Firstfold is as obsessed with creating paper-only objects and toys as I am obsessed with fiber. Here’s the beginning of his functional origami pinball game.

He says it’s entirely folded from rectangles with no glue… even the ball is cardstock.

A quick google search finds Firstfold’s YouTube channel, full of other paper kinetic toys and experiments. (You could also lose yourself in his favorites list for days.)

Thanks to Paul for stalking the Pinball Flickr Pool and finding this gem.

(photo credit)

I have become obsessed with pinball. No, really. It’s a tactile, sensual, exhilarating experience. It can be a natural, zesty enterprise; an addicting, magnificent, dominatrix of a mistress and I hate and love her so very much.

I’ll try any table any time… in fact it’s my goal to try them all. So far my experience lies mostly with Medieval Madness. Consensus is that this is one of the best pinball experiences out there, and coincidence has it living comfortably in the game room at Paul’s workplace.

It has two (2) pop-up wise-cracking trolls, a ton of multi-ball action, a destructible phallic castle with moving parts, giggle-inducing sound bites, and hilarious table art that rewards you for paying attention… ‘course you can’t really see the details while you play ’cause you’re too busy then!

Paul fanned the flames of his own pinball passion at this year’s NW Pinball and Gameroom show, and I can’t wait to see it for myself next year.

Since that is FOREVER away, I’ll probably force everyone to go with me to Shorty’s for my birthday in November.

As I explore, you’ll probably be seeing rants, reviews and relentless love shouting about this, the game called pinball.

To the normally fun loving, semi-gamey people who about pinball say “Eh… it’s just those flippers flipping and the ball zipping around, a bunch of noise and then down the drain goes the ball and my quarters with it,” I offer you:

How You Can Stop Not Loving Pinball

1. Pick a game at your local Pinballateria

2. Put in at least 3 games worth of moneys

3. For the first 2 games, you MUST allow the ball to bounce off the flippers at least once before you take action EVERY SINGLE TIME. (Like this: ball flies around, ball bounces on the flipper while you do literally nothing, ball rolls around, ball hits flipper again and THEN you may flip it. Repeat.)

4. Breath deep

This plan will help you see that in pinball as in life, good and bad things happen due to deliberate action, deliberate inaction, and gravity.

If this doesn’t work, call me up and we’ll go play together because I want to share with you the good news… the good news about what a relationship with pinball can do for your life.

Update: I’m a dork check out my cool chart:

Pinball resources after the jump.

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