To be a fan of gaming in the late ’80s and early ’90s didn’t only mean sitting at home with a controller or mouse in your hand. It meant venturing out into the world, changing a dollar bill into some quarters or tokens and plunking them into a tall machine that fed on your desire to score just a little higher than the last time you played.

Ah, yes, the arcade. The names of the establishments were different from mall to mall, but there were always a few constant offerings: “After Burner,” Sega’s fighter jet classic; some variation of Whack-a-Mole; winning tickets for useless prizes; “Mortal Kombat” and its sequels, ubiquitous from the moment they debuted until the arcade market crashed; “Pac-Man,” or the “Ms.” for the purists.

Most importantly, there was always a wall of pinball machines — my personal obsession. Sure, the sound-and-fury cacophony of the video cabinets had its own appeal, but there was something special about pinball. Each video game was regimented, controlled, designed right down to the pixel. But there was something unique — human — about pinball tables. There was an unpredictable element to how they worked. No matter how good you were, that shiny silver ball was the ultimate unknown. Your game could last 30 seconds or 30 minutes. It was a joyful gamble.

And for a few years, every wall of pinball machines seemed to have one particular model in its possession. There was something about this table that seemed to strike a chord with players everywhere. Maybe it was the license it was based on, maybe it was the nearly flawless design, maybe it was the prominent use of an LED screen (still new to the genre), maybe it was the incredibly entertaining voice-over work by its actors. But “The Addams Family” table from 1992 grabbed the imagination of a whole new generation of pinball fans and helped make sure the genre would persevere and evolve.

Based on the 1991 movie, the “Addams” table became the most popular pinball machine of all time (it sold over 20,000 copies, a record), and with good reason. From the electric chair dominating the middle of the space to the “Thing” box in the corner, there is no wasted space or motion on the “Addams” table. Everything has a purpose, nothing feels cluttered. There are plenty of little secrets for players to discover, but it’s welcoming out of the gate for newbies, as well.

Then you add in the designer’s perfect use of the license, particularly the work of the late Raul Julia as Gomez. While many stars’ voice-overs on pinball tables are perfunctory at best (Arnold’s sleepy encouragement on the T2 table could put players into a coma), every line Julia delivered for “Addams” was boisterous and infectiously enthusiastic. When a player started the table’s elusive multiball, it was impossible not to become giddy at the slowly building tension created by the lights and sounds, capped by Gomez’s exclamation: “SHOW TIME!”

All these details remain burned into my memory even today, years after the era of the arcade has long since faded into the distance. Most video games from that era have been lovingly preserved and ported to modern consoles for a new generation of gamers to appreciate. But pinball seemed like it might be a casualty of the death of the arcade — a loved relic that wouldn’t make the transition.

Farsight Studios out of California has been working to change that. Through its multiplatform release “Pinball Arcade,” the developer has worked to port classic pinball machines to modern audiences. The problem is, many old machines come laden with licenses that make them prohibitively expensive. Farsight has worked to make these games a reality through Kickstarter fundraisers, successfully bringing “Twilight Zone,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “T2” to new consoles.

Now, finally, the chance has come to make an “Addams Family” port a reality. Farsight has listed a new fundraiser, asking for $97,000 to earn enough to secure the rights to the actors’ licenses and finally, finally make the greatest table ever made available in digital form. (Copies of the finished table come with just a $7 donation.)

As “The Art of Video Games” exhibit comes to a close at Toledo Museum of Art, I hope fans inspired by its memories of eras gone by consider chipping in a couple bucks toward preserving one of the most important pieces of arcade history. “Pac-Man” is available everywhere. You can play “Mortal Kombat” in any format imaginable. But “The Addams Family” remains just a memory.

That can, and should, change.

Show time!

Farsight’s “Addams Family” Kickstarter runs through Oct. 12. Visit http://bit.ly/addamskickstarter for details.

The Sept. 22 debut of TV’s “Gotham” introduced both comic fans and interested non-fans to an army of DC Comics’ newest film incarnations of Batman-related characters, with the notable exception of one prominent troop.

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Beyond the more recognizable characters like Bruce Wayne, James Gordon, Alfred, the Penguin, Catwoman and the Riddler, the show’s wallpapered with those denizens of the comic pages that wouldn’t necessarily show up on the casual viewer’s radar.

Harvey Bullock, rough-around-the-edges partner to Gordon, first appeared in a 1974 issue of Detective Comics, but perhaps didn’t fully come into his own until the 1989 Michael Keaton Batman film. Also on the list of Gotham’s comic-born police officers is Renee Montoya, a 1992 character, and her partner Crispus Allen, who was introduced in 2000 and then later killed – after death he became the host for the all-powerful Spectre entity.

