What draws folks to play these seemingly antiquated games, especially when free ones are just a button-push away in our pockets? Zach Sharpe, director of marketing at pinball manufacturer Stern (and Josh’s brother), credits phones and video games with driving people to seek out a more tangible, mechanical pastime. “It’s an entertainment device that can’t be replicated,” Zach tells Newsweek. “While video games are fun, you don’t get that same tactile action that you experience with a pinball machine.” Josh says the analog nature of pinball wasn’t special during the rise of video games in the ‘90s, but it brings a wow factor in today’s digital world. A major reason for the rise in the number of tournaments, as well as machine sales, is the increase in Barcade-style drinking establishments featuring arcade games and pinball, says Zach, noting that Stern just saw two years of 40 percent
Here is a “barcade” in New York City
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