Walking into civil engineer Rick Deml's home, you're immediately greeted with a "Welcome to Rick's gameroom" sign. It started with two pinball machines and now there are 13.
"It just brings back childhood memories," Deml said. "It's a good relaxation for me. Gets my mind off of the daily grind."
While he manages highway and bridge projects for local agencies like Caltrans, he's engineering ways to master his pinball craft when he clocks out. Around five years ago, he found out there were tournaments and so he decided to compete.
"In terms of compensation for going to tournaments, you're not going to make money, it's not like NBA basketball," Deml said.
Deml said you may get money to pay for your trip, but that it's more for the love of the game. Similar to any sport, practice pays off and it's in his own home where he gets his training in and streams his games. The pinball pro is ranked in the top 255 in the world.
It's getting to the point where Rick's wife, Jeanette, said she needs to get him a trophy case after all those competitions. Jeanette said Rick plays for 12-15 hours some days in competitions, so she goes to get massages and facials wherever they are and brings him food, making sure he eats it.
The Demls bonded over pinball early in their relationship. Their love for each other and pinball continues.
"I enjoy playing for fun, but I don't like the competition," Jeanette Deml said.
There are also life lessons to glean from pinball.
"You got to be able to adjust, which is something unique about pinball," Deml said. "Every game is different. Every situation you enter into life might be different. Take it in stride. Everything's not going to always go your way. You're not always going to win, but you put up a good fight and good things will happen to you."
Including winning and taking home the Oklahoma State Championship in January, he doesn't plan on stopping, looking to win back-to-back titles in Oklahoma.
Deml also recognizes the popularity of pinball today. He is involved in pinball communities that help each other fix and maintain their pinball machines, and has found lifelong friends through pinball–including inviting them to his home to play pinball.
"It's not going away anytime soon," Deml said. "In fact, the games are getting more and more complex with the rules, the light shows, the graphics, the shot layout, the ramps."
The global pinball machines market size is projected to be valued at $90 million this year, with growth to $110 million by 2035, according to Business Research Insights. But this didn't come without some bumps in the road, years after what Pacific Pinball Museum president Larry Zartarian says was the golden age, from the 1940's to the '60's.
"The pinball industry was more profitable than the motion picture industry," Zartarian said. "It was raking in money like you wouldn't believe the reason why pinball did so well is because they were just about everywhere. I mean, they were at bus stops, laundromats, grocery stores, drug stores and then there were, obviously, arcades that were devoted to nothing but pinball machines."
Then, video games were introduced in the late '70's.
"So, in 1980 through '82, the video game industry took in more quarters than the city of Las Vegas," Zartarian said. "It was at the slot machines. It was that popular. So pinball almost became extinct because of that. It almost died out completely."
After some manufacturers produced pinball machines throughout the years, it wasn't until 2005 when Zartarian said Stern Electronics and Jersey Jack started producing pinball machines again.
"And now, fast forward to today, there's at least 10, maybe 11, companies producing these things still," Zartarian said. "And it's enjoying somewhat of a renaissance for the last, probably, 20 years, I would say."
A renaissance, continuing for Rick and Jeanette, along with so many more pinball players who are playing for the first time or returning to the game they love and they're just ramping up.
Rick will be competing in this weekend's Golden State pinball festival at the Lodi Grape Festival Fairgrounds. Families are welcome to attend, where there will be at least 300 pinball games and proceeds will benefit local charities. Larry will also be recognized for contributing to the pinball community on Friday.
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