claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.036
Deep career retrospective on legendary Stern designer John Borg from Gottlieb through modern era.
John Borg started at D. Gottlieb & Co. as a mechanical engineer and designed the System 3 pointy-boy flippers that the community widely dislikes.
high confidence · Alan and Alex discuss D. Gottlieb & Co. career, with detailed explanation of the three-piece flipper construction and screw-top design decision for perceived premium appearance.
Star Wars (1992) earned $500 per week at 25 cents per play (2,000 plays/week) at a Rock and Roll McDonald's test location.
high confidence · Alan cites John Borg own account of the game's performance, noting this was an extraordinarily high earning rate for the era and illustrating why 1990s games generated vastly more revenue than modern titles.
Star Wars was John Borg first game design credit and became Data East USA Inc.. highest-selling game ever at 10,400 units.
high confidence · Hosts state this was Borg's first major design role immediately after joining Data East, contrasting with his previous mechanical engineering work at Gottlieb.
Last Action Hero was a design-by-committee game where all of Data East USA Inc.. designers (Borg, Ed Cebula, Joe Kaminkow, Tim Seckel) plus programmer Lyman F. Sheats Jr. received credits, and nobody wanted sole credit.
high confidence · Alan references Pinball Expo career retrospective seminar, explaining the collaborative and potentially muddled creative process.
John Borg was laid off from Stern twice and spent seven years away before being rehired, with Indiana Jones as his first game back.
medium confidence · Alan mentions Borg disclosed this during a personal conversation, noting Borg was rehired during a cost-cutting era when Stern needed efficient designers.
In 2010, John Borg was the only designer left at Stern and designed Big Buck Hunter, Iron Man, and Avatar back-to-back as the sole designer.
high confidence · Hosts state this as fact, noting Stern had not renewed other designer contracts, making Borg the only active design resource.
John Borg was attacked by a mountain lion named Curtis while visiting Slash's house during Guns N' Roses pinball development.
“that's because I don't fuck around”
John Borg @ N/A — Borg's signature phrase encapsulating his work ethic and efficiency; becomes the episode title and core theme of his professional identity.
“If you have a chance to go to a show and John Borg there, make sure you go up and talk to him. He will tell amazing stories.”
Alan @ N/A — Establishes Borg as an accessible, storytelling industry figure; reinforces his status as a mentor and personality in the community.
“That game had to get played 2,000 times a week. You know how hard that is?”
Alan @ N/A — Highlights the stark difference in earning potential between 1990s and modern pinball, contextualizing Data East Star Wars' extraordinary revenue.
“Data East is just like watching Williams being like, okay, Terminator, okay, so it's an Arnold thing, right? Like Arnold works, we'll get an Arnold.”
Alex @ N/A — Humorous observation on Data East's pragmatic approach to licensing during the 1990s, showing how successful IP strategy drove competition with Williams.
“Curtis is such a great name...for a wild animal you should not keep as a pet.”
Alan @ N/A — Comic relief moment during discussion of Borg's dangerous encounter with Slash's cougar, emphasizing the absurdity of the situation.
“Some people really hate this game...this is cost cut era.”
Alex @ N/A — Explains the shift in Borg's design approach during Stern's financial constraints, introducing the context for his later single-ramp designs.
“this is why they bring Borgie back. You know, they're done fucking around with Steve Ritchie and Pat Lawlor.”
Alex @ N/A — Characterizes Borg's rehire as a strategic business decision during cost-cutting, contrasting his efficiency with other designers' complexity.
“Well, and everyone listening, you will be that curmudgeon. Eventually, you will be like, no, these new games are shit.”
design_philosophy: John Borg's core design methodology centers on rapid game completion without sacrificing quality. He can ship games yearly while other designers take longer; attributed to pragmatic approach and 'not fucking around.'
high · Multiple references to Borg's ability to consistently deliver games on tight deadlines, contrasted with Steve Ritchey and Pat Lawlor's more complex, time-consuming designs during cost-cut era.
historical_signal: System 3 pointy-boy flippers represent a failed design decision intended to appear premium but achieved opposite effect; became industry pariah and died with Gottlieb. Represents design choice driven by perceived market perception rather than functionality.
high · Detailed discussion of three-piece construction with screws added late to appear more premium, contrasting with molded plastic Williams design that became the standard.
market_signal: Data East Star Wars (1992) demonstrated extraordinary earning potential ($500/week = 2,000 plays/week at $0.25), establishing 1990s as fundamentally different revenue environment from modern pinball. No current games approach these earnings.
high · Direct quote from John Borg's account of Star Wars test location performance; hosts emphasize nothing in modern era matches this revenue potential.
business_signal: Stern deliberately shifted to cost-cut game designs in early 2010s, bringing back John Borg as sole designer after laying him off; moved from multi-ramp complex games to single-ramp efficient designs.
high · Hosts explicitly state Stern needed someone to 'crank them out' and had stopped renewing other designer contracts, making Borg the only active design resource.
groq_whisper · $0.190
medium confidence · Alan references Borg's own storytelling at shows, describing the incident where Curtis knocked Borg down and put its mouth on his throat while they were petting it.
