Episode 238 - This or That

TL;DR

Eclectic Gamers discusses D&D theme criticism, Wonderland Amusements' budget Alice machine, and pinball code-naming practices.

Summary

Key Claims

• Wonderland Amusements (team behind Arcade 1-Up) is developing an Alice pinball machine at approximately 80% the size of a typical pinball machine for under $1,000

  high confidence · Dennis confirmed Kickstarter page shows layout and art; team and sizing explicitly stated

• Stern Pinball uses code names for upcoming games to maintain plausible deniability about leaks, not to prevent them

  medium confidence · Tony and Dennis analysis of Doug's email; acknowledged as speculation about intent

• Jurassic Park was code-named 'Jaws' during development at Stern

  high confidence · Dennis confirms this as known fact; topper boxes still carry code name instead of official title

• Pinball leaks occur primarily due to word-of-mouth and employee sharing, not as a result of manufacturer indifference to secrecy

  medium confidence · Tony's analysis; both hosts agree manufacturers likely don't actively care about leak prevention

• Sub-$1,000 pinball machine feasibility is uncertain due to recent US tariff increases (25%+) affecting import costs

  medium confidence · Dennis notes tariff concerns as of late January/early February 2025; expressed skepticism about tight margins

Notable Quotes

• “Your hobby is pinball. You collect pinball machines in your basement. Too nerdy? Don't look now. But pinball isn't exactly the sexiest hobby on earth. I rest my case.”

  Skippy (via email) @ early segment — Humorous rebuttal to D&D theme criticism; highlights irony of pinball elitism toward other niche hobbies

• “Modern. Modern. Modern... it becomes modern. I'm just – I trip the letter. I don't know why.”

  Dennis @ pronunciation segment — Self-aware discussion of recurring pronunciation quirk that has become a running joke across pinball podcasts

• “Getting a type of experience like pinball under $1,000 solves a huge barrier that they have even if it's a flimsy cardboard piece of junk.”

  Dennis @ Wonderland discussion — Acknowledges market potential for budget machines despite quality concerns

• “I think the use of code words is just simply to try and keep things officially under wraps with the knowledge of the games being worked on coming out because of, like you said, just employees talking to people who talk to people who talk to people.”

  Tony @ code-naming discussion — Explains manufacturer intent behind code-naming as plausible deniability rather than actual secrecy

• “The video game industry announces years in advance, and it's not out there sabotaging all the sales of each other. What sabotages sales more is when you release the game up against Monster Hunter.”

  Dennis @ code-naming discussion — Compares pinball industry practice to video game industry, suggests timing strategy matters more than secrecy

• “It's so amateur. It's so Mickey Mouse move.”

  Tony @ topper discussion — Criticism of Stern Pinball using code names on physical topper boxes instead of official game titles

• “I do think that if you want to grow pinball this price point for modern pinball does not work for a lot of reasons.”

  Dennis @ Wonderland pricing discussion — Acknowledges current pricing as barrier to market growth

Entities

Signals

• ?

  business_signal: Pinball distributors (including Zach Minney) maintain pre-order interest lists for rumored titles years before official announcements, indicating normalized leak culture

  high · Dennis noted: 'Zach had noted...They maintain interested lists for all the rumored titles...People just maintain them because everyone's going around talking about what they think is coming out years in advance'

• ~

  sentiment_shift: Pinball community pronunciation running joke: Dennis's 'modern' pronunciation becoming recognized quirk across multiple podcasts (The Pinball Show noted as recent driver)

  high · Dennis noted listener complaints and The Pinball Show mentioned as source of this becoming running joke; multiple listeners messaged independently

• ?

  design_philosophy: Wonderland Amusements' backglass artwork criticized as AI-generated with anatomical errors (Alice face looks vegetative, Mad Hatter teacup resembles hair, Queen of Hearts playing cards use wrong suits)

  high · Dennis detailed: 'they turned her into a vegetable,' 'tea looks like hair,' 'seven a diamond, not a heart,' 'nine of hearts ear flap a spade but painted red'

• ?

  industry_signal: Stern Pinball and other manufacturers use code names for development (e.g., 'Jaws' for Jurassic Park) but code names appear on physical product packaging, creating amateur appearance

  high · Dennis confirmed: 'Jurassic Park was codenamed Jaws...you get a topper for Jurassic Park and it says Jaws on the box. It's so amateur. It's so Mickey Mouse move.'

• ?

  licensing_signal: Alice in Wonderland selected as non-licensed open-source theme allowing multiple manufacturers to compete in same IP space