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Episode 66 - EM Arcade Games

For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·22m 28s·held·May 16, 2015
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.024

TL;DR

Deep dive into EM arcade game history, mechanics, and manufacturers beyond pinball.

Summary

Nicholas Baldridge discusses electromechanical (EM) arcade games beyond pinball and fortune tellers, covering driving simulators, moon landing games, craps machines, slot machines, stand-up arcade games, roll-down games, and trade stimulators. He explains the mechanical engineering behind various games from manufacturers like Chicago Coin, Midway, Sega, Mills, and Williams, and shares recent experiences maintaining his own collection of bingo machines.

Key Claims

  • Chicago Coin was well known for driving simulator arcade games that used a steering wheel to mechanically move a plastic car image left and right via wires, with collision detection via knockers.

    high confidence · Nicholas Baldridge, episode host, describing EM arcade game technology

  • Cointronics made a Lunar Lander game with a physical rocket that had to be landed in a lit crater, using 8-track audio featuring actual Apollo 11 dialogue.

    medium confidence · Nicholas Baldridge, describing the game and noting uncertainty about Cointronics' relationship to Bally's 1970 Spaceflight

  • Mills made a mechanical craps game that used 30 dice placed face-up on numbers to determine outcomes, with a watch-mechanism-style tilt using a spinning blade and fan mechanism.

    high confidence · Nicholas Baldridge explaining Mills craps machine mechanics in detail

  • Midway's Chopper used levers to pilot a model helicopter and land in specific spots; Sega made a Helicopter version of the same concept.

    high confidence · Nicholas Baldridge describing arcade game mechanics

  • Heighway Pinball recently built tabletop roll-down games for Seagrams, reviving a trade stimulator concept.

    medium confidence · Nicholas Baldridge noting this as an interesting modern parallel to historical trade stimulators

  • A 1947 Mystery machine in the speaker's collection experienced a score motor lock-in switch misadjustment during gameplay.

    high confidence · Nicholas Baldridge describing maintenance issues with his own EM collection

  • EM arcade stand-up games from the 1940s by manufacturers like Genco and Exhibit used the same replay counters as bingo machines, enabling gambling purposes.

    medium confidence · Nicholas Baldridge discussing stand-up arcade game mechanics and manufacturing

  • Sega made an EM gunfight arcade game where you can shoot off scenery like cacti in addition to the opponent.

    high confidence · Nicholas Baldridge describing Sega EM arcade game design

Notable Quotes

  • “with an EM you can hear the difference in the gameplay and know that something is wrong you don't necessarily have to look at the game to know”

    Nicholas Baldridge @ ~3:00 — Explains a unique diagnostic feature of EM machines—auditory feedback as a troubleshooting tool

  • “he did say that he saw how the bingos could be addicting, were his words, and how it would be fun to gamble with them”

    Nicholas Baldridge @ ~4:30 — Captures a newcomer's reaction to bingo pinball gameplay appeal and gambling mechanics

  • “it takes a bank 30 dice to run this game and the way that it works each of the dice is placed face up on the number which should be displayed when that die is thrown or cast so the dice don't actually rotate as they are launched”

    Nicholas Baldridge @ ~14:00 — Reveals the ingenious mechanical trick behind the Mills craps machine—dice are positioned, not randomized by rotation

  • “This is not a plumb bob tilt nor even a mechanical tilt such as those used on early pin games it was a mechanical tilt that used what essentially a watch mechanism which contained a spinning blade like a fan blade”

    Nicholas Baldridge @ ~15:30 — Describes a sophisticated antique tilt mechanism rarely documented in pinball literature

  • “EM arcade games provided quite a bit of fun with a lot of physicality to the games themselves and while the scoring is usually very simple, You know, you have to do a particular thing a particular way. They're quite fun, and they're just as varied as they sound like.”

