What Happened To The PINBALL MACHINE?

I know that most of the bloggers and readers here on WhatCulture are all about the latest, most cutting edge gaming technology. Every day brings another mind bending development in interactive experience and takes the gamer further into the world of the game. But that's not me. It was a different entertainment escape that popped into my mind the other day. Whilst trying to acclimatise to the coming British autumn I was overwhelmed with homesickness and nostalgia. I dreamt of my house in the sunny Australian burbs, my cats on the porch, my rusting Subaru in the driveway... and my Hook pinball machine in my games room. Okay, I know that makes me sound like a right wanker. Yes, I had a games room. My own piece of heaven to hide away from the womenfolk when they get talking about... whatever it is they talk about. And my pride and joy was my beautifully in tact yet well-lived Speilberg-spin-off masterpiece. Hook is one of the greatest and most fun pinball machines ever created. When I finally made it onto the leader board top ten, the whole street heard about it! So as I snapped out of my daydream, I decided to go and relive the glorydays. Play some pinball. But where? I looked. I couldn't turnaround for a bloody 'amusements' store, but I didn't want to gamble on some pointless pokie. I wanted a challenge. I wanted to pit metal and rubber against cartilage and finger bone. Where are the arcades? When did they slip out of existence? Has everyone headed into their lounge rooms to play online and connect only on a virtual level? I can't be the only one out there who has found this gaping hole in modern cities. An urban steadfast for decades that has now fallen by the capitalist wayside. So here is my lament: what happened to those days where random strangers would circle the neon coffin-shaped box, drinking and jeering, as they took turns to try to knock each other off that leader board? Laying down your 20 cent piece along the bottom of the glass to secure your attempt to become King of the Flippers. Nudging the machine just enough to stop it from screeching TILT! Maybe I'm showing my age (or, I fear, seeming much older than I actually am). I don't care that there was probably a lot of drug dealing going on, that they were gang hangouts, or that kids were being exposed to older generations and their flaws. I loved those times and the people that I befriended. And again I'm only in my 30's... this isn't 1955 I'm talking about, but the late 1980s. Screw Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. Bring back the great names of the old games makers: Dataeast, Bally, Gottlieb, Stern, Sega, Williams Country. And what about the great machines? Popeye, Bride of Pinbot, The Addams Family, and Creature From The Black Lagoon. Am I the only one who misses this culture? Tell me your favourite memories of pinball awesomeness!