# PICTURES AND VIDEO OF THE AMAZING PENN SKATE ARCADE

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2022-02-13  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/pictures-and-video-of-the-amazing-penn-skate-arcade

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## Analysis

Knapp Arcade reviews Penn Skate, an Allentown, Pennsylvania arcade hidden behind a skate park that features an eclectic collection of 30+ pinball machines from classic to modern titles (Bally, Williams, Stern, Data East, American Pinball). Owner Chris Budinetz operates the venue at $10 all-you-can-play pricing with free play settings, hosts regular leagues and tournaments, and is expanding with at least 20 additional games.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Penn Skate is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania behind a nondescript door leading to a skate park — _Article explicitly states location and describes entrance_
- [HIGH] Owner Chris Budinetz has assembled an eclectic, non-cookie-cutter collection of 30+ machines — _Named owner and article documents specific lineup of games_
- [HIGH] All machines are set to Free Play at $10 cost for unlimited play — _Author states 'Ten bucks. That's it! All of the games are set to Free Play'_
- [HIGH] Penn Skate hosts regular pinball league and well-attended tournaments — _Article explicitly confirms 'Penn Skate hosts a regular pinball league and tournaments that are well attended'_
- [HIGH] An expansion adding at least 20 more games is nearly complete — _Author states 'an expansion that will add at least another 20 games to the lineup is nearly complete'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Unless you were specifically looking for it, you might never know that behind this nondescript door to a skate park lies one of the most diverse collections of pinball machines out there."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Sets up the hidden gem nature of the venue and emphasizes collection quality_

> "There's no cookie-cutter lineup here."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Highlights the intentional curation philosophy behind the machine selection_

> "Ten bucks. That's it! All of the games are set to Free Play and you can play for hours. Crazy."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Emphasizes exceptional value proposition for players (all-you-can-play pricing)_

> "The vibe of Penn Skate is super cool."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Describes positive overall atmosphere blending skate culture with pinball_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Penn Skate Arcade | organization | Pinball arcade and skate park venue located in Allentown, Pennsylvania owned by Chris Budinetz featuring 30+ pinball machines and hosting leagues/tournaments |
| Chris Budinetz | person | Owner of Penn Skate Arcade in Allentown, Pennsylvania; curator of diverse pinball collection |
| Allentown, Pennsylvania | event | Location of Penn Skate Arcade; arcade venue with pinball machines and skate park |
| Knapp Arcade | organization | Content creator/media outlet reviewing arcade venues and pinball machines |
| American Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; Penn Skate features Houdini: Master of Mystery (2017) and Oktoberfest (2018) |
| Stern Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; Penn Skate features Elvis (2004), Ghostbusters Premium (2016), Metallica Premium (2013), Pirates of the Caribbean (2006), The Sopranos (2005), Magic (1979) |
| Williams/Bally/Data East | company | Legacy pinball manufacturers; Penn Skate features vintage titles from these companies spanning 1979-1996 |
| Banzai Run | game | Williams 1988 pinball machine; featured in Penn Skate collection |
| Ghostbusters (Premium) | game | Stern 2016 pinball machine; featured at Penn Skate |
| Metallica (Premium) | game | Stern 2013 pinball machine; featured at Penn Skate |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Arcade venue curation and machine selection philosophy, Pricing models for player access and value proposition, Location-based pinball community and tournaments
- **Secondary:** Venue expansion and growth, Themed arcade spaces (skate park integration)

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.92) — Author expresses strong enthusiasm for venue collection quality ('amazing', 'awesome', 'absolutely awesome'), accessibility model, competitive infrastructure, and expansion plans. No criticisms noted.

### Signals

- **[design_philosophy]** Free-play all-you-can-play pricing model ($10 entry) removes play-per-game friction and maximizes player engagement duration (confidence: high) — 'Ten bucks. That's it! All of the games are set to Free Play and you can play for hours'
- **[community_signal]** Penn Skate Arcade in Allentown established as significant pinball hub with regular league play and well-attended tournaments (confidence: high) — Article confirms 'Penn Skate hosts a regular pinball league and tournaments that are well attended'
- **[collector_signal]** Venue operator deliberately curating non-mainstream game selection emphasizing thematic coherence (skate/bike focus) mixed with diverse catalog approach (confidence: high) — 'every skate and bike-themed game imaginable' combined with broader vintage/modern mix shows intentional curation philosophy rather than generic location setup
- **[venue_signal]** Planned expansion adding 20+ machines to existing collection with curator maintaining larger reserve collection for rotation (confidence: high) — 'an expansion that will add at least another 20 games to the lineup is nearly complete and there's a large collection of games beyond what's on the floor to draw from'

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## Transcript

Today I present to you the amazing Penn Skate arcade in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Unless you were specifically looking for it, you might never know that behind this nondescript door to a skate park lies one of the most diverse collections of pinball machines out there. Owner Chris Budinetz has put together an absolutely awesome, eclectic collection of games. There’s no cookie-cutter lineup here. From Banzai Run, to every skate and bike-themed 🛹 🚴 game imaginable to American Pinball and on and on. Check out this lineup:

BMX (Bally, 1982)

Bad Cats (Williams, 1989)

Banzai Run (Williams, 1988)

Beat the Clock (Bally, 1985)

Black Knight (Williams, 1980)

Cybernaut (Bally, 1985)

Dirty Harry (Williams, 1995)

Earthshaker (Williams, 1989)

Elvira and the Party Monsters (Bally, 1989)

Elvis (Stern, 2004)

F-14 Tomcat (Williams, 1987)

Ghostbusters (Premium) (Stern, 2016)

High Speed (Williams, 1986)

Houdini: Master of Mystery (American, 2017)

Junk Yard (Williams, 1996)

Last Action Hero (Data East, 1993)

Magic (Stern, 1979)

Metallica (Premium) (Stern, 2013)

Motordome (Bally, 1986)

Mousin' Around! (Bally, 1989)

Oktoberfest (American, 2018)

Pirates of the Caribbean (Stern, 2006)

Pool Sharks (Bally, 1990)

Radical! (Bally, 1990)

Rollergames (Williams, 1990)

Skateball (Bally, 1980)

The Sopranos (Stern, 2005)

Special Force (Bally, 1986)

Spy Hunter (Bally, 1984)

Transporter the Rescue (Bally, 1989)

How much does it cost to play? Ready for this? Ten bucks. That’s it! All of the games are set to Free Play and you can play for hours. Crazy.

The vibe of Penn Skate is super cool. The shop that you walk through to get to the pins contains all sorts of bikes, scooters and skateboards. The skate park is full of ramps, jumps and neat graffiti art. 

Penn Skate hosts a regular pinball league and tournaments that are well attended. If competitive pinball is your thing, you should definitely check it out. 

As good as the Penn State Arcade is now, an expansion that will add at least another 20 games to the lineup is nearly complete and there’s a large collection of games beyond what’s on the floor to draw from. I can’t wait to go back in a few months to check the expansion out. 

So there you have it, the amazing Penn State Arcade. I have another arcade report in the queue that I’ll get up on the site later this week, so stay tuned. Thanks for reading! If you haven’t yet, make sure to stop by the Knapp Arcade store: https://www.knapparcade.org/shop  . The new pint glasses are now available. There’s also all sorts of other merch, cool games, etc… Pick up a few things to help support all of the content that John Youssi here. I’d rather sell something of value than run shady raffles or grovel for pennies :) . Enjoy the Super Bowl tonight!

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: f95d4e0c-f966-42d4-8068-f46214143a02*