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The Making of Stern Stranger Things Pinball!

Stern Pinball·video·7m 4s·analyzed·Mar 24, 2020
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.025

TL;DR

Stern designers reveal Stranger Things pinball dev process, mechanics, and innovation philosophy.

Summary

A behind-the-scenes documentary featuring Stern Pinball designers discussing the creative development of Stranger Things pinball. The video covers the design philosophy, innovative mechanics (Demogorgon toy, telekinesis ball lock, UV playfield effects, projection integration), and collaborative process between Brian Eddy, Lani Asher, and Lonnie Ropp. Emphasis on risk-taking, iteration, and creating novel gameplay experiences that match the show's aesthetic and themes.

Key Claims

  • Stranger Things has never-before-done features including the Demogorgon toy, screen ramp, drop targets combined unit, telekinesis ball lock, UV playfield ink, and projection mapping across playfield.

    high confidence · Direct designer statement: 'this game has a lot of things have never been done' and specific examples of industry firsts like UV light kit and projection implementation.

  • Brian Eddy worked with the speaker at Williams/Bally Midway throughout the 1990s, and the speaker was a fan of Eddy's prior work.

    high confidence · Direct quote: 'Brian and I have a long history of working together we both worked at Williams Bally Midway throughout the 90s and I was always a big fan of him coming back because I loved his games that he did for us back in the old days he made some of the best games of the 90s'

  • The design process involves creating separate lists of memorable scenes, collaborative brainstorming, intentional tension/disagreement to drive better outcomes, and playtesting iteration.

    high confidence · Designer explains: 'when we started this project Brian Lani and myself we all sat down and we made separate lists...you want a little of that tension because that's what creates the great game'

  • Lonnie Ropp has been programming pinball machines longer than anyone in the history of the business.

    high confidence · Direct assertion: 'Lonnie's been programming pinball machines longer than anybody in the history of this business'

  • The telekinesis ball lock mechanism required multiple iterations to achieve proper grab-and-hold functionality with strong magnets capable of releasing all three balls.

    high confidence · Designer describes: 'we went through so many different iterations in order to get this to grab and hold the ball and be able to release all three balls with a strong enough magnets that it really is quite special'

  • Premium and LE versions of Stranger Things include the telekinesis ball lock device; Pro version presumably does not.

    high confidence · Explicit statement: 'in the premium and le version of stranger things we have a telekinesis ball lock device'

Notable Quotes

  • “I really love creating things and I like taking an idea and a vision and working with a whole team of amazing people and creating something that you've never seen before”

    Brian Eddy (inferred from context) @ Opening — Sets the design philosophy and personal motivation for the project.

  • “the amazing thing about coming back as it really feels like coming home the people here are incredibly passionate about making pinball and it makes my job easier”

    Designer @ Early — Reflects on returning to Stern after 20 years; emphasizes team culture and passion.

  • “stranger things when I first heard of the license I thought oh my god I could totally make an awesome game out of that it has all the elements that has adventure it has this weird creepy Otherworld thing it has a demo gorgon who wouldn't want to kill a freaking demo Gargan right”

    Designer @ Mid — Explains why Stranger Things was an ideal IP for pinball; identifies core thematic elements.

  • “the game will always tell you if it's fun or not”

    Designer @ Mid — Core design philosophy: playtesting and iteration reveal truth; gut feelings and approval don't guarantee fun.

  • “getting the ball in his mouth and killing them the premium and le version of stranger things we have a telekinesis ball lock device so TK multi ball that whole lock mechanism is magic”

    Designer @ Mechanics discussion — Describes the emotional payoff of the Demogorgon mechanic and introduces the novel telekinesis lock.

  • “I really wanted the ball to just stick to the back panel and stay there forever we went through so many different iterations in order to get this to grab and hold the ball and be able to release all three balls with a strong enough magnets”

    Designer @ Telekinesis lock section — Reveals design intent and engineering complexity of the telekinesis mechanism.

  • “in stranger things we've got an industry-first UV light kit all the models of the game the play fields are printed with UV ink”

    Designer — Claims industry-first innovation; emphasizes availability across all tiers (Pro/Premium/LE).

Entities

Brian EddypersonLani AsherpersonLonnie RopppersonStern PinballcompanyStranger ThingsgameStranger Things PinballproductWilliams/Bally MidwaycompanyDemogorgon

Signals

  • ?

    design_philosophy: No explicit design criticism present; documentary is entirely promotional and celebratory.

    high · One-directional narrative with only positive commentary on decisions and outcomes; no mention of design compromises, delays, or player feedback concerns.

