# ARCADE REPORT: Pinball Perfection - Pittsburgh, PA (July 2021) **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2021-08-21 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/arcade-report-pinball-perfection-pittsburgh-pa-july-2021 --- ## Analysis A travel report documenting a visit to Pinball Perfection, a rare pinball arcade in Pittsburgh, PA in July 2021. The author describes an extensive collection of rare and obscure pinball machines including titles from Zaccaria, Alvin G, Gottlieb, and Hankin Manufacturing. The venue is positioned as one of the few remaining places where such machines can be found since PAPA and Banning closed. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Pinball Perfection houses an extensive collection of rare and obscure pinball titles including Zaccaria, Alvin G, Sonic, and others — _Direct observation during visit; author describes 'endless rows' of playable rare machines_ - [HIGH] PAPA and Banning arcade venues have closed — _Author states 'Now that PAPA and Banning are gone I can imagine this is one of the few places on the planet that some of these games can be found'_ - [HIGH] Pinball Perfection was turning on machines specifically for the author's family visit mid-week — _Author reports being 'the ONLY people in the entire place in the middle of the day mid-week' and staff turning on 'row after row after row of pins just for us'_ - [HIGH] Pittsburgh is referred to as 'the Mecca of pinball' and 'the pinball capital of the East' — _Direct statement in article opening and mid-section_ - [HIGH] Specific rare machines present include Gottlieb Punk, Hankin Manufacturing The Empire Strikes Back, and Alvin G Mystery Castle — _Author explicitly lists 'Gottlieb Punk - Check. Hankin Manufacturing The Empire Strikes Back - Check. Alvin G Mystery Castle and Al's Garage Band Goes on a World Tour - Check'_ ### Notable Quotes > "You know that scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark when the government boxes up the Ark and wheels it down endless rows of boxes in a huge warehouse? That's this place!" > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Vivid description of the scale and archival nature of Pinball Perfection's collection_ > "I was literally the ONLY people in the entire place in the middle of the day mid-week. They were actually turning on row after row after row of pins just for us." > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Indicates customer service and willingness to operate rare machines on demand_ > "Now that PAPA and Banning are gone I can imagine this is one of the few places on the planet that some of these games can be found." > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Positions Pinball Perfection as unique resource following closure of major venues_ > "I was literally getting mad when I was playing too well on some games because it was taking too much time" > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Humorous observation about time constraints versus desire to play rare machines_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Pinball Perfection | organization | Rare pinball arcade in Pittsburgh, PA housing extensive collection of vintage and obscure machines | | Pittsburgh, PA | organization | Referred to as 'the Mecca of pinball' and 'the pinball capital of the East'; host to major pinball venues and community | | PAPA | organization | Pinball arcade venue that has closed; previously housed rare machines | | Banning | organization | Pinball arcade venue that has closed; previously housed rare machines | | Knapp Arcade | organization | Travel arcade report author/content creator; documents arcade visits and maintains Pindigo list | | Zaccaria | company | Pinball manufacturer; machines present at Pinball Perfection | | Alvin G | company | Pinball manufacturer; multiple machines present including Mystery Castle and Al's Garage Band Goes on a World Tour | | Gottlieb | company | Pinball manufacturer; Punk title present at Pinball Perfection | | Hankin Manufacturing | company | Pinball manufacturer; The Empire Strikes Back machine present at Pinball Perfection | | University of Pittsburgh | organization | Destination visited before Pinball Perfection | | Penn State | organization | University visited prior to Pittsburgh leg of trip | | Pindigo | organization | Pinball gaming/social platform where Knapp Arcade documents machines played and maintains score lists | ### Topics - **Primary:** Rare and vintage pinball machine preservation, Pittsburgh pinball community and venues, Arcade tourism and travel - **Secondary:** Closure of major pinball venues (PAPA, Banning), Pinball machine collecting and archival ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Author expresses enthusiasm and amazement throughout; describes experience in superlatives ('Unbelievable!'); playful tone with family enjoyment evident. Minor frustration expressed humorously about time constraints. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Closure of PAPA and Banning venues has left Pinball Perfection as one of few remaining locations where rare and obscure pinball machines can be found and played (confidence: high) — Author explicitly states 'Now that PAPA and Banning are gone I can imagine this is one of the few places on the planet that some of these games can be found' - **[event_signal]** Pinball Perfection operates as a rare machine arcade and museum-like venue in Pittsburgh, representing a significant community resource for accessing historically important and obscure pinball titles (confidence: high) — Author describes 'endless rows' of rare machines from Zaccaria, Alvin G, Gottlieb, and Hankin Manufacturing, with staff actively operating machines for visitors - **[community_signal]** Pittsburgh continues to be positioned as the central hub of pinball culture and community in the eastern United States (confidence: high) — Author refers to Pittsburgh as 'the Mecca of pinball' and 'the pinball capital of the East'; visits multiple pinball venues in the area --- ## Transcript Hold onto your hats for this one folks. After we left Penn State, we headed to the pinball capital of the East, Pittsburgh, PA to take a tour of the University of Pittsburgh. I had an hour to kill before we needed to be there so I said to my family “I have something that we can do” lol. I had heard about a place in the area called Pinball Perfection that I wanted to check out. So we pulled up to a nondescript warehouse-looking building. I was not at all prepared for what I found inside. You know that scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark when the government boxes up the Ark and wheels it down endless rows of boxes in a huge warehouse? That’s this place! Inside is absolutely endless rows of some of the most rare and obscure pinball titles anyone has ever seen. Zaccaria, Alvin G, Sonic, EVERYTHING. Picture those awesome arcade warehouse raid pictures and videos from years ago, but with rows of rows of games that are actually playable and ready to go. My two boys, wife and I were literally the ONLY people in the entire place in the middle of the day mid-week. They were actually turning on row after row after row of pins just for us. And we’re not talking about just any machines, sure the usual suspects were there, but there was stuff that I’ve never seen in person in my life. Now that PAPA and Banning are gone I can imagine this is one of the few places on the planet that some of these games can be found. Gottlieb Punk - Check. Hankin Manufacturing The Empire Strikes Back - Check. Alvin G Mystery Castle and Al’s Garage Band Goes on a World Tour - Check. Cocktail pins all over the place. Unbelievable! So here I am with only one hour to spend running around trying to take as many pictures as I can for everyone while at the same time playing the rarest of the games to add to my Pindigo list. It’s funny, I was literally getting mad when I was playing too well on some games because it was taking too much time (darn you Alvin G Punchy the Clown 🤡 the easiest game I’ve ever played lol). So if you follow me on Pindigo you’re going to see a steady stream of horrible scores on the weirdest games you have ever seen 😂. I was up past midnight going through and fixing up all of the pictures that I took at Pinball Perfection. Facebook limits me to sharing “only” 80 of them. So stay tuned both here and on the Knapp Arcade Instagram account where I will share even more. Since we are in the Mecca of pinball that is Pittsburgh, I couldn’t leave without hitting at least one more place. Keep an eye out for that report soon. After that the college road trip headed south. More to come. Thanks for reading! _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: dda0ed17-d9b3-4acc-ac2a-5719d43f72e3*