A competitive player, builder and part-time technician of pinball machines, Kalyn Smith edges toward 150,000,000 points on Stern's 2021 "Mandalorian" during a June 15, 2023 tournament.

Pinball has a history that stretches back to France in the 1600s. Over the centuries, the game has certainly evolved, but at the end of the day, the mechanics and gameplay remain largely the same.

In the 1950s, two pinball suppliers waged war against each other. The Amusement Association of Seattle (AAS) teamed up with a local union who heavily suggested (aka forced) bars to carry AAS machines.

Graylands and Kreuzkamp bought their first second-hand pinball machine in 2014, a table called Hardbody that dates back to 1987.It cost $800, and Graylands said they "played the hell out of it." ...