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Emphasis on risk-taking, iteration, collaborative tension, and playtesting as core to design success; rejection of approvals as guarantors of fun.

    high · Multiple quotes: 'you want a little of that tension because that's what creates the great game' and 'on paper you could think you've got the greatest idea...but you start flipping it and you're like no it's missing something.'

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Brian Eddy returning to active design role after extended tenure; collaborative working relationship with designer who worked alongside him at Williams/Bally in 1990s.

    high · Speaker: 'I'm stepping back into this role of designing pinball's after 20 years' and 'Brian and I have a long history of working together we both worked at Williams Bally Midway throughout the 90s.'

  • ?

    announcement: Official behind-the-scenes documentary confirming Stranger Things pinball features and differentiating tier specifications (telekinesis ball lock exclusive to Premium/LE).

    high · Direct designer statements about features: 'in the premium and le version of stranger things we have a telekinesis ball lock device' and 'all the models of the game the play fields are printed with UV ink' (indicating UV is standard across tiers).

  • ?

    product_strategy: Three-tier model with strategic feature distribution: telekinesis ball lock exclusive to Premium/LE; UV playfield effects and projection on all tiers; implied differences in hardware/cosmetics.

Topics

Game design philosophy and creative processprimaryStranger Things pinball mechanics and innovationprimaryDemogorgon toy design and implementationprimaryTelekinesis ball lock mechanism (Premium/LE exclusive)primaryUV playfield effects (industry-first)primaryProjection mapping on playfieldprimaryCollaborative team dynamics and iterationsecondaryDesigner careers and industry history (Williams/Bally era)secondary

Sentiment

positive(0.92)— Enthusiastic, celebratory tone throughout. Designers express pride in innovation, passion for teamwork, and satisfaction with creative accomplishment. No criticism or controversy present. Official manufacturer documentary naturally skews promotional, but genuine passion for craft and problem-solving evident.

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

I really love creating things and I like taking an idea and a vision and working with a whole team of amazing people and creating something that you've never seen before I'm stepping back into this role of designing pinball's after 20 years about the amazing thing about coming back as it really feels like coming home the people here are incredibly passionate about making pinball and it makes my job easier Brian and I have a long history of working together we both worked at Williams Bally Midway throughout the 90s and I was always a big fan of him coming back because I loved his games that he did for us back in the old days he made some of the best games of the 90s so stranger things when I first heard of the license I thought oh my god I could totally make an awesome game out of that it has all the elements that has adventure it has this weird creepy Otherworld thing it has a demo gorgon who wouldn't want to kill a freaking demo Gargan right it's the perfect license for a pinball and it's the perfect license for the gadget for themes for the music when we started this project Brian Lani and myself we all sat down and we made separate lists of like memorable scenes from the show that we would like to see in the game or somehow incorporate it into a mode not every idea that you have or that someone else has that you want to put in the game is a great idea we give different weights to how we solve problems and how we designed it would that be cool yeah no and it's like well why why and then you come to some kind of conclusion sometimes but it gets a little heated but you want a little of that tension because that's what creates the great game on paper you could think you've got the greatest idea in the world and everybody could agree with you but a lot of times you put it in the game and you start flipping it and you're like no it's missing something I need something else it's always we're all working for the greater good of what the game needs and the game will always tell you if it's fun or not one of the aspects of making pebble games it's part of the magic is to identify that that new thing this game has a lot of things have never been done the star of it of course is the demo Gorgon and the screen ramp and the drop targets these are all kind of combined into one unit so the demo Gorgon is the main toy in the play field there's a ramp that comes down it exposes a demagogue and you battle it so you shoot balls at it eventually you got to try to get it in its mouth to defeat it and it's one of the best feelings ever is getting the ball in his mouth and killing them the premium and le version of stranger things we have a telekinesis ball lock device so TK multiball that whole lock mechanism is magic the ball goes up there and it grabs the ball you're like whoa I didn't expect that I want to see it again so you should the ball up there this time it only is it catch the ball it hangs from the first one whoa these two boulders hanging out together that looks pretty cool right let's do the third time you put the ball up there sometimes we'll hang like a triangle I really wanted the ball to just stick to the back panel and stay there forever we went through so many different iterations in order to get this to grab and hold the ball and be able to release all three balls with a strong enough magnets that it really is quite special as it seeing it all come together and work this is the first time we have ever done something we're reusing a projector that's hidden under the bottom arch and literally this is the footprint the projector shines on a big screen here but it also projects on all the ramps and side surfaces and the drop targets and the stand-ups ability to cast an image across the whole play field really helps create different moves ultimately all the data necessary for play pinball if it's on the plate feels kind of the Holy Grail so this game actually even takes it one step farther scenes from the movie are projected on their mode totals or Awards spell outs things like that that are kind of important for gameplay to know what you needed to shoot next I really give Brian credit for like no fear jump in throw everything in there and and go with it and he took a lot of like crazy risks on the play field I really wanted to create that feeling of that eerie world of the upside down and how can we change the play field to make it feel like you as the play are in the upside down so one of the things that I started investigating was UV ink and this is ink that one of the UV lights is applied it shines bright but when the UV lights off you can't see it at all in stranger things we've got an industry-first UV light kit all the models of the game the playfields are printed with UV ink and in certain molds like the upside down especially the game transforms into the upside down with the UV light you see a a whole nother layer of artwork it's not exposed to the naked eye we don't just put here some software here's a rule and here's a sound effect here's some speech and here's a light show and put it in and there it is isn't that cool when it's presented how it's presented the pacing of it it's like gears that mesh and they have to turn they come into play they turn and now they're out of play and it works like a finely oiled machine Lonnie's been programming pinball machines longer than anybody in the history of this business you really puts a lot of attention to detail in the overall presentation and the games just look beautiful as a result of it I know the values that company haves and the people I'm working with and we're not putting out something that that we're not proud of that's just us that's what that's what we do okay over here it looks like oh yeah look at that we have a whole gaggle of demo Gardens over here really all-star they're all lined up Gumble organs if we can create a little magic inside the box I think we've done our job and then when you're done you actually get to see people play it enjoy it and have fun I think that's the best reward to creating anything is seeing other people enjoy it really want to make something fun and unique something that people have never seen before and that they're just going to have fun playing

