The construct of a pinball machine has to change and evolve radically if they are to both survive and appeal to the next generation. There is little chance of long term survival when you continue to target 40 year old white males as your one and only demographic.
Design change:
This will probably get up the noses of a lot of traditionalists, but my suggestion is that the maple ply playfield is done away with and a sheet of routed clear acrylic/perspex is put in its place. Underneath that sheet will be a high def 3D screen/projector or an OLED film/screen (which can be drilled/cut through) and will project the playfield art onto the underside of the perspex. This will also have the advantage that in game animations or even scoring can be viewed directly whilst looking at the playfield itself. The flippers will be real, the ball will be real and some of the generic topside playfield assemblies will be real but the artwork and lights etc will be simulated by screen. The reason for this change is that it will have greater appeal to the next generation of "Iphone screen staring addicts".
In essence it will be a hybrid between a real pinball and a virtual pinball. Playfield artwork/layout can be customised with a USB/WiFi update. Imagine a WOZ machine for example where halfway through the game the Wizards leering face appears on the playfield to provide hints/clues on what shot to make (like an updated/advanced version of the Creature from CFTBL).
I compare this idea with the evolution of the poker machine. The traditional one arm mechanical bandit is a thing of the past. It is all push button screens or touch screens nowadays and the failure of pinball to embrace newer screen based technology is holding it back from reaching the next generation.
Poor/Wasted marketing:
As mentioned at the start, Sterns marketing leaves a lot to be desired. Advertising in trade mags is akin to preaching to the converted. As pinheads, we already know pinballs are being made by Stern, what is a dud/decent machine and what title is next. Stern did put a machine at a Comic-Con convention this year and that is a start but they need to get the next generation more aware that pinballs are real and they are still being made. Plus as mentioned before they need to evolve in order to get the next generation not only interested but aware in the first place.
Stern needs to hire some college/university age kids during their summer breaks and put them on temp employment contracts at minimum wage (which in the US is S.F.A.). You buy a fleet of used minivans and convert them into "mobile pinball transports" with Stern advertising emblazoned on the side of the vehicle. You put one of these virtual/real pinball hybrids into the back of each van along with 4 kids (one will be trained for the tech side/machine breakdowns, two (1 male and 1 female) for marketing/public speaking/general public interaction and one will be the driver/transport.) We need to change the perception of pinball to the public, so that means no more of the scantily clad and vacuous "rent-a-bimbos" who always seems to be prevalent at these types of pinball shows promoting the product.
These "pinmobiles" crisscross the country attending any events where youth are primary attendees (Big Day Out, Uni O weeks, spring breaks at Cancun, even high schools if they will allow it) in order to promote the machine. And yes, as starters the machines will need to have Wifi and be easily updateable/customisable given how individuality and consumer choice is so heavily emphasised in marketing campaigns these days.
Radical? Yes.
Crazy? Maybe.
Anything is better than the current model though, and doing nothing will lead to the end of pinball in 10 years (probably less), in my view.
