Asheville, North Carolina.

Looking for things to do while we visited Asheville, we discovered the Asheville Pinball Museum. The museum is a haven for anyone who loves classic arcade games. Located in downtown Asheville, the museum boasts a collection of over 70 vintage pinball machines and classic video games that you can play for one set price! They also offer snacks, sodas, and beer for purchase.

In addition to the original steel ball pinball machines, an entire section is dedicated to classic video games like Space Invaders. Each game has a small placard nearby that tells some of the machine’s history, including the date of first release and often the estimated number of machines produced. Space Invaders was an instant success for Taito, a Japanese producer. Released in Japan in 1978, it became so popular that by the end of 1978, they had sold over 100,000 machines in Japan alone. In 1979, they licensed the game to Midway in the United States for worldwide distribution, and by the end of 1979, it became the world’s all-time best-selling arcade game.

Most of the machines are playable at a very reasonable rate. Visitors can wander through the museum exhibits for free, but $15, as of this writing, gives them unlimited time to play at no additional cost. Some of the oldest machines, like the pinball “Lovely Lucy” from 1955, no longer work. Those machines have a placard that notes “Display only.” The placard describing Lovely Lucy notes that it was an attempt to profit from the TV show “I Love Lucy” and avoid licensing fees.

On the day of our visit, there weren’t too many people in the museum, but several took advantage of the one-time fee for all-day play. The collection consists of a rotating collection of fully operational vintage games dating as far back as the 1960s, with machines on display from as far back as the 1930s.

The museum can be bustling at certain times of the year, and reservations are not allowed. However, if there is a waiting list, they will take your name and phone number and call you when your turn is ready. Since the museum is downtown, many nearby attractions are available to keep you busy while you wait. Only 65 people can enter the museum at a time, so an open game is always available.

Two historic machines are the Eight Ball from 1977 and the Olympics from 1962. The original Eight Ball machine was designed in 1977. A later version with more features was released in 1982. Eight Ball was one of the first pinball machines to feature a solid-state design, though the sound effects were still electro-mechanical. The unit on display is of the later release, as it had a digital scoring display, unlike the original 1977 version. The game was a significant success, holding the title of the most successful pinball game of all time until 1992.

The Olympics pinball machine released in 1962 was typical of pinball design in the pre-digital era. Pinball machines manufactured before the 1980s were primarily electro-mechanical, meaning they used electrical components to control the flippers and scoring mechanisms but relied on physical elements for most of the action.

Stepping into the video arcade section of the museum, I found this popular arcade game from 1981, which was developed by Nintendo. Universal Studios sued for violation of copyright because of its similarity to King Kong. The placard said that Universal had lost the suit.

The videogame area contains many video games that were entirely new to me. I thought I knew most of the video games of the era. These are more recent games; Virtua Fighter and NBA Jam were released in 1993.

Mortal Kombat was released in 1992, which caused much controversy for its violent depictions. Dragon’s Lair was a game I enjoyed on a home game console. Released in 1983, It wasn’t a traditional game with character controls but rather an interactive film where players guided the on-screen knight, Dirk the Daring, through animated sequences. Finally, Marvel vs. Capcom is a series of crossover fighting games developed and published by Capcom, featuring characters from their own video game franchises and comic book series published by Marvel Comics. I missed the placard photo on this game, but the Internet tells me it could be one of several versions, the earliest released in 1996.

I didn’t play any of the games; instead, I enjoyed a beverage from the museum’s bar as I explored the museum. The nostalgic glow of classic games and the friendly buzz of the players lingered in the air. Whether you’re a seasoned pinball wizard or a curious newcomer, the Asheville Pinball Museum offers a winning combination of fun, competition, and a delightful trip down memory lane. I have included these images in 2K HD on my Flickr site for pixel-peepers.

John Steiner