Dirty Pool Podcast Ep05 – Maker of Mischief: David Van Es from Barrels of Fun

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 - Intro

00:00:52 - David Flips The Tables. Why Did Dirty Pool Start Streaming...

00:02:05 - David's History In Film and TV

00:04:30 - Working for 2 decades before Pinball

00:05:12 - David's Years at @SpookyPinball

00:08:15 - First Game Purchase after returning to the hobby... Tales From The Crypt

00:11:44 - The Birth of @BoFPinball

00:13:45 - Pinball is package of Experiences like a film

00:16:08 - The Creative Process Comes From Problem Solving

00:17:31 - How Does BoF approach the building blocks of an IP

00:19:08 - The People That Work At BoF Are Appreciated

00:21:28 - Do What You Love First and The Money Will Follow

00:22:08 - The Creative Process Comes From Problem Solving

00:22:22 - What Are Some Things in Labrynth That Were a Challenge

00:25:12 - Are BoF Games Good for Operators

00:26:08 - Storytelling First

00:27:32 - Do the Flippers Really Feel Different on a BoF game?

00:28:28 - Karl @IEPinball is sick so we're going to talk about him

00:29:20 - David's Worst Outlanes in History

00:30:00 - Chat Questions - Is Labrynth too Hard (7.5 degree incline!)

00:31:20 - How To Onboard New Pin Owners

00:33:30 - Every Pin is Unique and Needs Unique Tweaking

00:34:20 - Seriously Labrynth is supposed to be at 7.5 degrees.

00:34:41 - Details on a Pinball Machine Matter

00:36:58 - Data East Star Wars was David's First Experience in Pinball

00:41:13 - Chat Questions - Dune Code Regrets?

00:42:00 - Collaboration With a Licensor is Key

00:45:02 - "Cinematic Experience"

00:46:28 - Mode Stacking and Dune

00:48:02 - BoF Listens To Feedback

00:51:09 - 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 Works

00:58:33 - New Callouts and Characters Coming to Dune

00:58:55 - 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 Bass

01:09:04 - Why Aren't There a Lot Of Mods For BoF Games?

01:10:04 - A World Under Glass

01:10:26 - 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 mech

01:18:00 - Talking Dune Experience

01:20:04 - Growing Barrels of Fun and International Shipping

01:22:33 - Manufacturers want to get your game to you ASAP

01:24:58 - Warrantees and Consumers

01:25:25 - How To Warranty A Machine That Kills Itself

01:25:39 - BoF Confirms Next Game is Conan - The Barbarian (Not really but not a bad idea!)

01:31:15 - Chat Wants 5th Element

01:32:30 - Backglass Give Away! Congrats Jbiscuity

01:34:02 - Lets Talk Alternate Backglasses

01:34:39 - I don't Want to Look at Timothy Chale-mutt.

01:34:51 - Accessories for Dune and Timelines

01:36:37 - Googly Eyes and @electricbatarcade

01:37:15 - David Goes To Show Off Topper - Self Dirty Pool Plug Intermission

01:37:45 - Topper!

01:39:30 - Support All Smaller Pinball Companies... @BoFPinball @SpookyP