It may surprise some to learn that Gordon’s fiancée Barbara Kean is actually a 1981 comics-derived character, and not the same character as Barbara Gordon, Jim’s daughter and the heroine Batgirl. Gordon and Bullock’s boss, Captain Sarah Essen, is also a comic character, having been introduced in 1987’s Batman: Year One as a fellow officer with whom Gordon has an extramarital affair.

On the other side of the law, Gotham’s big crime boss, Carmine Falcone, while not a known-name outside of comics has been a heavy hitter in Batman’s backyard since 1987 and nicknamed “The Roman.” Falcone’s currently bedeviling the Caped Crusader in the weekly Batman Eternal comic series. Eagle-eyed viewers looking for true comic characters in the show may also have spotted young Ivy Pepper, whose name and penchant for plants singles her out as the future-villainess Poison Ivy.

So, who’s the one major role in “Gotham” without a comic book foundation? Jada Pinkett Smith’s wily Fish Mooney has no counterpart in Batman’s comic universe; in fact, while our hero has faced many a femme fatale, there have been few lady kingpins of Mooney’s stripe. As with Harley Quinn, the Joker’s moll who made the backwards leap from television to comics, it will be interesting to see if the same will occur with Fish.

Speaking of the Joker: Where is he in the show? Is he the Wayne’s killer? Is he Fish Mooney’s comedian? Well, that’s the joke isn’t it?

There’s been enough interest in golfing at Fifth Third Field that the Mud Hens have doubled down on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The Links at Fifth Third Field, the mini-golf course that will take over the outfield for three days this month, has gone from one 18-hole minicourse to two, said Sports Turf Manager Jake Tyler.

“We were running out of tee times,” Tyler said, laughing, as he and assistant Cory Myers put some finishing touches on the jigsaw puzzle of miniature golf greens in what is normally the Hens’ outfield.

The only downside? There’ll be no 17th hole ending on the pitcher’s mound, as originally planned. Tyler said he and his crew decided to have both courses play the same, and, of course, there’s only one pitcher’s mound.

It’s the first time a minor-league outfield has been turned into a miniature golf course, said Hens’ spokeswoman Andi Roman, and as far as she knows, the first time in any ballpark.

“The idea was all Jake’s,” she said.

“I always thought it would be fun to play golf out here,” Tyler said while lining up starter blocks — made out of baseballs — on one of the holes in left field.

The opportunity itself came out of left field when plans to turn the ball field into a hockey rink for this year’s Toledo Walleye Winterfest — together with plans already in place to renovate the field anyway — meant “there was about a month that we didn’t have to worry about the condition of the field,” Tyler said.

Work began the day after the last home game: Marking and mowing out the greens, letting the rest of the grass grow out a little, coming up with hazards and baseball-themed in-play features such as an arch made of bats, a base off which to bounce a shot into the cup (or try to, anyway) and a batting helmet through which the ball must go to reach the cup.

Normally, a ball field requires care through the winter to help make it ready for each spring. But a long weekend of minigolf fits in nicely with Tyler’s philosophy of keeping the fans connected with the field.

“Plus, it looks really neat,” he said.

Tee times are $15 per person and include a souvenir golf ball. Part of the proceeds support area charities, including Helping Hens Charitable Fund, the Epilepsy Center of Northwest Ohio, the Boys & Girls Club and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Tee times are available 6-10 p.m. Sept. 26; 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 6:30-10 p.m. Sept. 27; and 2-8 p.m. Sept. 28. Walk-ins will be accommodated when possible all weekend, including starting at 9 a.m. Sept. 28.

Sign up at mudhens.com or by calling (419) 725-4367.

Each fall, Toledo’s Frogtown Regatta draws hundreds of rowers from across the region to the Maumee River.

Hosted by Toledo Rowing Club (TRC), the 29th annual event will feature high school, adult and corporate rowers from at least 12 clubs in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.

“One reason people like to come here from around the region is they really enjoy the cityscape,” said TRC Executive Director Kristina Latta-Landefeld. “It’s also pretty straight so you can get a really fast time.”

The regatta, which is set for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 27, will feature food trucks, rowing T-shirts from Jupmode and coffee and snacks from Black Kite Coffee. Some of The Docks restaurants will be open as well.

Most of the teams will be set up on the International Park side of the river, but races can be viewed from the Downtown side as well, said event organizer and TRC board member Mike Dibling.

