pinball
n.a game where you use buttons to hit a small metal ball around a glass-covered machine. You try to keep the ball from falling into a hole at the bottom.
n.an arcade game in which a player uses flippers to manipulate one or more metal balls inside a glass-covered cabinet. Points are scored by hitting various targets and bumpers on the playfield.
“He spends his weekends playing pinball at the local arcade.”
“The old café in the corner of the station still has a vintage pinball machine that works with coins.”
“While digital gaming has largely superseded mechanical amusements, pinball maintains a dedicated following among collectors who appreciate the tactile physics and intricate engineering of the physical machines.”
Uncountable when referring to the game itself; countable when referring to the specific machine ('a pinball machine' or 'a pinball').
From pin + ball.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.