    Nicholas Baldridge @ ~28:00 — Summarizes the appeal of EM arcade games and frames the episode's thesis

Entities

Nicholas BaldridgepersonChicago CoincompanyMillscompanyMidwaycompanySegacompanyBallycompanyWilliamscompanyCointronicscompany

Signals

  • ?

    historical_signal: Comprehensive documentation of diverse EM arcade game categories: driving simulators, craps, horse racing, stand-up games, roll-down games, and trade stimulators from manufacturers spanning 1930s-1970s.

    high · Detailed descriptions of Chicago Coin driving simulators, Mills craps with watch-mechanism tilt, Sega Jumbo pneumatic games, Midway Chopper, stand-up arcade games with replay counters

  • ?

    design_innovation: EM arcade games used sophisticated mechanical solutions: wired steering controls, pneumatic air systems, watch-mechanism tilt devices, 8-track audio integration, and reverse-projected rotating screens.

    high · Detailed explanations of driving simulator mechanics (steering wheel pulls plastic car via wires), craps machine dice positioning and watch-mechanism tilt, Jumbo pneumatic vacuum system

  • ?

    product_concern: Solid state arcade machine overheated during extended play session and failed to boot, requiring cooldown period.

    high · Speaker had to shut off a cocktail solid state machine that got too hot and wouldn't boot; it recovered after cooling

  • ?

    operational_signal: EM machines require periodic adjustment and troubleshooting; score motor lock-in switch misadjustment caused silent failure detectable only by auditory change in gameplay.

    high · 1947 Mystery stopped advancing score motor mid-game; diagnosis via missing motor noise; fix involved pulling machine, adjusting one switch

  • ?

    gameplay_signal: Bingo machines have varied difficulty curves; Double Up is noted as a difficult entry point despite being simpler mechanically, due to 20-hole format and moving numbers requiring explanation.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.067

0:00
what's that sound it's for amusement only the em and bingo pinball podcast welcome back to for amusement only this is nick baldridge so the first of my pinball guests for the weekend came over tonight and uh he got to try out some bingos and the machines held up well as they usually do. However, a few things decided to die at various points.
0:38
I have a cocktail solid state that is very temperamental. And it decided that it just didn't want to boot anymore. It got too hot.
0:53
So I switched that one off. I also have a 1947 mystery and in the middle of a game it stopped turning the score motor it's pretty funny with an EM you can hear the difference in the gameplay and know that something is wrong you don't necessarily have to look at the game to know so I knew he was rolling over switches and I wasn't hearing any of the noise that I normally do.
1:28
Well, I took the glass out, lifted the playfield, and took a look around, and then I realized that the score motor lock-in switch must have come misadjusted. The score motor has to turn in order to score 5,000 points, and it wasn't turning. So I could hear it occasionally try, and when I pushed the switches down with my fingers, it would engage. Not necessarily right away, and shaking the machine certainly helped. So I got to pull that out from the wall and adjust one switch, and then that should be back to normal, thankfully. So, he tried out the bingos and I usually start people off slow and let them work up to the more complicated bingos. so at this point I had another buddy over and ticker tape was inaccessible I have very low clearance between the aisles of games in one particular spot so rather than starting on the easiest foray he started on Double Up And double up is one of the harder entry points because it's so different. So aside from being 20 holes, it's got moving numbers, and there are certain holes that you just absolutely don't want to be in.
Genco
company
Exhibitcompany
Heighway Pinballcompany
Godleycompany
Choppergame
Helicoptergame
Lunar Landergame
Spaceflightgame
Penny Pitchgame
Auto Racegame
Jumbogame
Ticker Tapegame
Double-Upgame
Bountygame
Mystery (1947)game
For Amusement Onlyevent

high · Speaker normally starts guests on easier bingos but guest started on Double Up due to accessibility; guest found bingos addictive and fun after playing Ticker Tape and Bounty

  • $

    market_signal: Modern pinball manufacturer Highway Pinball created tabletop roll-down games for Seagrams, reviving trade stimulator concept for contemporary bar/venue use.

