My take on skee-ball.
Skee-Ball was created in 1909 and remains a staple of Americana to this very day. The game has become a staple of theme parks and arcades for almost a century, and acts as the sole survivor of the pre-cursors to video games since the death of pinball.
The premise of Skee-Ball works like this, you throw a wooden ball up a ramp, and, if your aim is right, the ball will go into a scoring ring. If your aim is off, the ball will just slide into the machine, and you’ll get no points. The scoring rings have varying point totals attached to them, and various sizes to reflect that. The larger the point total for the ring, the smaller the size of the ring, and the slimmer your chances of getting the ball into the ring. Conversely, the smaller the point total for the ring, the larger the size of the ring, and the greater your chances of getting the ball into the ring. This adds an interesting bit of strategy to the game. In order to rack up enough points to earn a ticket (usually around 180 or so), you have to make the most out of your allotted amount of balls (the range is usually one-nine balls.) You can either go for broke, and aim for the grand daddy of them all, the 100 point ring, or you can go for smaller rings and have a greater chance of earning points, but you’ll have to make the most out of each shot. You can also mix these strategies up a bit. You can go for lower point-rings to build your points up, then go for the 100 point ring to blow off your game. Or you can do the opposite, and go for the big one right out of the gate, then switch off to the lower point-rings in an attempt to either solidify your score, or salvage it, depending on how well you did. The elements of strategy in the game are what have kept people coming back to the game for decades. You’ll never play the same game of Skee-Ball twice because of the immense amount of strategy in the game.
Your success in this game depends on your control of the ball. If you throw the ball with all your might, you could get the 100 point ring right off the bat, or you can miss it, and all other rings, and get no points. If you throw the ball lightly, you’ll relegate yourself to the lower point totals, but have a better chance of getting some points. If you’re able to find that middle ground, the well-rounded strength level that enables you to get any ring you want, you’ve struck gold. Finding that middle ground is extremely fun, but it can be pretty costly if you don’t find it fast enough.
The graphics in Skee-Ball are amazing. The shades of brown on both the ball, and the ramp itself, are amazingly thorough. There are more hues of brown on these two items than I ever thought possible. The colors on the tickets that come from the machine are as vibrant as could be. The graphics are a feast for the eyes.
The sounds in the game are equally as pleasing. The sound of the ball as it slides up the ramp will get your blood pumping. The sound of the siren as you get the 100 point ring will sent you into convulsions; while the sounds of snot-nosed kids crying because they didn’t get any points will bring you back to reality and put a smile on your face at the same time, for you did better than them. The sounds of some idiotic teenager cussing under his breath for not getting any tickets, while trying to impress his girlfriend, are always crowd pleasers.
The replay value of Skee-Ball is astronomical. How many other games have lasted nearly a century? The surprising amount of strategy in the game will keep you addicted, and the free crap you get with tickets is always fun to throw away. “Oh wow, a back scratcher, AMAZING.”
Overall, Skee-Ball is an all-time classic. It is, without a doubt, the most addictive game ever. The amount of strategy in the game will make your head spin, and the game’s sounds are out of this world.
matthewgood fan
lupin III fan
Too Cool for Top 10 Lists
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks