the problem - the pinball machine

Just got back from Christchurch today. Woke up at 3.30am, checked in at 4.30am and then was told that the plane would be delayed for four more hours. That complimentary $6 voucher doesn't really compensate, VIRGIN BLUE! I'm one of those people that can't go to sleep once they are woken up, so I had to keep myself sane while every other person catching flight DJ71 caught some Zzzzz's. So I found some New Zealand 20 cent coins and started playing some old skool video game at the Timezone arcade section. That was interesting for about 2 mins until my luck and hence my credit ran out.

Strapped for cash, and bored out of my brain, I needed a solution. This little Timezone arcade was my oasis but I had no cash. Then a brainwave swept me. NZ coins are the same size as Australian coins!!!!! So I hurried back to my family and begged them to give me all of their 20 cent coins.

With only 7 coins totallying $1.40 I had to choose carefully. After eliminating the different options, I chose Starwars trilogy pinball. I put in my coins and noticed that the coins didn't give that "clink sound" but the other machine didn't clink either. As a 24 year old veteran of arcade games, I should have known better. deprived of sleep, I didnt' care.

I pressed the "START" button, but nothing happened. Pressing it furiously, the stupid pinball game didn't light up. Immediately I checked the coin slot and noticed that all the coins had jammed inside. Swearing my head off and kicked the machine only to realise the tilt sign. For you non video game players, arcade game machines have some kind of internal warning system, that lets them know when the machine is being tilted i.e. being lifted off the ground. The prize machines and pinball machines all have that and will immeidately end the game once it has been tilted. Knowing that I really wanted to snap this machine in half but also acknowledging that the machine was designed by someone smarter than me, I had to do come up with a better solution.

Problem solving - the first solution
Drawing back to my D&T (design and technology classes) and my Boston Consulting group competition days, I was racking my brain furiously for a solution. I had to push the coins through. So i grabbed my hard plastic library card and tried to jam it in. unfortunately the card was too short. Foiled. So soon. Back to the drawing board.

I then folded this cardboard business card in half (longways) and shoved it through. I managed to rattle one of the 20 cent coin almost out but decided that it game or no game. so I shoved it back in to no avail. reaching into my pocket, I then shoved a 5 cent coin to push it through - I could afford the 5 cents. but that only made the situation worse, now there was even more coins stuck in there.

Soution 2: Out come the knives and forks

I knew that there was a solution, I just had to find it. Analysing the problem, I knew that I needed something with more reach. Time was not an issue since there was still 3 hours left and half the airport was asleep. Needing some tools, i ran back to my family for my backpack. Scouring my backpack and the nearby cafe, I spotted something useful: plastic knives and forks. I grabbed two knives and a fork and went back to the machine to prize my money out.

For me, I think I continued on at 5am in the morning cause I had nothing else to do and I needed a challenge, and I wasn't going to lose my only remaining $1 in coins to some stupid machine. Grabbing the fork like it was Excalibur's sword, I pushed it in, only to be rejected by the coin slot cause it was too big to fit through. turning to my back up, I shoved the knife in as if I was kind of pick lock thief.

Looking through the keyhole, I spied that I could push it in. Jiggling and jangling it around, i heard a click as the first 20 cent coin tumbled out. jackpot! score!

Given my good turn of luck, I then tried a few more times but no other silver nuggets came out. I had to take my mind of this problem so I went and celebrated by playing another round of that same old skool alien spaceship game for 20cents. After dying again within 2 minutes, i went back to the problem at hand.

This time, I tried to be a bit more inconspicuous since a security guard came past staring at me. With two plastic knives in my hand, bent over a pinball machine at 5am, you could say that i looked a bit suss.

Setback

Now whenever someone walked past me, I acted as if I was playing the machine. Springing to my feet and randomly pressing the clickers on the side, i looked every bit the pinball pro. Not deterred by the rolling security checks, I soldiered on. I could get one knife in around that little coin but it still couldn't slide out. So i slid the other knife around the other side of the coin with the goal of pressing both slides to pull the coin out. It was a great idea, in theory at least. But the handles of the knife were too thick so that ended that fantastic idea.


For the next 5mins, the knife went in and out but nothing happened. not giving up, I placed both knives at the base of the machine and did some duty free window shopping for half an our. Tired of looking at things that i could not afford or knew that wasn't really a bargain, I went back the problem at hand.

I was determined to bust out those coins like Timothy Robbins in Shawshank Redemption or to get my three pinballs which I was entitled to. It was a matter of justice. We was robbed! Giving it one last shot, i jammed the knife in as hard as I could. unfortunately, it got stuck and wouldn't budge. I managed to pull it out and noticed that the inside of the coin slot had scrape marks caused by hte knife being shoved in and out.

Again, I jammed it in until it wouldn't move anymore. It actually looked quite funny. An 24 year old Asian male stabbing this pinball machine. there was this lady looking at me everytime I paced back and forth along the terminal, but i didn't care. However this time, something bad happened. The knife was jammed, I tried to wiggle it out like last time and then pulled it with great force. I learnt a valuable lesson. In a test of steel material against plastic knife, steel always wins. the knife snapped. A broken knife handle was now caught inside the coin slot with 80cents worth of silver coins in it.

give up or keep going?

At this point, i was quite shocked and let down by this cheap plastic knife. Feeling quite embarrased too by this scene, I got the hell out of there. By now, it was 7.30am, and I had spent almost two hours inbetween shopping, eating and annoying people trying to rescue my 80 cents.

Given the results, I quietly retreated back to the couches having lost my battle. if you come across a pinball machine at Christchurch airport with a half broken knife handle, let it be known that that machine is a ripoff! And is now probably permanently damaged because of my handy work.

Pinball Machine: 1
DJ HO: 20 cents and a broken plastic knife.

I'm out like pinball machines that steal your money,

DJ Ho.