Episode 14 - So You Wanna Play Pinball?
In this episode of the podcast Alan and Alex reminisce over how they got into the hobby, and dive into some conversation aimed at newbies to the hobby who have gotten bit by the pinball bug. We give some advice about proper etiquette, how not to sound like a dipshit on location, the joys of playing with others, and how to become a better player through personal accountability and the playing of older solid state and electromechanical games. Listen to us remember our younger selve...
Kineticist’s take
Beginner pinball advice: play with friends, learn rules, stop blaming machines, accept setup diversity.
Synopsis
Alan and Alex from Wedgehead A Pinball Podcast advise new pinball players on getting into the hobby at locations. Key themes include learning two-player mechanics, understanding rule sets, avoiding premature gatekeeping based on forum opinions, accepting machine setup variations (pitch/level), and choosing play styles that match personal goals rather than following obligatory tournament paths.
Highlights
- Portland has a robust pinball scene with many machines on location and high accessibility to casual players
- Attack from Mars is a gateway game that teaches new players about pinball rules through intuitive objectives
- There is no single correct pitch level for pinball machines; operators set games to their preference
- Online leaderboards for pinball are inherently flawed because machines play differently
- New players often blame machines at a 6-month skill plateau to avoid accountability
Entities
- Bally Williams· company
- Stern Pinball· company
- Adam's Family· game
- Attack from Mars· game
- Godzilla· game
- Metallica· game
- Rick and Morty· game
- The Sopranos· game
- Theater of Magic· game
- Venom· game
- Whirlwind· game
- X-Men· game
- Ground Control· organization
- Pinside· organization
- Wedgehead· organization
- Alan· person
- Alex· person
- Casey· person
- Jack Danger· person
- Megan· person
- Rodsey· person
- Steve Ritchie· person