# Everything You Need To Know To Get Started With Pinball

**Source:** Tim Sexton  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2025-06-30  
**Duration:** 9m 5s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3DwiPWqKPg

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## Analysis

Tim Sexton provides a beginner's guide to getting started with pinball, covering how to find arcade locations, basic gameplay mechanics, fundamental skills (flipping, catching, nudging), and pathways into the community through tournaments, leagues, and pinball shows. He emphasizes finding local arcades via Pinball Map, learning game rules to set goals, and joining the social pinball community, while briefly addressing machine ownership costs ($7,000-$15,000 for new games) and the used market.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Brand new pinball machines cost anywhere from $7,000 to $15,000 — _Direct pricing statement from Tim Sexton in educational context_
- [HIGH] Electric in Chicago is a brand new arcade next to the Salt Shed with 19 pinball machines — _Tim Sexton's opening statement about the venue he's visiting_
- [HIGH] Pinball Map (pinballmap.com) allows users to submit games, leave notes about status and pricing — _Tim Sexton describing the resource in instructional content_
- [MEDIUM] Most pinball locations have flyers advertising tournaments and leagues — _Tim Sexton's advice on finding events; generalization based on typical practices_
- [HIGH] Pinball has almost 100 years of history — _Tim Sexton's closing statement about pinball's historical scope_

### Notable Quotes

> "Open up your map and search for pinball. You may be surprised by the number of results."
> — **Tim Sexton**, ~1:30
> _Practical advice encouraging beginners to discover local pinball venues using basic search tools_

> "The more pinball machines a location has, the more likely they are to be in great shape with dedicated technicians and people on staff who know everything there is to know about pinball"
> — **Tim Sexton**, ~2:00
> _Establishes quality heuristic for venue selection based on machine density_

> "Multiball is a great starting goal for any player getting into pinball. Learn the rules and figure out where the multiball starts."
> — **Tim Sexton**, ~7:30
> _Suggests concrete learning progression strategy for beginners_

> "There are three main skills to learn if you want to get good at pinball: flipping, catching, and nudging."
> — **Tim Sexton**, ~8:30
> _Outlines core mechanical skills framework for skill development_

> "I really recommend just playing on location because it's much cheaper overall."
> — **Tim Sexton**, ~18:00
> _Explicitly recommends location play over home ownership for cost-conscious beginners_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Tim Sexton | person | Content creator and pinball enthusiast producing educational pinball tutorial video |
| Electric | location | New arcade in Chicago next to Salt Shed featuring 19 pinball machines and full bar |
| Pinball Map | product | Community-maintained online database and mapping tool for discovering public pinball machine locations |
| Salt Shed | location | Venue location marker in Chicago near which Electric arcade is situated |
| Godzilla | game | Pinball machine used as example for explaining rule learning and multiball mechanics |
| ifpinball.com | product | Online resource for finding pinball tournaments and league events |
| Pinside | product | Online community forum for pinball enthusiasts used for buying/selling used machines |
| Facebook Marketplace | product | Platform mentioned for finding used pinball machine listings |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Getting Started with Pinball for Beginners, Finding Local Pinball Venues and Arcades, Core Pinball Mechanics and Skills, Community Engagement: Tournaments and Leagues, Pinball Rule Learning and Goal-Setting
- **Secondary:** Pinball Machine Pricing and Ownership, Used vs. New Machine Market, Pinball Maintenance and Repair

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Content is enthusiastic and encouraging about pinball as a hobby. Tim Sexton presents pinball as accessible, fun, and welcoming to newcomers. No criticism of the hobby or community is expressed. Tone is instructional and supportive throughout.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Video emphasizes accessibility of pinball community through tournaments, leagues, and pinball shows with beginner-friendly formats, positioning these events as primary pathways for newcomers to meet enthusiasts and improve skills (confidence: high) — Multiple references to tournament/league participation, matchplay formats, and pinball shows as community onramps with emphasis on welcoming environment
- **[market_signal]** Pricing range of $7,000-$15,000 for new machines confirmed as baseline expectation for entry into home ownership market (confidence: high) — Direct statement: 'Brand new pinball machines will cost anywhere from $7,000 to $15,000'
- **[venue_signal]** Growth in dedicated pinball arcade venues evidenced by new opening (Electric in Chicago with 19 machines); presenter notes ease of finding locations through maps/search suggesting expanding arcade infrastructure (confidence: medium) — New Electric arcade opening in Chicago; presenter notes pinball venues are discoverable and multiple exist in typical cities

