Pinball wizards flock to Schaumburg for 40th annual expo

Sounding like a giant arcade on steroids, the 40th anniversary edition of the Pinball Expo is drawing thousands of people to the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel this weekend.

Pinball wizards filled the approximately 100,000-square foot expo space to try out the latest machines and some old classics, bearing colorful graphics and names like “Hot Wheels” and “X-Men.”

Billed as the first, biggest and longest-running pinball show in the nation, the event also features vendor booths, tournaments, educational displays, exhibits, tours, seminars, autograph sessions and “a video game summit.”

While at first glance the hundreds of pinball machines on display appear similar, it's the lights, sounds and the licensing behind the name and graphics that draws people to play. Pinball machine manufacturers look for “that hot license,” said Robert Berk, founder of Pinball Expo.

“These young kids, they know the movie, but they don't know the pinball,” Berk said. “They like the name of the game and they play because they like the license.”

Pinball machines bearing the names of disco-era band ABBA and daredevil Evel Knievel provided a bit of 1970s nostalgia.

“Famous faces of pinball” attending the expo include Facebook phenomenon Kim Oswald, YouTube sensation Todd Tuckey, as well as Jack Danger, Gary Stern, Steve Ritchie and Jack Guarnieri, along with other current well-known pinball artists and designers.