Gold Ball

Gold Ball, designed by George Christian with art by Tony Ramunni and software by Rehman Merchant, was released by Bally Midway in October 1983 with a confirmed run of 1,750 units. This four-player, fantasy-themed solid-state game is built around a clever ball gimmick with a long pedigree: Chicago Coin had used a gold playfield ball in its own 1947 'Gold Ball,' and Bally revived the idea for the video-game era. The playfield offers two flippers, three pop bumpers, a slingshot, seven standup targets, two star rollovers, a spinning target, and a left crossover return lane, with distinctive beveled side edges on the backbox.

The machine ships with two balls, one silver and one gold, but has no multiball feature. As issued from the factory, the gold ball is randomly awarded as an extra ball, released into the shooter lane at an operator-adjustable percentage of 1-15%. While the gold ball is in play, all playfield scores are tripled, giving those bonus balls real teeth.

Bally later offered a field service kit that converted the random award into a skill-based feature: players must light the letters G-O-L-D-B-A-L-L using the center standup target, the star rollovers, or the left return lane, earning the gold ball as an extra ball once the current ball drains. This dual rule set, chance versus skill, makes Gold Ball an interesting study in how operators of the era could tune a game for their audience.