We believe worker cooperatives are exactly the sort of thing needed right now to create workplaces where people can take care of each other and grow together. This kind of company tends to succeed because when a majority of workers are also truly owners and included in all decision making, the group can go further together. Worker co-ops can put people over profit to a far greater extent than a traditional business can. Any surplus (what other businesses call profit) goes to the worker-owners. We won’t have shareholders we have to appease by treating people or the planet as disposable. Everyone is invested in a way they cannot be at a company that is not owned and run by its workers.
Creating alternatives to the typical profit-driven corporation and the false notion of “endless exponential growth” is essential in this time when everything is being torn apart for profit. It’s certainly not the only thing needed now, but it is a form of resistance to the harmful way business is typically done. Those modalities are normalized and internalized to the detriment of our mental and physical health. We can help set an example for a better way to do business, work cooperatively and democratically, and live healthy and balanced lives.
We believe this style of ownership structure, combined with inclusiveness in both hiring and our choices around game themes are the secret sauce that gives us a chance to succeed and thrive. Workers owning some of the means of production is a way to begin building dual power with the state and moving toward governance that works for everyone and not just the 1% of the richest people. And we want no part of a revolution where we can’t play pinball (and dance).
None of the existing pinball companies are worker-owned cooperatives. We can start with strong ideas about how to work together and relate to each other as humans, and we can choose inclusive game themes, both original and licensed. In this endeavor, we help to shape the future of work in general and the future of pinball in particular.
If you:
love pinball and are the kind of person who would appreciate the chance to help create a worker owned and run company
have a burning desire to help the pinball community stretch out of its limited and limiting comfort zone, and you would mostly have fun riding that wave, haters be damned
want to see accessibility-focused changes to the standard pinball cabinet design and controls so more people can enjoy playing pinball
are willing and able to wear many hats, even some you don’t like at times, to create something you believe in
want to be a co-owner of a democratically run cooperative business that puts people above profits at every turn
have some relevant skills to bring to the table: 3D design, animation, audio engineering, cabinetry, CNC, electronics, marketing, pinball tech support, experience organizing by consent, participation in mutual aid networks, etc.
are capable of not giving a fork about all the nasty things people will say about us once they hear about this idea, or hate on us for not affirming their backward worldviews about economics, social structures, gender, or whatever else…
for white and/or cisgender people: are willing to give up and/or use your privilege as necessary to make way for marginalized people to fully participate in decision-making, leadership, and governance of the cooperative
are fully committed to ongoing pandemic safety, including:
want to do all this while keeping pinball fun and weird and making it funner and weirder and queerer
… then please get in touch after you have read this entire website.
Next, please read: Goals and Principles