Pinball is cool again—and these stunning machines are why

It’s deceptively simple. Pull the plunger by its flying-saucer-shaped handle, and hear that satisfying clack. Watch the silver marble roll around the playfield, and wing it with your flippers. Come up for air when the ball is lost, and watch an animated interlude on the LCD scoreboard. This is pinball, and people play a lot of it. The game has had something of a renaissance recently, with the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Economist, and other outlets declaring a full-on...