Hyper Polling

When does an “Official Visualizer” become an “Official Video”? The pattern for most musicians these days seems to be to release a visualizer video for a new song—something as simple as a quick looping animation —and then follow that up with a more produced music video. In the case of Gabriel Jacoby’s latest the one, it’s labeled as an “Official Visualizer,” but it’s more of a music video. Jacoby lip syncs, there’s a loose narrative, dancing, and fancy camera work. Maybe it’s a subtle meta commentary by the artist on the silly hoops most artists have to jump through to get their work in front of modern audiences.

Steroegum recently described this track as “an immediate mood booster,” and I agree. It’s the perfect track to end our post-Expo week and take us right into the weekend.

I haven’t really focused on driving paid subscribers until recently. Towards the end of the summer, I had a conversation with my wife where I said, “If I can’t get up to 100 paid subscribers by this time next year, what are we even doing here?” Well, thanks to your support, we’re up to 99 paid subscribers —just one more to go before hitting that goal, well ahead of schedule.

Shifting our model to focus on subscriber support means I don’t have to chase sponsors, can better weather the storms of AI and eroding search traffic, and pursue a goal of editorial independence.

So, if you enjoy the work we do here, and you haven’t upgraded your subscription yet, they start at $25/year, but most people join at $60/year. Get exclusive content, access to our Discord, and the self-satisfaction of supporting an independent pinball publication.

I spent most of my time at Expo (besides the Media Mixer and AI panel) waiting in lines and tooling around the show floor with contributor Matt Owen. After a couple of days to rest and recover, he dropped this recap on me, where he covers all his thoughts on another successful Expo year. Astute readers will notice he doesn’t spend a ton of time on the homebrews, which is by design, as he’ll have a dedicated article covering those games coming soon.

I think it’s been almost a year since we last received a game tutorial from OG contributor James McFatter, so I was stoked to receive a couple of new write-ups from him the other week. Stern’s The Walking Dead is up first, and even though we didn’t get a remastered reveal at Expo, you can still dive deep on the rules while longing for those sweet, sweet code and geometry updates from the (rumored) pending release.

The first of our subscribers-exclusive Moving Units updates for the week takes a detailed look at the state of Barrels of Fun pinball following their successful launch of Winchester Mystery House. We also get some updates from CBO Brian Savage on how BoF’s manufacturing capabilities have expanded since the company launched two years ago.

And our second Moving Units piece is the 4th update on the year to our tracker, looking at the performance of 2024/2025 releases. You may be surprised by what we pulled for Star Wars: Fall of the Empire numbers, considering some of the podcast buzz.

Had a great time participating in the AI Art in Pinball panel. Thanks to Joe Ciaravino for moderating and to my fellow panelists, Ian Jacoby, Brad Albright, Jonathan Bergeron, and Brian Allen, for a nuanced discussion.

I think if I had one final point to make, it’s that over and over again, we see examples, not just in pinball, that consumers do not like generative AI use in creative work, or at least, generative AI outputs being presented as human outputs. Some companies are starting to recognize this, too. Some stories we exchanged in our prep for the panel:

In the panel, I had mentioned a poll we ran here in 2024 asking who would be the first manufacturer to use large-scale generative AI in a production art package. Following our conversation, an audience member asked me to follow up with a new poll. Who would be the first to disclose it? So I’m adding that poll here.

To take it a step further, I’d love to see more manufacturers taking a page from DC Comics and making public statements about their positions on the use of generative AI in creative commercial work. I think most of us would prefer it not be used at all, but if it must be, it should be disclosed up front so consumers can make a more informed purchase decision.

Ryan and Scott from Pinball Map run a regular series that highlights one new or interesting pinball location each week. This week, Ryan interviews Hans Milberger, owner of Hyper Beer Co.

Ryan: Tell us a little about yourself, Hans.

Hans Milberger: I have been a pinball and coin-up enthusiast pretty much all of my life. In fact one of my first memories is my mother picking me up from the nursery at the bowling alley (which I didn't like) and treating me to a few arcade games. I recall playing a ball bowler and a driving game with slot cars, I was 3. I started my first operating venture in upstate New York back in 2008 with a mall arcade and mini golf course. My first NIB pinball machine was "Shrek". I am now in SoCal and have 7 locations and am on the precipice of opening my own arcade/beer bar!

How long has Hyper Beer Co been in the works (including in your dreams)?

