are no modes in the game apart from multiball'_
- [MEDIUM] Gene Cunningham (owner of Illinois Pin Ball) was considering commissioning Churchill to build an updated EM-era playing card game with score reels — _Article notes: 'There is talk of Gene Cunningham, owner or Illinois Pin Ball, wanting them to build an updated version of an old EM game' but acknowledges 'Details are sketchy at the moment'_

### Notable Quotes

> "After playing several games on the new machine it is apparent where the cost savings required for a home game have been made."
> — **Article author**
> _Sets up the review's central theme: Vacation America makes deliberate design sacrifices for home market affordability_

> "Everything else is shown either by the playfield lamps or on the map around the display."
> — **Article author**
> _Explains the minimal 7-segment display design philosophy_

> "For regular players used to deep rules and lots of playfield toys the game seems over simplified, especially the lack of display animations or information, but for those who long for a simpler game requiring almost nothing more than an occasional clean the game is entirely appropriate."
> — **Article author**
> _Directly acknowledges the intentional design segmentation: simplified gameplay targeting casual/low-maintenance players, not competition enthusiasts_

> "There are no rollover switches in the game."
> — **Article author**
> _Highlights the game's unique infrared technology approach to minimize maintenance and microswitch failures_

> "Yes, it's quite empty in there."
> — **Article author**
> _Describes the sparse interior of the cabinet, emphasizing minimalist design for home use and serviceability_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Vacation America | game | Home pinball game by Churchill, produced by Chicago Gaming Company, featuring single-layer playfield, travel-across-America theme, designed for release before Christmas 2003 |
| Chicago Gaming Company | company | Manufacturer/producer of Vacation America, taking over production from Churchill's original design |
| Churchill | company | Original designer/developer of Vacation America pinball game |
| Gene Cunningham | person | Owner of Illinois Pin Ball, reportedly considering commissioning Churchill to build updated EM-era playing card game |
| Illinois Pin Ball | company | Company owned by Gene Cunningham; previously intended to produce Pool Player game (unrealized) |
| Red & Ted's Roadshow | game | Williams pinball game referenced as conceptual predecessor to Vacation America's cross-country travel mechanic |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Home vs. commercial game design philosophy, Infrared technology in pinball detection systems, Maintenance and reliability engineering in pinball, Simplified rules design vs. deep rulesets
- **Secondary:** Chicago Gaming Company production capabilities, Electromechanical game remakes

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0.5) — Reviewer takes a measured, analytical approach. Acknowledges design trade-offs without harsh criticism. Recognizes game serves a specific market segment (casual/low-maintenance players) while noting it may not appeal to competitive/rules-depth enthusiasts. Tone is informational rather than evaluative.

### Signals

- **[design_philosophy]** Vacation America intentionally targets casual home players with minimal maintenance through infrared detection (no rollover switches), single-layer playfield, 7-segment display only, and seven total solenoids—explicitly trading complexity and information density for reliability and ease of ownership (confidence: high) — Article states game is 'designed to need a minimum of maintenance' and notes IR switches 'should prove more reliable than microswitches' despite higher cost; explicitly contrasts with 'regular players used to deep rules and lots of playfield toys'
- **[announcement]** Churchill's Vacation America production start under Chicago Gaming Company brand, with expected availability before Christmas 2003, nearly one year after initial showing (confidence: high) — 'It looks as if Churchill's Vacation America game is to finally start production under the brand of the Chicago Gaming Company Inc.' and 'the game should be available for purchase before Christmas 2003'
- **[rumor_hype]** Gene Cunningham (Illinois Pin Ball owner) reportedly considering commissioning Churchill to develop updated version of classic EM-era playing card game with score reels, but details remain sketchy and no timescale established (confidence: medium) — 'There is talk of Gene Cunningham, owner or Illinois Pin Ball, wanting them to build an updated version of an old EM game. Details are sketchy at the moment, but it could be a playing card based game and would still use score reels. There no timescale for this project at present'
- **[technology_signal]** Use of infrared LED detection system throughout Vacation America instead of traditional rollover microswitches represents a notable reliability/maintenance-focused engineering choice in home pinball design (confidence: high) — 'Rather than use rollover switches, the game uses infra-red LEDs to bounce light off the passing ball and into a receiver to detect it. These should prove more reliable than microswitches, although they obviously cost more.'