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## Transcript

I'm here at Electric in Chicago. This is a brand new arcade that just opened up next to the Salt Shed. It's got 19 pinball machines, a full bar, plus tons of arcade games. And finding an arcade like this is easier than you think. Open up your map and search for pinball. You may be surprised by the number of results. Look for places that have pictures with lots of different pinball machines. The more the better. Generally speaking, the more pinball machines a location has, the more likely they are to be in great shape with dedicated technicians and people on staff who know everything there is to know about pinball and can help you out with any questions you may have. Try visiting different locations around your city to play different games and get different experiences until you find a place where you feel at home. Another great resource is pinballmap.com. Here, users are the ones who submit the games on location, and they can leave notes about the status and features and even the pricing of the games to help you out. I recommend budgeting a couple of hours for your trip to the Pinball Arcade to give you enough time that you don't feel rushed and you really get to experience what pinball has to offer. To start a game of pinball, insert your coins, bills, or tap your card until the start button lights up. Then press the start button to serve the ball into play and start your game of pinball. Pinball machines can be played solo or with a group of friends. If playing a multiplayer game, press the start button the number of times corresponding to the players you have in your group. Pinmo machines support up to four player games with players taking turns between each player's ball until they've played all three balls plus any extra balls. Then with the game started, pull back and release the plunger or press the top button to launch the ball into play. Use your hands to press the left and right flipper buttons on the side of the pinball machine to control any left and right flippers. Pay attention because there may be more than just two flippers at the bottom of the game and now you're playing pinball. Score high enough and your initials will be added to the game's leaderboard. This is not easy for beginner players, though. Players can earn free games in a variety of ways. by breaking the replay score on the machine or by matching and getting the trailing digit of your score to match with a randomly generated digit at the end of a game of pinball. Take advantage of these free games because every game of pinball is a unique challenge that has you on your toes. And you may see something in the pinball machine that you've never experienced before. Now, the goal when playing pinball is to have fun, but eventually all three balls are going to drain either down the middle or out the outlanes or sometimes even over the flippers entirely. Hey, the ball is wild and the laws of physics are all in play. But the cool thing is every pinball machine has its own unique set of rules. Learning these rules allow you to set goals. And when you accomplish these goals, it feels great. Let's look at Godzilla. In the middle of the pinball machine, there's a giant building. As I shoot up the middle, the lights in the center get more and more red. Eventually, the building is completely damaged, and I can lock a ball by shooting through the building. This places it on the roof. And when I get three balls on the roof of the building, it collapses, sending me into multiball. Multiball is a great starting goal for any player getting into pinball. Learn the rules and figure out where the multiball starts. Then see if you can accomplish it in a three ball game. Once that starts to feel easy, find more and more difficult objectives to challenge yourself. There are three main skills to learn if you want to get good at pinball. The first is flipping. Flipping is all about timing. As the ball travels down the flipper, flipping later will send the ball more toward the opposite side of the playfield, while flipping earlier sends it more toward the near side of the playfield. Use this knowledge to aim at particular features to gain more control of the events that happen in your game of pinball. The second skill to learn is catching. It's a lot easier to control your shots when you have the ball cradled between a raised flipper and the inlane guide. This gives you a consistent starting point and timing point so that when you flip the flipper, you'll know where the ball's going to go. A moving or bouncing ball is much harder to aim due to all the momentum it has moving in other directions. And the third skill is nudging. Use your body to move and manipulate the game and bounce the ball strategically to give you more control. This is allowed, but do it too much and that causes a tilt. So, finding a good balance between gentle and aggressive nudges is key in order to get the ball to bounce where you want it to go and avoid going down the middle or out the outlanes. One of the best ways to get involved in pinball is by joining pinball tournaments and leagues. Most pinball locations will have flyers advertising these events at their locations. Or you can look online on sites like Facebook or ifpinball.com to find pinball events near you. These are always beginnerfriendly. Most utilize a matchplay format where players don't have to choose the game, their group members, or the order they play in. They just show up, play their game, and at the end record their scores to see where you land in the tournament. And if you get lucky, maybe you'll make the finals and win some cool prizes. This is also a great way to meet people who are interested in pinball to help you on your pinball journey. You can improve your skills, learn about all the games, and find like-minded people who love the hobby as much as you do. You may want to travel to a pinball show where there will be hundreds of pinball machines on free play, plus lots of exciting gaming events. These events have something for everyone, whether you're just interested in playing or you want to visit some seminars or compete in some highlevel tournaments. Plus, you'll be surrounded by pinball enthusiasts, and it's a great way to get more information about the hobby. One of the main questions I get when I tell people I'm into pinball is, "How much do pinball machines cost?" And while you don't need to own pinball machines to enjoy pinball as a hobby, and in fact, I really recommend just playing on location because it's much cheaper overall. Brand new pinball machines will cost anywhere from $7,000 to $15,000. Now, if you don't have that kind of dough, there is a much more affordable option in collecting used pinball machines. You can find local listings on sites like pinsside.com, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and Craigslist. Now, buying a new or used pinball machine can be very intimidating at first, but most people will warn you. These games tend to multiply. Once people get comfortable navigating the new and used game markets, it's easy to find fellow pinball enthusiasts to trade and sell games to and buy more of your own. Plus, owning pinball machines can really help you learn about things like maintenance and electronics to diagnose and repair the small maintenance issues that may come up. After all, there is a steel ball flying around a pinball machine, and things are bound to get knocked loose a bit as you play. But don't worry, there are resources online for every type of pinball repair and an enthusiastic community who want to help other people learn how to take care of their games. And that's pretty much everything you need to know to get started with pinball. It is a huge hobby with almost 100red years of history. It's unique, it's skillful, but most of all, it's a lot of fun. So, thank you so much for watching. Get out there and play pinball. Subscribe to my channel to see even more pinball

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 9dc7a2e5-124e-4868-af58-a7868be771a8*