I've long dreamt of having my own place as soon as I started collecting pinball machines in the year 2000, an addiction that continues today. Corporate jobs and family commitments kept me from taking the plunge, and now I am in a place in life where the dream is now possible. This was expedited when I became fast friends with one of my location owners who owned a brewery, Asylum Brewing in Anaheim, CA and a type 23 liquor license which allowed him to open multiple tasting rooms under it. So together we created Hyper Beer Co. Games Pinball Beer.

Describe Hyper Beer Co.

19 pinball machines from my collection of 125 (and growing) and about 30 other types of arcade games including Skee-Ball, Drivers, Rhythm games. The pinballs will be rotated regularly and feature machines from the 70's, 80's, 90's and current. A few titles in the initial lineup include: Jaws 50th, Flight 2000, World Cup Soccer, Pin*Bot and many others. The vibe of the place is retro 70's and 80's and our tap room walls are paneled floor to ceiling with wood paneling found in dive bars and home basements throughout the country. On the paneling are several old back-lit beer signs, some with motion effects including the "holy grail" beer sign, our 5 foot long Hamm's "Scene-O-Rama". The taproom features mid century modern bar stools and a CD jukebox.

Was there a painful permitting process (sorry, I’m an urban planner, so have to ask)?

It has taken more than 2 years to get through the process with the city (my career is retail construction management) and even with all of my experience it was still a very arduous process. First we had to gain City acknowledgement of our use, which required a CUP (Conditional Use Permit) that includes a comprehensive design, construction, parking, operational plan package, letters to hundreds of neighbors and finally a public hearing. We received unanimous Planning Dept. approval last December which then allowed us to apply for our building permit, which took 6 months to secure. Construction started in July and completed about a week ago.

When people think of Anaheim, they probably think of Disneyland. Tell us a little about the area where Hyper Beer Co is. Is it inside Disneyland?

Hyper Beer Co is located in the charming and historic Anaheim Packing District, where more than one hundred years ago train cars were packed with citrus to be shipped all over the US and beyond. We are located at: 150 W Center Street Promenade which is the very first street built in Anaheim. We are a short 2 miles from The Magic Kingdom and there is a lot to do and see in our bustling neighborhood.

What are some of your favorite machines to play, and are they at Hyper Beer Co?

As a kid I grew up playing EMs and we have 1 of 55 Gottlieb King of Diamonds remakes by Retro Pinball. A very tough and fun game with those brutal 2" flippers. We have a Pulp Fiction which is one of my favorites and we're going to install The Electric Playground topper. Jaws is one of my favorite current titles and the 50th Anniversary Edition is gorgeous! We will be adding the DPX title Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in December as well.

Does Hyper Beer Co have just pinball, or other games as well?

19 pinball machines and 30 arcades including several original classics such as: Centipede, Frogger, Defender and others. We have a Star Wars Battle Pod and a pair of OG Japanese Mario Kart drivers as well as some unique and interesting Japanese rhythm games. Air hockey, Skee-Ball, Jet Pong, basketball and of course a few claw machines to round things out.

Will you be hosting tournaments and launch parties and stuff?

Yes! We have two tournaments already scheduled, our Star Wars Fall of the Empire launch party tournament is: November 22nd, and we're hosting a Thanksgiving Eve 12:00pm - 12:00am "whatever" fun tournament. Our plan going forward is a monthly tournament.

How many beers will you have, and will you have other drinks (and food)?

We'll have 6 - 8 beers on tap including hazy and west coast IPAs, pilsner, blondes and a brown ale as well as brewed cocktails and seltzers. For non-drinkers we'll offer a nice selection of N/A beers and craft soft drinks and sparkling water. We won't have food service at opening but soon after and plan to offer gourmet sausages, chips and popcorn.

Are you going to continue operating machines at your other (7) locations?

Yes, my operating company The Games People will remain as will my 7 current locations.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I welcome all pinheads and their families to use Disneyland and/or Hyper Beer Co as an excuse to visit beautiful and non-humid Anaheim, CA a short drive to beaches, mountains and the desert and please ask for Hans when you visit!

Hyper Beer Co.
150 W Center Street Promenade, Anaheim, CA 92805
Website

Our second poll of the week. Earlier this week, I asked our Facebook community how many additional units Barrels could have sold of Winchester if they knew ahead of time that the response would be so positive. On the one hand, part of the reason it sold so quickly was its perceived scarcity. On the other hand, if I put my small business CEO hat on, it’s painful to leave so much money on the table when every dollar that comes in counts.

I was surprised by the poll results and by how many people thought BoF could have sold 501+ additional units of the game. I chose 251-500 myself. So with all that said, what if BoF could run more games? How would you, the pinball fan or collector, react?

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