    medium · Speaker notes Highway Pinball built tabletop roll-down games for Seagrams, expresses surprise at lack of modern trade stimulator adoption beyond regulatory constraints

  • ?

    community_signal: Podcast episode series expanding scope from pinball/bingo to broader EM arcade game history; host announces future dedicated episode on EM gun games.

    high · Speaker states 'I'll devote a separate episode to those by themselves' regarding EM gun games, indicating content pipeline expansion

  • ?

    historical_signal: EM arcade game manufacturers include both legacy slot machine makers (Mills) and pinball-focused companies (Bally, Midway, Williams), indicating overlapping technology and business lines.

    high · Mills made fortune tellers, slots, and craps machines; Bally made pinball and arcade games; Midway made pitch-and-bat and car-race arcade games; Sega made diverse EM arcade titles

  • ?

    design_philosophy: EM arcade games prioritized physical game manifestations (moving cars, rockets, helicopters, balls) over screen-based feedback, creating tactile gameplay and mechanical spectacle.

    high · Speaker explicitly contrasts EM games with 'screen with an image projected' and praises physicality throughout; examples include mechanical car movement, physical rocket landing, pneumatic ball levitation

  • ?

    regulatory_signal: Stand-up arcade games and roll-down games featured replay counter mechanics that enabled gambling by winning hundreds of replays or free drinks; trade stimulators were legal gambling alternatives for bars.

    high · Speaker discusses replay counter gambling purposes in stand-up games; notes trade stimulators allowed winning beer/whiskey/cigarettes; mentions horse racing games let you 'pick a horse' and win drinks

  • ?

    content_signal: Host provides detailed thematic exploration of niche EM arcade game history with technical explanations, personal collection examples, and guest interaction segments.

    high · Episode includes guest experience narrative, technical deep-dives on game mechanics, manufacturer histories, and explicit preview of future content (EM gun games episode)

  • ?

    restoration_signal: EM machines enable auditory diagnostics—sound changes indicate mechanical failures without visual inspection, allowing quick identification of problem components.

    high · Speaker identifies score motor failure by listening for missing motor noise; notes this advantage of EM machines over silent digital systems

