Dirty Pool Podcast Ep02 – Bowen Kerins on Designing Dune and the Art of Pinball Rules

What makes a pinball ruleset click? In this episode of the Dirty Pool Pinball Podcast, we’re joined by Bowen Kerins—rules designer at Barrels of Fun—to unpack how a game's structure comes together behind the glass. From early concepts to deep code layering, we talk about balancing challenge, flow, and accessibility. Bowen shares insights from his current work on Dune, along with stories from his days as a top tournament player and one of the first major pinball streamers. 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:30 - Bowen Kerins! 00:00:59 - The Origins Of Pinball Streaming 00:01:27 - Keith and Randy Elwin the First Pinball Camera 00:02:27 - No Pinball On Twitch 00:06:06 - Bowen the Mathematician 00:06:16 - Teaching Kids As A Gateway To Pinball Rules 00:09:22 - Is There a Perfect Classic Game Ruleset? 00:10:57 - How Artwork Guides The Player In Dune 00:11:45 - Start With A Grand Rule Idea and Build Backwards 00:12:56 - Do You Wait For The IP To Think Of Rules 00:14:22 - Rick and Morty as an Example 00:15:50 - Rolercoastersss Here's Your Question - Movie Modes and Order 00:18:49 - Multimorphic Final Resistance 00:19:32 - Dune Mode - Hunting For The Right Pitch 00:23:32 - Bowen Kerins Was On Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 00:26:07 - Bowen Kerins Designs Gameshow Math 00:27:46 - Deal Or No Deal Island... 00:30:46 - Oh Reddit. 00:31:55 - Pop Quiz w/ Courtney Cox 00:32:55 - Bowen has an Excellent Memory 00:34:42 - How Do You Get Into Gameshows? 00:36:38 - Back to Pinball? 00:37:54 - No, It's Still Talk About Deal Or No Deal Island... 00:41:07 - Actually Back to Pinball - New Code For Labrynth? 00:42:53 - When is a Game's Code Done? 00:45:20 - Dwight Sullivan, Legendary Programmer 00:48:00 - What's it Like Adding An Idea Into a Pinball Machine 00:49:51 - Giant Prolapsed Anus Worm 00:50:57 - A List of Pinball Machines With Butthole Shots 00:53:00 - Why Barrels Of Fun Games Are Awesome 00:54:50 - Dune and The Hidden Ways To Control The Ball 00:56:50 - Will The Worm Break? 00:57:36 - Barrels Includes a LOT for the Price. 00:58:56 - Are BoF Flipper Soft Or Is It In Your Head? 01:02:50 - Fun Vs. Scoring 01:04:00 - Talking Elwin Games 01:05:18 - Every Moment In A Pinball Machine Is Designed To Make The Player Feel Amazing 01:05:45 - Lynch Vs Dennis. 01:07:32 - Gem and the Holograms CONFIRMED 01:08:03 - Pinball Details Matter 01:10:03 - When Will The Final Wizard Modes Go In Dune... 01:10:28 - Zoom Dropout Ends. 01:12:12 - Are Games Coming Out Unfinished? 01:16:48 - Faith In A Company To Finish A Game's Code 01:20:00 - Which Of These 3 Games Would You Add To Your Collection? 01:20:45 - Is Thunderbirds Worse Than Raven? 01:21:42 - Thank You Bowen! #DirtyPoolPinball #DunePinball #BowenKerins #BarrelsOfFun #PinballRules #PinballDesign #PinballPodcast #PinballTalk #PinballCommunity #TournamentPinball #ModernPinball #GameDesign #PinballMachines #PinballCreators #PinballPeople #PinballStreaming #PinballHistory #ArcadeGaming #ArcadeCulture #DPPP #HomebrewPinball