Pinball Machine Museum Holds Over 150 Machines
2022-08-20
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1The Silverball Retro Arcade is near the boardwalk or seaside walking path in the coastal town of Asbury Park, in the state of New Jersey.
2It houses more than 150 working pinball machines.
3Pinball is an arcade game in which small metal balls shoot down the machine, hitting targets in order to earn points.
4The Silverball Retro Arcade is also a museum.
5Some of the machines are over 70 years old.
6They date back to the 1950s, when pinball was at the height of its popularity.
7The Arcade offers fans of pinball a chance to go back in time and experience their childhoods again.
8William Mena is one such fan. The 24-year-old said that pinball reminds him of his father.
9He said that growing up they would play arcade games on the Jersey Shore in the town of Seaside.
10"...He used to love all kinds of old stuff and this is just something that reminds me of him. He's not around anymore, so I come here and I play and it brings back memories from the past."
11The collection of pinball machines started when the museum's co-founder Robert Ilvento started collecting pinball machines for his daughter.
12She has autism, and one of her favorite activities is playing pinball.
13Ilvento's friend and business partner Steve Zuckerman also had a pinball machine collection.
14So, they combined the collections, and in 2009, the museum opened under the name Silverball Retro Arcade.
15Raffi Abelson, who is 48 years old, played one of the oldest pinball machines from the 1950s at the arcade.
16He said, "It's like a treat for the senses. It's physical. You can touch it; it feels very different than a video game. You can really experience it."
17Patty Barber is the museum's senior vice president.
18She agreed that pinball is a very physical game.
19She said that pinball takes a lot of attention and makes you live in the moment.
20Barber added that it is a refreshing change from just staring at a computing device.
21"Even for all of us, and for young people now, it is a very tactile game. All of these different arcade games ... you really have to use all your senses," she said.
22Barber compared the return of pinball machines to the comeback of vinyl music records.
23She said, "It's the same as we kept that alive here with the games, and it's something different or it's something from back in time that you remember doing when you were young."
24I'm Faith Pirlo.
1The Silverball Retro Arcade is near the boardwalk or seaside walking path in the coastal town of Asbury Park, in the state of New Jersey. It houses more than 150 working pinball machines. Pinball is an arcade game in which small metal balls shoot down the machine, hitting targets in order to earn points. 2The Silverball Retro Arcade is also a museum. Some of the machines are over 70 years old. They date back to the 1950s, when pinball was at the height of its popularity. The Arcade offers fans of pinball a chance to go back in time and experience their childhoods again. 3William Mena is one such fan. The 24-year-old said that pinball reminds him of his father. He said that growing up they would play arcade games on the Jersey Shore in the town of Seaside. 4"...He used to love all kinds of old stuff and this is just something that reminds me of him. He's not around anymore, so I come here and I play and it brings back memories from the past." 5The collection of pinball machines started when the museum's co-founder Robert Ilvento started collecting pinball machines for his daughter. She has autism, and one of her favorite activities is playing pinball. 6Ilvento's friend and business partner Steve Zuckerman also had a pinball machine collection. So, they combined the collections, and in 2009, the museum opened under the name Silverball Retro Arcade. 7Raffi Abelson, who is 48 years old, played one of the oldest pinball machines from the 1950s at the arcade. 8He said, "It's like a treat for the senses. It's physical. You can touch it; it feels very different than a video game. You can really experience it." 9Patty Barber is the museum's senior vice president. She agreed that pinball is a very physical game. She said that pinball takes a lot of attention and makes you live in the moment. Barber added that it is a refreshing change from just staring at a computing device. 10"Even for all of us, and for young people now, it is a very tactile game. All of these different arcade games ... you really have to use all your senses," she said. 11Barber compared the return of pinball machines to the comeback of vinyl music records. She said, "It's the same as we kept that alive here with the games, and it's something different or it's something from back in time that you remember doing when you were young." 12I'm Faith Pirlo. 13Roselle Chen wrote this article for Reuters. Faith Pirlo adapted it for Learning English. 14_____________________________________________________________________ 15Words in This Story 16arcade - n. a place where many games can be played for money 17stuff -n. a group of things that are not specifically described 18autism - n. a condition that causes people to have difficulty communicating or forming relationships with other people 19treat - n. a reward or something special that can be enjoyed on occasion 20stare - v. to look at someone or something for a long time often with your eyes wide open 21tactile - adj. related to the sense of touch 22vinyl - n. a strong plastic used to make music records 23______________________________________________________________ 24Would you like to try pinball or go to the museum? 25We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 26Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.