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## Transcript

Story
dated
October 23, 2003

It
looks as if Churchill's Vacation America game is to finally start
production under the brand of the Chicago Gaming Company Inc.

Almost
a year after it was first shown, the
game should be available for purchase before Christmas 2003.

After playing
several games on the new machine it is apparant where the cost savings
required for a home game have been made.

The most obvious
change from a commercial game is the display. Made from two rows of
ten 7-segment displays, only the most basic information is conveyed
to the player. You get the ball number, score, extra ball and game
over, and that's it. Everything else is shown either by the playfield
lamps or on the map around the display.

The object
is to travel across the country, starting on the east coast and ending
up in Hollywood, much like Red & Ted's Roadshow. The map is a
bit more interesting than in the Williams game, as each city has a
red and green lamp behind it, indicating those cities completed and
those coming up next. Each city has a small icon associated with it
depicting why the city is famous.

The cities
are not all real cities, some are natural geographical features, other
more man-made. The full list is: New York, Philadelphia, Cape Canaveral,
Everglades, Myrtle Beach, Washington DC, Niagra Falls, Fort Knox,
Detroit, Indianapolis, Atlanta, New Orleans, St. Louis, Chicago, Hot
Springs, San Antonio, Roswell, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Estes
Park, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Yosemite and Hollywood.

Looking at
the playfield, it's a single layer game with no ramps.

There are
two capture saucers on the right hand side, one at the top, the other
half way up. The lock balls for a three ball multiball.

Balls are
launched into three rollover lanes at the top, spelling M-A-P. There
are no modes in the game apart from multiball, but an extra ball is
available at the captive ball on the left and there is a tricky small
loop directly above the flippers which can easily lead to a centre
drain if you're not careful.

One unusual feature
is to be found in the inlanes and outlanes and top rollovers.
Rather than use rollover switches, the game uses infra-red LEDs
to bounce light off the passing ball and into a receiver to
detect it.

These should prove
more reliable than microswitches, although they obviously cost
more.

In fact there are
no rollover switches in the game. The standup targets are standard
but these rarely require maintenance, so the game is designed
to need a minimum of maintenance.

The game play
is not overly complex, but it is sufficiently difficult to complete
the map to give the game some longer term appeal. For regular players
used to deep rules and lots of playfield toys the game seems over
simplified, especially the lack of display animations or information,
but for those who long for a simpler game requiring almost nothing
more than an occasional clean the game is entirely appropriate.

Talking of
cleaning, there are a few differences once you open up the front door.

Yes, it's
quite empty in there. Apart from the flippers, there are only seven
solenoids in the game, two for the slingshots, three for the jet bumpers
and two for the saucer kickouts. As noted before, the cabling is kept
to a minimum through the use of large printed circuit boards (PCBs)
for the lamp, switch and solenoid signals. The solenoids are mounted
off the PCBs to make sure the vibrations don't damage the circuits.

The ribbon
cables at the rear go up into the backbox, but this is not intended
to be opened by the user. It is secured by four screws.

Finally, the lockdown
bar works a bit differently. It is held down by two big spring
clips inside the front door. The playfield also uses these clips
to hold it down and stop it shaking, which it probably needs
given the relative lack of hardware to weigh it down.

They work well enough
and they shouldn't need to be operated too frequently - mainly
to clean the playfield.

So that's
the latest on Vacation America. But Churchill could have more work
on their books if the game does well. There is talk of Gene Cunningham,
owner or Illinois Pin Ball, wanting them to build an updated version
of an old EM game. Details are sketchy at the moment, but it could
be a playing card based game and would still use score reels.

There no timescale
for this project at present and we must not forget the Pool Player
game he intended to make when he started up Illinois Pin Ball. Nothing
ever came of that apart from a few samples, so don't hold your breath
over this EM remake.

Back
to the news index

Back
to the front page

©
Pinball News 2003

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 95ab160f-20c7-4acf-bf91-a47f4018d09f*