(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.10”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
With Eric Meunier
Flyer
Eric Meunier is a Game Designer for Jersey Jack Pinball.
Around the Playfield with Eric Meunier
The Start Button: How did you first get into pinball?
My father started Kingpin Games when I was ~3 years old. Within a year of starting, we had over 100 different arcades in the Wisconsin Dells area. For as long as I can remember, I have been working on games. I started working ‘full time’ (nights, weekends, all summer, etc) at age 12 for Kingpin. I was a repair tech for the family, fixing boards, electronics, etc. I decided I was ‘done’ with the game business when I turned 18 and finished with high school. I went to the University of Wisconsin – Madison to pursue an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering, which I immediately followed with a Master’s of Science- Mechanical Engineering, and was pursuing the field of thought-controlled prosthesis. As I was finishing my Masters, I went to the Midwest Gaming Classic with my dad and my brother, and met Jack Guarnieri. He was talking about his new pinball company, and I decided to give him my resume on a whim to see what would pan out. I was brought in as a highly-over-qualified (Jack’s words) lab tech, working part time while still in school. After graduation, I took a full-time position as the company’s Electrical Engineer. 4 years later, I was given a shot to design a game.
The Plunge: What was the first pinball machine you bought?
The first game I bought was Stern’s Lord of the Rings. I bought it when I was 22, still in college, and living in a one-bedroom apartment with my girlfriend (now wife).
