Something fun popped up this week at
Electric Bat Arcade.
While everyone was waiting for the new Pokémon pinball machine from Stern Pinball to update and come online, the crowd did something that made perfect sense if you understand arcade culture:
They started ripping open Pokémon card packs at the bar.
Pinball players waiting on a software update…
Pokémon collectors opening booster packs…
Honestly, it’s a pretty natural crossover.
One comment in the thread joked: “Is this Pokéwatch 2026?”
Another person mentioned they’d be finishing their shift and heading straight to the Bat around 12:15am to play Pokémon once the machine was ready.
That’s pretty typical launch-night energy in the Arizona pinball scene.
Pokémon and Pinball Have Actually Crossed Paths Before
This isn’t the first time Pokémon and pinball have overlapped.
Back in 1999, Nintendo released
Pokémon Pinball for the
Game Boy Color through
Nintendo.
Instead of catching Pokémon in tall grass, players used pinball mechanics to trigger encounters and collect Pokémon across the playfield.
The cartridge was also famous for something unusual.
It had a built-in rumble motor powered by a AAA battery so the handheld system would physically vibrate like a real pinball machine when the ball hit bumpers or targets.
For 1999, that was pretty wild.
Same Energy, Different Era
Fast-forward to today and the connection still makes sense.
Both hobbies attract the same kinds of people:
• collectors
• completionists
• competitive players
• people who enjoy a little randomness with their skill
Opening Pokémon packs while waiting for a new pinball machine to boot up feels less like a coincidence and more like two flavors of the same hobby culture colliding.
And honestly, it’s kind of perfect for a place like
Electric Bat Arcade.
If you grew up in the late 90s, Pokémon and pinball colliding again feels a little bit like the universe coming full circle.
From rumbling Game Boy cartridges in 1999 to a brand-new Pokémon machine on location at Electric Bat Arcade, the crossover between the two worlds is still alive.
And if people start ripping open Pokémon packs while waiting for their turn on the machine…
honestly, that just feels right.