A big thank you to those family, friends, staff and customers that served our country.
Longest running Pinball Show!
Hundred of pinball machines set for free play. Pay on price to play all day.
This is an amazing show of all the premier pinball games available today. See Stern, American Pinball, Jersey Jack and Chicago Gaming. Games that GAD has in stock are available for you to play in one place to help you with your purchase of a favorite game.
This show is a massive 100,000 square feet of show floor plus tours and events to enjoy.
The Uncanny X-Men:
To me, my X-Men! Check out all of the latest news on Stern’s latest and greatest game, The Uncanny X-Men. Stay tuned for upcoming details on the official Stern Army Launch Parties taking place in locations all over the world.
Insider Connected:
For all of October, log in and play any Insider Connected JAWS pinball machine to see where your score stands amongst the rest of the world on this special month-long Global Leaderboard.
Play at home or on location anywhere in the world to climb the ranks, follow the action, and see who’ll emerge victorious.
Courtesy of the IFPA and Stern Army, (4) random participants of this Global Leaderboard will win prizes!
Follow the leaderboard action on the Insider Connected App!
JAWS:
Did you take advantage of Stern’s Shark Week with Insider Connected? Regardless, it’s always fun to watch Karl DeAngelo destroy things as he puts up his personal best JAWS: The Revenge Challenge Mode game. Also check out a fun interview with lead game designer Keith Elwin with Joel on the Flip N Out With Friends stream!
GAD offices will be closed on Monday, September 2, 2024 to observe Labor Day.
Doesn’t that just mean a great day to play pinball? Maybe some Golden Tee PGA?
Enjoy your Labor Day.
GAD
Coming October 15 – 19 in Chicago, this is the premier pinball event of the year!
Open to the public (did we say ROAD TRIP)….
Event highlights:
PINBALL EXPO EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Tuesday, October 15:
Chicago Gaming Factory Tour & Galloping Ghost Arcade (lunch served)
Wednesday, October 16:
Logan Arcade, American Pinball Factory Tour & Enterrium (lunch served)
Thursday, October 17:
Jersey Jack Pinball Factory Tour & Seminars
Event Hall Open 12:00 Noon – Midnight
Friday, October 18:
Stern Pinball Factory Tour & Seminars
Event Hall Open 10:00 am – Midnight
Saturday, October 19:
Seminars, Autograph Session, Live Music
Event Hall Open 10:00 am – 2:00 am
Although there was a 1948 United Baby Face pinball machine in his basement, it was during the annual family vacation to visit his aunt in Florida when a very young Rob Berk became completely captivated by the wonders of the silver ball. As Berk remembers, “My dad, for whatever reason, always made it a point to take the kids to the arcade. I guess he liked pinball, so it was his way of introducing me to it. And it became our ritual. In fact, there was a bookstore called Alfies on Alton Road in Miami Beach that had two pinball games and we would just play for hours.” The connection and fascination intensified when Berk’s father added a D. Gottlieb Texan, manufactured in 1960 and the last 4-player wood rail game from the company, to the family basement.
Rob Berk’s life was to completely change when he started college at Kent State University in 1972 and discovered as he recalls, “…a room full of pinball machines as far as your eye could see, and that really got me going to the point where I decided I wanted to collect pinball machines from the 1960s.” The first game he purchased was a 1969 Williams Post Time, which also triggered his love affair for add-a-ball pinball machines. His collection has grown to over 1,000 pinball machines, spanning all eras, with his personal favorite electro-mechanical game still being that very first Post Time and for more modern machines, he counts Williams’ Medieval Madness at the top of the list.
It was this ardent passion for pinball that drew Berk into an entirely different enterprise that has endured far beyond his initial plan. With pinball all around him and reading books on the subject as well as joining a club of collectors who would get together once a month to play games, Berk had a thought that would not only change his life, but also change the fortunes of pinball for more than thirty years and counting.
Berk had an idea as he expressed, “I was such a pinball enthusiast, playing as much as I could and reading about the history of the machines and industry. In doing this I learned the names of the artists and designers responsible for the games and realized they were bringing me a great amount of happiness through what they were creating. And I thought wouldn’t it be something special to recognize them and pay tribute to them.” And so it was that Pinball Expo was born over the November 22nd-24th weekend in Chicago in 1985.
For the first time, there was an exposition dedicated to celebrating individuals, many of whom were around when pinball was starting out during the height of the Great Depression in the early 1930s. This exposition allowed collectors, enthusiasts, and hobbyists to show their appreciation. Berk established a program of seminars featuring such legendary individuals as Alvin Gottlieb, Steve Kordek, Norm Clark, Wayne Neyens—men who had shaped an industry. There were exhibits of old and new machines, parts, and a banquet to top off a weekend pinball lovin’.