    • 3:11
    So explaining all that to someone just starting out is tough. But he did say, he did put in some time on ticker tape and on bounty, And he did say that he saw how the bingos could be addicting, were his words, and how it would be fun to gamble with them. But he won a couple replays and ticker tape robbed him of a few replays, aside from the scoring problems that I've been fretting over this past week. he played for double or nothing and got nothing on one of his wins.
    3:57
    So, had a good time. Machine held up pretty well. We've got one switch to fix and that solid state cooled off and now it's booting appropriately. So, I think everything is looking good. so today's topic I wanted to talk about EM arcade games not fortune tellers but arcade games they did exist and typically had some form of interaction with the player that was a physical manifestation of the game theme rather than a screen with an image projected or the like, although those existed too.
    4:51
    So some EM games were driving simulators, and the way that those worked was that there would be an image of a car on a piece of plastic, and moving the steering wheel actually pulls the plastic left and right mechanically via wires.
    5:18
    And there would be a projected rotating small circular screen and these would be reverse projected similar to a gun game and by the use of mirrors they come up to the front and have strong light behind them So that's how you can see what's going on. But Chicago Coin was well known for those. And the object is to drive as quickly as possible without hitting any other cars. and the cars show up as randomly placed objects on the spinning disc. So the game can detect collisions and would fire off knockers or the like to simulate a collision sound. They're pretty cool. Nifty little pieces of technology. When I say little, I mean they are massive. They're just gigantic.
    6:29
    They are much bigger in footprint than a gun game, and those themselves are larger than a typical arcade cabinet, if you know the typical size of one of those. So, aside from driving simulators, there were all kinds of other neat ideas. A moon landing game called, it was made by Cointronics, it was called Lunar Lander. This is not the Atari Lunar Lander video, but instead had a physical rocket that had to be landed in a lit crater. And you got five turns to move this physical rocket into place before the game ended.
    7:26
    Now this was kind of a rip-off of 1970 Spaceflight, which was made by Bally. So I'm wondering if Cointronics was a manufacturer in another country that might have licensed the Bally game. Or not. I don't know.
    7:51
    Interestingly, as with later EM games like Pitchin' Bats and some other arcade games, It used an 8-track to play back various sounds. In this case, actual Apollo 11 dialogue was used in the Lunar Lander game. I'm not sure about space flight, but it also had 8-track noises.
    8:22
    So those are very interesting and also huge. another famous game is Midway's Chopper which used a couple different levers and allowed you to pilot what's essentially a model helicopter and land in specific spots Sega put out a version of this game called simply Helicopter and that is a really interesting game Some earlier games used various devices like a single motor to drive the entire thing or pneumatic air pressure.
    9:11
    And that air pressure would allow the entire game to be played. For example, there's a horse racing game, which is beautiful, wooden, made in the 1930s. which is completely driven off of pneumatics.
    9:31
    Mills, who is most renowned for their slot machines and their fortune tellers, also made a game that would play craps. And you would place bets, and it would launch dice, and it would be able to keep track and pay out. This was a purely mechanical device, it's amazing the way that it works it takes a bank 30 dice to run this game and the way that it works each of the dice is placed face up on the number which should be displayed when that die is thrown or cast so the dice don't actually rotate as they are launched. They're just shoved forward with high velocity. So each of the dice, that's how the machine keeps track of winners. It knows that a particular pair is going to add up to seven or six or five or twelve. You know, it knows everything about it.
    10:46
    And really, it has nothing to do with the number that's displayed. It's all to do with the mechanism inside. Speaking of the mechanism, a really interesting thing is if you were to pick up the machine to try to shake it, it would tilt. And it did this in a mechanical way. This is not a plumb bob tilt nor even a mechanical tilt such as those used on early pin games it was a mechanical tilt that used what essentially a watch mechanism which contained a spinning blade like a fan blade and a small bar, as you lifted, would reach out and stop that fan blade, and when it stopped, it would prevent the game from moving anymore.
    11:37
    Very interesting. Just so fascinating. And really another beautiful piece of hardware. And with the DICE game, you can't bypass the slot machines. Slot machines are, of course, very well known. And Mills is one of the most collectible of the EM slots. they typically had beautiful outer castings that were enamel painted and just gorgeous.
    12:13
    Various themes, just as slots are made today, were made back then, and by back then I mean in turn of the 1900s to the 30s and so forth. just amazing looking machines and they're all run by a series of springs so those are really cool and then there are EM arcade machines like William's Penny Pitch In this game, the object is to toss a coin into the fountain.
    12:59
    To do so, you spin a wheel. If you spin it too hard, it shoots past the fountain and bounces off the sidewalk. If you spin it just right, it lands in the fountain.
    13:13
    You earn points based on where the coin falls, and ideally you earn enough points to get a replay. This is a two-player game and it looks very fun.
    13:29