The game uses a hidden projector under the bottom arch to cast images on screens, ramps, side surfaces, and drop targets across the entire playfield.

high confidence · Designer explains: 'this is the first time we have ever done something we're reusing a projector that's hidden under the bottom arch and literally this is the footprint the projector shines on a big screen here but it also projects on all the ramps and side surfaces and the drop targets'

  • UV ink is printed on all models' playfields, creating a hidden layer of artwork visible only under UV light, particularly in the 'Upside Down' mode.

    high confidence · Direct statement: 'in stranger things we've got an industry-first UV light kit all the models of the game the play fields are printed with UV ink and in certain molds like the upside down especially the game transforms into the upside down with the UV light you see a a whole nother layer of artwork'

  • The design philosophy prioritizes 'magic inside the box' and seeing people enjoy the finished product as the primary reward.

    high confidence · Quote: 'if we can create a little magic inside the box I think we've done our job and then when you're done you actually get to see people play it enjoy it and have fun I think that's the best reward to creating anything'

  • The speaker stepped back into the role of designing pinball after 20 years away.

    high confidence · Opening statement: 'I'm stepping back into this role of designing pinball's after 20 years'

    • @ UV effects section

  • “I really give Brian credit for like no fear jump in throw everything in there and and go with it and he took a lot of like crazy risks on the play field”

    Lani Asher (inferred) @ Design philosophy discussion — Praises Eddy's willingness to take creative risks; reinforces bold design direction.

  • “Lonnie's been programming pinball machines longer than anybody in the history of this business”

    Designer @ Programming section — Establishes Lonnie Ropp's legendary status and experience level in the industry.

  • “if we can create a little magic inside the box I think we've done our job and then when you're done you actually get to see people play it enjoy it and have fun”

    Designer @ Closing — Encapsulates the core motivation and success metric for the design team.

    • game_element
    UV light kittechnology
    Telekinesis ball lockgame_mechanic
    Upside Downgame_mode

    high · Designer specifies: 'the premium and le version of stranger things we have a telekinesis ball lock device' (implying Pro lacks it) while 'all the models of the game the play fields are printed with UV ink' (standard across tiers).

  • ?

    technology_signal: Introduction of industry-first technologies: UV ink playfield effects, projection mapping across entire playfield (ramps, targets, surfaces), and novel telekinesis magnetic ball lock.

    high · Explicit claims: 'we've got an industry-first UV light kit' and 'this is the first time we have ever done something we're reusing a projector that's hidden under the bottom arch.'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Design intent to create immersive 'Upside Down' aesthetic experience through combined use of UV effects, projection mapping, and thematic toy (Demogorgon) to transform playfield perception.

    high · Designer explains: 'I really wanted to create that feeling of that eerie world of the upside down and how can we change the play field to make it feel like you as the play are in the upside down' and describes UV transformation allowing hidden artwork to become visible.