Dirty Pool Podcast Ep05 – Maker of Mischief: David Van Es from Barrels of Fun
Dirtypool Pinball - PODCAST - An Exploration Of The Pinball IndustryShow Notes
David Van Es joins us to talk about launching Barrels of Fun, building a creative-first pinball company, and the wild process behind their debut game Labyrinth. With Dune now on the line, we dig into how his background in film and licensing feeds into game development—and why the second act might be even more ambitious than the first.00:00:00 - Intro00:00:52 - David Flips The Tables. Why Did Dirty Pool Start Streaming...00:02:05 - David's History In Film and TV00:04:30 - Working for 2 decades before Pinball00:05:12 - David's Years at @SpookyPinball 00:08:15 - First Game Purchase after returning to the hobby... Tales From The Crypt00:11:44 - The Birth of @BoFPinball 00:13:45 - Pinball is package of Experiences like a film00:16:08 - The Creative Process Comes From Problem Solving00:17:31 - How Does BoF approach the building blocks of an IP00:19:08 - The People That Work At BoF Are Appreciated00:21:28 - Do What You Love First and The Money Will Follow00:22:08 - The Creative Process Comes From Problem Solving00:22:22 - What Are Some Things in Labrynth That Were a Challenge00:25:12 - Are BoF Games Good for Operators00:26:08 - Storytelling First00:27:32 - Do the Flippers Really Feel Different on a BoF game?00:28:28 - Karl @IEPinball is sick so we're going to talk about him00:29:20 - David's Worst Outlanes in History00:30:00 - Chat Questions - Is Labrynth too Hard (7.5 degree incline!)00:31:20 - How To Onboard New Pin Owners00:33:30 - Every Pin is Unique and Needs Unique Tweaking00:34:20 - Seriously Labrynth is supposed to be at 7.5 degrees.00:34:41 - Details on a Pinball Machine Matter00:36:58 - Data East Star Wars was David's First Experience in Pinball00:41:13 - Chat Questions - Dune Code Regrets?00:42:00 - Collaboration With a Licensor is Key00:45:02 - "Cinematic Experience"00:46:28 - Mode Stacking and Dune00:48:02 - BoF Listens To Feedback00:51:09 - Why Did You Make Dune?00:56:05 - Pick an IP you have Access to Assets for.00:56:30 - What Isn't In Dune?00:57:02 - How Acquiring Assets Works00:58:33 - New Callouts and Characters Coming to Dune00:58:55 - How Do Licensors Get Paid From Pinball Sales?01:01:02 - Is Dune Hitting Sales Expectations?01:02:32 - Dune is $1000 more... why?01:04:18 - HAL Lighting System is actually pretty Awesome.01:02:32 - Dune is $1000 more... why?01:05:54 - Dune Demands Bass01:09:04 - Why Aren't There a Lot Of Mods For BoF Games?01:10:04 - A World Under Glass01:10:26 - Flinstones Best Rocks?01:11:04 - BoF pinball machines have unique ball paths.01:11:31 - The Worm Looks Like a Prolapsed Anus.01:12:29 - If We Can Suck It Down... We Can Rise It Up!01:13:27 - The Worm is a COMPLEX mech01:18:00 - Talking Dune Experience01:20:04 - Growing Barrels of Fun and International Shipping01:22:33 - Manufacturers want to get your game to you ASAP01:24:58 - Warrantees and Consumers01:25:25 - How To Warranty A Machine That Kills Itself01:25:39 - BoF Confirms Next Game is Conan - The Barbarian (Not really but not a bad idea!)01:31:15 - Chat Wants 5th Element01:32:30 - Backglass Give Away! Congrats Jbiscuity01:34:02 - Lets Talk Alternate Backglasses01:34:39 - I don't Want to Look at Timothy Chale-mutt.01:34:51 - Accessories for Dune and Timelines01:36:37 - Googly Eyes and @electricbatarcade 01:37:15 - David Goes To Show Off Topper - Self Dirty Pool Plug Intermission01:37:45 - Topper!01:39:30 - Support All Smaller Pinball Companies... @BoFPinball @SpookyPinball @dutchpinball @PinballBrothers @pedrettigaming388 01:40:28 - Got an Idea for Bof? Here's How To Get In Touch01:41:00 - Factory Tour? Just Ask!01:41:19 - What's Houston Like?01:44:19 - Making Playfields In House?01:46:10 - Outro?01:47:04 - Bye.#DirtyPoolPinball #DPPP #PinballPodcast #BarrelsofFun #LabyrinthPinball #DunePinball #DavidVanEs #PinballDesign #PinballBusiness #ModernPinball #PinballLife #SternPinball #JerseyJackPinball #SpookyPinball #DutchPinball #TurnerPinball #PinballCEO #PinballTalk #BehindTheFlippers #PinballCommunity #PinballMachines #Pi
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