    Aside from all these types, there were ones that were in pinball cabinets. A lot of Midway's games were in pinball-style cabinets. Of course, they were purveyors of pitch-and-bat games, but they also made things like auto-race. which is a really fun game, pinball style, where you shoot targets.
    13:53
    And based on the targets that you hit, the car in the back box actually physically advances around the track. And you're racing against another player if you play a two-player game or the machine itself.
    14:08
    That's a very fun game. And there were many others, chase games, car race games, those kinds of things. Another favorite of mine is the Sega Jumbo arcade game.
    14:27
    This is in a square cubicle. Some kind of pedestal style casing. and in the center there's beautiful circus artwork all around. There's a giant elephant named Jumbo and he shoots air through his trunk and makes a ping pong ball levitate. The idea is that you levitate this ping pong ball up through particular hoops and then you score points and win.
    15:13
    It's very cool. It's basically run off Pneumatics. A single vacuum basically handles the entire game. It looks challenging. I've never played one, and I would love to.
    15:31
    Sega made a variety of really interesting EM arcade games. They have just this fantastic gunfight EM arcade, where you're shooting your friend, ostensibly, and you can shoot off parts of the scenery.
    15:55
    Like there will be cactuses and so forth, and you can shoot and miss your opponent and actually blow part of the cactus away. It's really cool. and that doesn't even touch on any of the EM gun games of which there were many, many, many but I'll devote a separate episode to those by themselves so that brings us to some of the real interesting EM arcade games and those are the stand-up arcade games So, rather than devote lots of floor space, as you would for a pinball machine, these stand-up games didn't take very much space. But one of the interesting things about them is that many of them contain the same replay counters as their ballet counterparts in the bingo world or the horse racing world So the idea is that you have a ball which randomly falls and based on where it lands, it's going to award you a certain number of points or replays.
    17:07
    This, of course, could be used for gambling purposes. big shock and you're able to win for example hundreds of replays off of a single ball on some of these roll down games roll down meaning from top down there's a different meaning for roll down which I'll get into shortly so that was probably a poor choice of wording but at any rate some of the stand up games were manufactured by Genco. I believe Bally made a few and then there was Chicago Coin.
    17:52
    Chicago Coin made a baseball theme like a pitch and bat, kind of, except that it's more of a drop-down style game. Very interesting.
    18:07
    Solid state, sound, in that one. That's a very late EM arcade game built in this style. Most of the other ones made by Genko and Bally and the like were made, it wasn't Bally that I'm thinking of, maybe it was Exhibit, but at any rate they were made in the 40s. So quite a different time period from something that would use a solid state soundboard, which would be somewhere in the 70s.
    18:41
    Early to mid, I would imagine. So, aside from those games, you would have roll-down games. And roll-down games are essentially like ski ball, but instead of the ball bouncing up and landing in a particular cup, it would roll down a play field and land in a particular hole. Depending on which holes it landed in, you would win replays.
    19:17
    Or you'd be able to show your score for beer or the like. It's a pretty simple system. That brings us to trade stimulators. Trade stimulators are like slot machines, or they could be like those EM horse racing games.
    19:36
    But the basic idea is that they are smaller versions of those games, and you put in your money, and ideally you win a free beer or a whiskey or something of that nature. maybe some cigarettes or a cigarette. You know, it depends on the bar set up there. But it's an interesting concept. So the idea is, of course, that you spend more money because you put money into the machine, but you're also going to turn around and buy more beer and continue hanging out at the bar. It's an interesting concept, But then I'm surprised that there's not more of that type of thing happening today. Of course, the slot machine style is not out for obvious reasons. But certainly something could be done. There were other types of games created, like the horse racing I was mentioning. I'm not talking about the one-ball horse racing games, which I've talked about before, manufactured by Bally and the like, and even Godley. I'm talking about horse racing games where you pick a horse, and depending on how the horse performs as it races around the track, allows you to win a beer or the like. Now, I saw something interesting that kind of reminded me of trade stimulators.
    21:06
    There was something recently that I believe Highway Pinball had built for Seagrams. and they were little tabletop kind of roll-down games and that's an interesting concept, which I'm surprised again that that's not more of a thing today. But EM arcade games provided quite a bit of fun with a lot of physicality to the games themselves and while the scoring is usually very simple, You know, you have to do a particular thing a particular way.
    21:48
    They're quite fun, and they're just as varied as they sound like. This is just a small sampling of the EM arcade games that are out there.
    21:58
    I'll be dealing with as many in turn as I can in this podcast, but that just gives you an idea. So thank you again for joining me. My name again is Nick Baldrige. you can reach me at for amusement only podcast at gmail.com. You can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher pocket casts via RSS on Facebook or on our website, which is for amusement only dot libsyn.com. Thanks again for listening and I'll talk to you next time.