Real pinball absolutely allows nudging. There is a sensor in the machine, a pendulum hanging within a ring so that it makes contact if you move the machine too far. The game software will assess you with a warning at first, and then if you go too far the penalty is to shut down and lose the ball in play.
Nudging just enough so you don't trip the sensor, or deliberately going too far to incur the warning when you need to save a ball, is absolutely a component of skilled play.
Nudging just enough so you don't trip the sensor, or deliberately going too far to incur the warning when you need to save a ball, is absolutely a component of skilled play.