Chris Pyrgolios's relationship with amusement machines began at the age of six, when his family acquired the renowned Jimmy's Amusements on Carlisle Street in Balaclava in 1970. Growing up above the arcade, he was immersed in the industry from his earliest years — a formative experience that would shape his entire career.
Living within the amusement centre afforded him an extraordinary vantage point from which to observe the rapid technological evolution of the industry. He witnessed first-hand the transition from electromechanical bingo machines to solid-state pinball technology, and still vividly recalls the day the very first tabletop arcade game — "PONG" — arrived at Jimmy's. It was a moment that captured his imagination and ignited a lifelong passion for the mechanics of play.
By the age of thirteen, that curiosity had developed into a serious interest in electronics. Chris began constructing his own projects — AM radios, robotic kits, and increasingly complex circuits — before turning his attention to the arcade and pinball machines at Jimmy's, teaching himself the fundamentals of fault diagnosis and repair from the ground up.
Following the completion of his secondary schooling at Oakleigh Tech, Chris pursued formal qualifications with considerable dedication. He enrolled in his first Electronics course in 1982, progressing to Advanced Digital Electronics the following year. After a year of travel in 1984, he returned to complete the prestigious Computer Field Service course in 1985, graduating in the top five of his cohort.
The calibre of that achievement is best understood in context: of the 1,400 candidates who sat the entrance examination in 1982, only 120 were selected to commence the programme. By the final year in 1985, just thirteen students had seen it through to completion. Chris was among them.
His professional career began at Barson Computers, where he served as both a field and in-house technician, maintaining BBC, Acorn, and Apricot computer systems. He subsequently secured a significant contract to service BBC computer networks across 25 Victorian schools — a role that demonstrated both his technical competence and his capacity to manage large-scale responsibilities independently. He then joined Gtech as a board-level technician, maintaining the Tattersalls gaming terminals that remain a fixture in Tattslotto outlets to this day.
Drawn back to his roots, Chris returned to the amusement industry through a period with A. Hankin & Co, before establishing his own company — operating and servicing arcade equipment across multiple locations throughout Victoria. At its peak, the business encompassed 120 machines across a dozen sites, including, fittingly, Jimmy's Amusements in Balaclava.
Over the past two decades, Chris has served as technician for Bumper Action Amusements on three separate occasions, and currently holds a contract overseeing their road service and revenue-sharing locations. With more than 40 years of industry experience, 5,000+ machines repaired, and dual RMIT qualifications underpinning his expertise, he remains one of Melbourne's most accomplished and trusted pinball specialists.
