“‘Pinball is not so much “spiritual opium” as a contact sport.”

“‘Pinball is not so much “spiritual opium” as a contact sport.”

Article excerpt:

“… playing pinball involves your entire being. A good pinball player doesn’t just use the flippers but learns to nudge and shake the machine (while avoiding the dreaded “tilt”) in an effort to keep the ball in play and score more points.

As a result, pinball is not so much “spiritual opium” as a contact sport. In a word, the level of engagement is visceral.”

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Sonic Spinball by Ryan McQuaid [The Tutorial]

Sonic Spinball by Ryan McQuaid [The Tutorial]

Let’s get the emeralds!

This game is packed with features, layering, and strategies. I caught myself smiling a good number of times while watching this. I did not want the video to end.

Video description by Backhand Pinball:
“After restoring his grail machine, Twilight Zone, Ryan decided to move onto his dream project of designing and building his own pinball machine. A year and six months into development we filmed this tutorial and explanation video as the next step in the Sonic Spinball timeline.”

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Pinball on ESPN [THE OCHO]

Pinball on ESPN [THE OCHO]

This Friday, August 6th, 2021 at 2:30 pm Eastern, there will be a pinball competition broadcast on ESPN [The Ocho], The Stern Heads-Up Pinball Invitational.

Pinball tournament fanatics, and especially enthusiastic competitors already know the result of this competition. But, give it a repeat watch or a stream anyway to add to whatever watch numbers are relevant here, and to help support the players and organizers who put on the event.

I am interested to see how the gameplay gets edited down into the half-hour time frame, along with any profiles that may be added to give flavor to the broadcast.

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