Brian Eddy is your favorite pinball designer

And you don't even realize it, you fricking goof.

It’s OK if you don’t know who Brian Eddy is. I’m sure he doesn’t mind. He seems like a good dude. But you know what? It’s time for you to put some respect on Brian Eddy’s name. Who is he? I’m glad you asked.

Brian Eddy is your entire family’s favorite pinball designer. The problem is they don’t know it. 

Pinball designers are artists.

I’ll say it again. Pinball designers are artists. That sounds pretentious, but they fuckin’ are. Deal with it. They conceptualize an entire playfield and fill it with mechs, ramps, and integrate a fun theme so that yahoos like us can escape reality for a precious few moments. They do that and then attach a drink holder to it so you can have a beer at the same time. I’m not exaggerating when I say that’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. I love pinball designers.

When you ask a pinballer who their favorite designer is you’re gonna get a few common responses. If they’re a young, poor, sloppy hipster or tournament player they’re gonna say Elwin or Danesi. If they’re a 52-year-old Republican with an unnaturally thick head of hair and a dope-ass pinball basement, they’re gonna say Ritchie or Lawlor. If they’re just a complete and total nerd they’ll say George Gomez (just kidding, George. Luh you!) and if they’re a weird European guy or a sex addict they’ll say Borg. But I’d argue that for the money, Brian Eddy has given more people more good pinball moments than any of those yahoos. 

What the hell is a Brian Eddy?

Brian Eddy designed great games right before the death of pinball. It wasn’t his fault. Hired as a programmer for Williams at the age of 21, he programmed some of their most memorable games of that era (Bride of Pinbot, Black Rose, Indiana Jones). He quickly rose through the ranks to become one of their stud pinball designers. He had a string of 90s smash hits. The Shadow, Attack From Mars, Medieval Madness -- then a hard out of the industry right before Williams shuddered their pinball division FOREVER. His only crime? Creating huge hits right as an entire industry was dying. Boy, that probably felt totally fucked up. Sorry, Brian!

Brian Eddy went away, made video games, and then, like a prophet back from his spirit walk, he returned. These days he’s had back-to-back hits with Stranger Things and The Mandalorian, he’s selling thousands of new games WHILE HIS OLD GAMES ARE BEING REMADE AS HITS (without him getting paid, or you know, having input)-- and you know what? He STILL doesn’t get the respect he deserves. Why? Stop talking and I’ll tell ya, ya little dorkus malorkus.

Read the rest of The Patron Saint of Pinball

And you know what? That’s gonna do it for us this week. I had to do real research this week for this story, and you know what? I resent y’all for it. How dare you make me care?

Hey! I’m sorry, y’all. I didn’t mean to take that out on you. That’s my own thing. If you’re still interested, I can drop an extra pic. Here’s a fun machine for lonely people.

Anyway, next week: MORE MUSIC. MORE PINBALL. LESS JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY. Now go do yourself a favor and find an Eddy Pin. You won’t regret it. See y’all soon.

Doc Monday,

Editor-in-Chief, Nudge Magazine