Games, Incorporated

Games, Incorporated was a Chicago-based pinball manufacturer active from the mid-1950s through the early 1960s, producing sixteen Electromechanical machines during a period when the industry was dominated by the established giants — Gottlieb, Bally, Williams, and Chicago Coin. Operating in that competitive shadow, Games, Inc. carved out a niche producing modestly scaled machines aimed at operators seeking variety and value.

The company’s catalog ranged from The Hunter and Bug-A-Boo (both 1955) through later titles like Tim-Buc-Too (1961) and Lucky Draw (1963). These were workmanlike machines — not the kind of games that inspired design revolutions or collector cult followings, but the sort of solid, functional equipment that kept smaller operators stocked and locations earning during the postwar pinball boom.

Games, Incorporated ceased production by the early 1960s, unable to sustain a foothold against larger manufacturers with deeper resources, broader distribution networks, and more recognizable brands. The company’s brief run is characteristic of the small Chicago firms that periodically appeared in the shadow of the industry leaders, contributing to the overall vitality of the market even when individual titles rarely rose to prominence.