Pinball is a type of coin-operated arcade game where a player attempts to score points by manipulating one or more metal balls on a playfield inside a glass case. The primary objective of the game is to score as many points as possible. The city of Chicago, Illinois was the home of pinball.
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Chicago Coin competed between the 1950s through the 1970s to produce the most complex and appealing games. Beginning in the 1980s, competitive pressure from video games and other entertainment entities led to a downturn in the pinball industry and a series of mergers and consolidations occurred. The only company currently producing pinball machines is Stern Pinball, Inc..