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Inside Coral Island arcade May 2000.
This arcade is one of the larger ones and houses a number of large-scale children's rides. |
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Coral Island was built to a very high quality inside and was one of the first of the Las Vegas-style of arcade in Blackpool. Most arcades at the time were still housed in buildings dating back to the early days of the Golden Mile and were of rather
more spartan appearance.
Coral Island featured mannekins swinging from the roof and neon lighting on the ceiling. Even the spiral staircase was imaginitively designed. |
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Here I am, practising my technique on one of the many pinballs to be
found in Blackpool. This is Mr B's arcade on the Golden Mile. Pinballs first appeared in the 1930s, though the early versions had no flippers or ramps. Many had "gobble holes" which as the term suggests were holes in the playfield that the ball would disappear down. Once the ball reached the bottom of the playfield there was no way to send it back up again.
I have a collection of
pinball machines myself, but still like to play the new machines in the arcades. |
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Video machines have taken over from pinballs as the top interactive
games. With the latest generation of simulators, riders "feel" the bumps and jolts through the
seats and controls. |
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