This first Pinball Expo was an overwhelming success and what Rob Berk and his associates thought was going to be just a one-time affair, has endured and continued to thrive for years. Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running pinball exposition in the world, the Pinball Expo continues its tradition of paying homage to the wonders of pinball past, present and a peak into the future.
Beginning in 2021 the Pinball Expo was staged at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois. The festivities included a tour of the Stern Pinball factory, a full schedule of speakers and seminars, pinball tournaments, a vendor hall to find anything and everything imaginable for the pinball curious, and a host of other activities that, once again, brought the best of what pinball means to so many. For more information, please contact Rob Berk at ([email protected] or [email protected]); call 330-716-3139. Or contact us here.
So all on our team can have more time with their families and friends to play pinball and Golden Tee, our offices will be closed on Thursday, July 4 and Friday, July 5.
Have a wonderful holiday.
Greetings – and May the Fourth be with you.
GAD is giving away a GAD t shirt on Facebook. Head over and “Like” the Star Wars post for a chance to win! Simple and easy.
And, enjoy the day by playing some Star Wars pinball! (If you don’t have your own yet, GAD can help with a Star Wars Home Edition Pinball by Stern. Or look for the closest location near you to go play – Stern Pinball Locator.)
GAD is excited to be a sponsor of the Omaha Storm Chasers. Can’t wait to see all of you at the ballgame!
Watch for our name on the big board – and applaud please.
Fox News has this wonderful Lifestyle piece on the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. Read the full article here.
Call it pinball for peace.
The Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada offers a step back in game time amid the high-priced neon glitz and schlock of Sin City — and does it all for good causes.
“We’re a bunch of old hippies who are busted and just like to hang out and play pinball and raise money,” the Hall of Fame’s Tim Arnold told Fox News Digital. His title is “director of stuff and things.”
The organization donated $1.2 million to local causes last year, most of it to the Salvation Army, he said.
The Pinball Hall of Fame is Arnold’s 25,000-square foot arcade with 700 classic pinball machines, some dating back to the 1950s.
It’s free to enter, open to families — and games cost just 25 cents to 50 cents to play. The non-profit is staffed by volunteers.
“Humanity relies on innovation to improve our lives and the planet,” said Maria Jimenez, chief nominations officer, Business Intelligence Group. “We are so proud to reward the products, people and companies helping to improve the lives of so many people.”
Organizations from across the globe submitted their recent innovations for consideration in the BIG Innovation Awards. Nominations were judged by a select group of business leaders and executives who volunteered their time and expertise to score submissions.
Congrats to Stern Pinball’s CEO and President, Seth Davis on winning an award in the Entertainment Industry. Through constant innovation and evolution of our pinball product, Stern Pinball continues to lead the charge on connecting people to the ultimate gaming experience…pinball!
About Insider Connected
Insider Connected is a comprehensive technology initiative to connect the universe of Stern pinball machines. The platform is designed to enhance and extend player engagement with the games across both home and commercial environments. It also presents professional operators of the pinball machines a robust set of tools to drive location play, build player loyalty, analyze performance, make adjustments remotely, and maintain the machines.
Registration for Insider Connected is available at insider.sternpinball.com. Players can also register at a connected game by scanning a registration QR code on the machine. Once a player registers, they are issued a unique QR Code that can be used to identify that player at any connected Stern pinball machine anywhere in the world. When a player scans into the machine, they can track progress, earn new game specific achievements, engage with the player community, and participate in promotions and Challenge Quests.
“Insider Connected is transforming how players interact with pinball machines. Operators are benefiting from new tools that drive repeat play and help maintain games remotely while players can earn special entertainment location badges,” said Seth Davis, President and CEO of Stern Pinball, Inc.
About Stern Pinball, Inc.
Stern Pinball, Inc. creates compelling entertainment that inspires a lifetime love of games, sparks passion, forges friendships, and connects people everywhere through fun, innovative, technologically advanced pinball games, and experiences. Headquartered minutes from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in the heart of North America, the company creates, designs, engineers, manufactures, markets, and distributes a full line of technologically advanced terrestrial and digital pinball games, parts, accessories, and merchandise. Stern Pinball serves digital, consumer, commercial, and corporate markets around the globe.
Recent Stern Pinball titles include JAWS, Venom, Foo Fighters, James Bond 007, Rush, Godzilla, The Mandalorian, Led Zeppelin, Avengers: Infinity Quest, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Stranger Things, Elvira’s House of Horrors, Jurassic Park, Black Knight: Sword of Rage, The Munsters, The Beatles, Deadpool, Iron Maiden, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, Aerosmith, Ghostbusters, KISS, Metallica, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Star Trek, AC/DC, Batman, and Spider-Man. A broad range of players enjoy Stern Pinball’s games from professional pinball players who compete in high-stakes competitions around the globe to novice players who are discovering the allure of the silver ball for the first time. To join the fun and learn more, please visit www.sternpinball.com.