Borg was known for being able to pump out games every year while other designers like Steve Ritchey and Brian could not, and attributed it to the fact that 'he doesn't fuck around.'
high confidence · Alan recounts a direct quote from Borg himself at Texas Pinball Festival, framing his work ethic and efficiency as his defining professional characteristic.
Gary Stern is an avid motorcyclist and snowboarder who personally influences music licensing decisions for games, such as selecting Edgar Winter Group's 'Frankenstein' for the Frankenstein pinball game.
medium confidence · Alex speculates on Gary Stern's involvement in licensing choices based on personal interests, though this is presented as inference rather than confirmed fact.
Borg's original Jurassic Park T-Rex design was significantly more complex than the final version, including articulated head movement and little arms that would throw balls.
medium confidence · Alan cites Pinball Expo retrospective account, explaining that a modified version of this design ended up in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Alan @ N/A — Meta-commentary on generational gaming preferences and how the podcast hosts themselves will eventually become dinosaurs, illustrating cyclical industry culture.
“Steven Spielberg doesn't fuck around. You know, he's John Borg. Some would say he's the John Borg of movies.”
Alan @ N/A — Tongue-in-cheek comparison that extends Borg's 'no-nonsense efficiency' ethos to film directors, reinforcing the phrase as shorthand for effective professionalism.
“It's got like a cool kind of hard shot back into the, you know, the little falling fucking max suit guy.”
Alex @ N/A — Casual description of Avatar's mechanical centerpiece, illustrating how Borg's late-era single-ramp designs still incorporated memorable mechanical gimmicks.
design_innovation: Borg's signature approach includes distinctive moving mechanical centerpieces (T-Rex, Frankenstein arms, Max suit). Lost World's dinosaur snagger was intended as a featured mechanic despite minimal movie presence.
high · Multiple examples: Jurassic Park T-Rex evolved into Frankenstein mech, Lost World snagger, Avatar Max suit, Baywatch and Apollo 13 complex mechanics.
personnel_signal: John Borg was laid off from Stern twice and spent seven years away before rehire during cost-cut era; represents volatile employment pattern in pinball design despite his high status.
medium · Alan's account of Borg's personal disclosure about two layoff periods and seven-year gap before Indiana Jones rehire.
industry_signal: Last Action Hero's collaborative design with all Data East designers sharing credit resulted in lack of clear vision; suggests that collective authorship without clear lead designer can dilute quality.
medium · Borg's explanation via Pinball Expo seminar that nobody wanted sole credit, contrasting with Tales from the Crypt where Borg was sole designer and considered his 'real sophomore.'
sentiment_shift: Borg's cost-cut era single-ramp games (Indiana Jones, Avatar) were initially poorly received but community opinions have improved over time; new players appreciate them while old-timers dismissed them at release.
medium · Alan's anecdote of being told by curmudgeons to play Williams games instead of Stern games as a new player; now he and the hosts defend these games' merits; Alan notes Avatar opinion has changed.
business_signal: Gary Stern's personal aesthetic preferences influence music and media licensing decisions for games, selecting iconic songs (Edgar Winter's Frankenstein) alongside IP themes for gameplay appeal.
medium · Speculation about Gary Stern's involvement in licensing choices for Frankenstein and other games, attributed to his personal interests in music and motorcycling.
product_concern: Baywatch is noted as having infamously complex mechanics that break frequently, despite being well-loved; represents trade-off between design ambition and maintenance burden.
medium · Alex's comment that Baywatch is 'infamously annoying to shop' with parts that break, contrasted with acknowledgment that the game 'fucking rules.'
competitive_signal: Different designers have distinct specialties: Pat Lawlor's toppers and innovation, Borg's efficiency and mechanical centerpieces, Ritchey's complexity; competitive differentiation based on design approach.
medium · Discussion of how Borg's Twister references Lawlor's Whirlwind topper; contrast between Ritchey's expensive designs and Borg's cost-cut efficiency.
community_signal: Alan and Alex discuss cyclical nature of game appreciation: new players disliked by old curmudgeons, but new curmudgeons emerge who defend them. Community opinions shift generationally.
high · Extended philosophical discussion about how podcast hosts will become the curmudgeons dismissing future games, and how current games they defend will be old games future players hate.