The curse of pachinko
What is Pachinko? Pachinko is control. Pachinko is distraction. Pachinko is a curse. In any inaka town in Japan, the most brightly lit, gaudily decorated building will invariably be a Pachinko parlour and you have my sincere warning never EVER to enter one.
Ignoring these sentiments and my screaming internal monologue, I decided that it was time I saw what Pachinko is all about, in lieu of my fervent intrigue.
Even in the most dilapidated, bumfrick mountain village where the huts are made of mud and saliva and the carts are pulled by orphans stolen from neighbouring territories, the local Pachinko parlour will be a behemoth of gleaming metal, glass and neon. The immediate area will be bathed in a soft multi-coloured glow, breathing electric life into the otherwise comatose surroundings.
Striding confidently into the blindingly powerful lights of the Pachinko parlour interior, I walked to a machine to purchase some balls. Pachinko COULD be described as a game that combines pinball and gambling, but the end result is a game that is decidedly less fun than the sum of its parts.
As this was my first time, I had to figure out how to play. I took a seat where I could mimic the actions of another pachinko player. I observed as he turned the handle on the machine to shoot his ball bearings up the pachinko board. The ball bearings then tumbled down into a hole. He repeated this ad infinitum.
I copied his movements.
“ching” “plonk”
“ching” “plonk”
And that’s all there is to it. No skill or thought is necessary in playing Pachinko. The only thing that you need in order to play Pachinko is a pulse. Despite this, it is massively popular as an evening and weekend pastime in Japan. It IS actually possible to ‘win’ in Pachinko. Occasionally, a ball will go into a special hole and you will get more balls. You can exchange Pachinko balls for prizes, although you need to play for weeks on end to get something less crap than a pen or a lighter.
However, I feel that prizes aren’t really what Pachinko is about. Neither is it about the entertainment, the test of skill or the thrill of the gamble.
Its just Something To Do.
Yup, I have to agree. I have recently become addicted to pachinko after getting my first machine from Nik at: http://www.pachinkos.co.uk Very addictive hobby and be warned that one is never enough.