Before all the bells and whistles, before all the lights and that annoying TILT! sign, there was Contact. One of the earliest pinball machines to use electric power, Contact was the next evolution of a centuries-old game. In the midst of the Depression, pinball machines dispensed a little bit of cheap amusement for weary citizens.

Contact didn't have flippers to shoot the ball back into the playing earlier, just a plunger device that initially introduced the ball into the game. Some skill was needed then to maneuver the ball into various holes that earned the player points. Contact didn't have a scoring system either, so if you wanted to rub your high scores in your brother's face, you had to keep the tally yourself.

After (hopefully) dropping a ball in each of two holes, the player would then need to drop a third ball into the 'contact hole,' located at the top of the game. If all went well, a bell would sound and the player was rewarded with two more balls to continue play. This could go on for hours if a player was some sort of pinball wizard with such a supple wrist.

Contact was a big success with early gamers, even though play without flippers required considerable dexterity and much luck. The game was available in four sizes, Baby, Master, Junior and Senior, that ranged from small, tabletop versions to full, stand-up consoles. Tilting was encouraged.