“Toledo is really centrally located for a lot of rowing,” Dibling said. “It’s a once-a-year event that brings a lot of people from out of town, so it’s a good way to showcase the waterfront.”

New this year will be a corporate race, including a team from Owens Corning.

“We’re going to give teams close to 20 hours of coaching and they’ll be able to use our equipment and go out and race,” Latta-Landefeld said. “I look forward to expanding it next year.”

Corporate Development Associate Charles Smith will be part of Owens Corning’s team at Frogtown. Three weeks ago, he knew “not much — bordering on nothing” about rowing, but said it’s been fun to learn and he’s excited to experience Frogtown.

“Rowing is a lot more difficult than I imagined, mostly due to the coordination involved,” Smith said. “You really have to work with everyone else to be in sync. I’m excited to be out there. It’s cool being out on the water.”

The corporate race was inspired by Partners in Education’s popular annual  Dragon Boat Festival, Latta-Landefeld said.

“When you ask Toledoans what they know about rowing, they’re like, ‘Dragon Boats!’” she said.

But the Dragon Boat race is a paddling competition, which is different than rowing.

“Part of [Dragon Boats’] appeal is you can be pretty darn new and get right into it and start doing it right away,” Latta-Landefeld said. “The rowing shells, because they are so narrow and long, it’s much harder to do that. You have to build yourself up.

“But we’ve seen how people come together and get really excited about doing the Dragon Boats,” Latta-Landefeld said. “We want to get those folks who are involved once a year to continue to be involved on the water because they clearly love it.”

The regatta is a great way to showcase Toledo’s “treasure,” TRC board member Ed Conn said.

“There are a lot of folks who don’t make use of the river, who just cross it on their way to work,” Conn said. “We want to get people on the river and rowing, but in a broader sense, it’s an opportunity for us to get people to appreciate it and understand what an incredible asset we have.”

Expanding the reach of TRC has been one of Latta-Landefeld’s main goals since taking her role last year.

“Since I’ve come on, I’m seeing there’s a major gap in terms of who has access to the boathouse,” she said.

Rowing is often seen as an elite sport affiliated with private institutions.

“What I’ve been trying to do is change that image and get more people involved,” she said.

A middle school recreational rowing program started this fall. Maritime Academy, a charter school, is working on starting a team. Her dream is to get Toledo Public Schools involved as well.

Inspired by mentor Jim Reisig, Latta-Landefeld is also working on restarting an adaptive rowing program.

“He was in a wheelchair and one of the first international competitive rowers in the U.S., so there’s a strong history here [in Toledo]. But it’s just been stagnant,” Latta-Landefeld said. “We have all these adaptive boats but we haven’t had an adaptive program for a long time.”

Current high school teams include St. John’s Jesuit, St. Francis de Sales, St. Ursula Academy, Notre Dame Academy, Central Catholic and Anthony Wayne. Toledo Metropolitan Rowing Club (TMRC) is a high school team comprised of rowers from various schools. There is also a masters club for adults.

TRC individual memberships cost $55 for the fall season. Members have access to TRC boats and rowing machines.

Latta-Landefeld grew up in East Toledo and was introduced to rowing at St. Ursula. She rowed for Smith College in Massachusetts and coached at Steel City Rowing Club in Pittsburgh before returning to Toledo to work for TRC.

“I just fell in love with it,” she said. “It’s competitive. It tends to draw people who are Type A because you’re always chasing after that perfect stroke, or what’s called swing. It’s like getting in a runner’s high. All you can think about is that next stroke. It’s really cathartic.”

She won’t be at Frogtown because she’s being inducted into Smith’s athletic hall of fame with her  rowing teammates for an undefeated season.

“It’s not my accomplishment; it’s our accomplishment,”  Latta-Landefeld said. “That is a big piece of rowing and I don’t think you can say that about too many other sports. Even with other team sports, one person can say, ‘I got the winning goal.’ You can’t do that in rowing.”

Someday Latta-Landefeld hopes to add another boathouse to TRC.

“We’re maxed out here and we’re expanding. And that’s a really good problem to have,” she said. “I’d love to have canoes and kayaks for people to rent and bikes to use along the river. There is so much potential.”

TRC is also hosting the Maumee Bay River Festival noon to 6 p.m. Sept. 28 at International Park with a suggested donation of $5 to benefit Lake Erie Waterkeeper. The third annual event will feature chances to try rowing, canoeing, kayaking, racing boat expo, Sandpiper cruises, live music, tours of a U.S. Coast Guard boat, fishing derby, kids’ activities, regional beer, food vendors and more.

For more information, visit the website www.toledorowing.org.