Knocking Around with Local Pinball Aficionados, Jeff Debock, Shawn McManus and Katie Geissler

Once you're drawn in, the true beauty of pinball makes itself clear: to borrow the slogan for the board game Othello, pinball takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. To play pinball is to instinctually know to keep the ball from falling between your flippers; once you get more experienced, though, you learn that each machine has its own storyline and missions to accomplish, which opens up a whole new world of exploration of gaming expression. Unlike other arcade games, pinball has a viscerally tactile feel, utilizing both physics and physical exertion, making it more akin to billiards or bowling than a game of Pac-Man.

Pinball had its renaissance in the '70s and '80s, and it never truly went away, but its popularity began to once again soar starting around a decade ago – largely thanks to the prevalence of barcades and a cultural swell of nostalgia. Just in Tacoma, you're almost as likely to find a selection of pinball machines in a bar as you are to find a jukebox. Dorky's Arcade, in downtown Tacoma, helped to kickstart this resurgence when it opened in 2010. Boasting a comprehensive selection of arcade games and pinball machine, not to mention a decent selection of beer, Dorky's was a quick success.

While it still enjoys a healthy audience, Dorky's got national media attention in 2015, when co-owner Les Voros-Bond was filmed launching into a racist tirade aimed at Black Lives Matter protesters. Voros-Bond followed this up by penning an open letter apologizing for his behavior – which some have accepted, and others haven't – and then receding from the public spotlight.

In happier news, the following year would find the opening of the Triple Knock, a bar on 6th Ave devoted almost entirely to pinball, and so far entirely free from scandal. Catering to newbies and experts alike, and open exclusively for those that are 21+, the Triple Knock is open for anyone wanting to test their skills or while away an evening during the week, with Wednesday nights dedicated to tournament play. Other bars around town that sport pinball machines include Half Pint Pizza Pub, Airport Tavern, and Parkway Tavern, to name a few.

If you want to know the ins and outs of any given machine, the connoisseurs that frequent The Triple Knock will be happy to give you a detailed tutorial and some spirited encouragement. This is a trait that seems to be shared among the pinball obsessed: yes, tournaments and competition are baked into the pinball culture, but those that play with any sort of regularity will gladly congratulate you for besting them, or offer tips and tricks on how to improve your game. As with any subculture or niche hobby, enthusiasts are as excited to talk about the minutiae of their hobby as they are to actually experience it.

While communities have popped up online to connect pinball fans, there's still the importance of gathering in person. Every year, the NW Pinball & Arcade Show sets up camp in the Tacoma Convention Center, offering over 400 games, competitions, guest speakers, and an opportunity for attendees to really get into the nitty-gritty of the games they love. This year's convention will be taking place from May 31 – June 2.

We wanted to get some pinball perspective from people in the know, and we immediately had two names in mind: Jeff Debock and Shawn McManus. Debock is a longtime pinball enthusiast, now working at the Triple Knock; McManus is a vintage gaming expert, with his own private arcade, the Players Club, located in the one of the basement suites of Court House Square. Debock's made his life exist in the atmosphere of pinball, having found a job at Tacoma's epicenter of the game. McManus uses the Players Club the way others might use their garage to tinker on cars, joining up with Katie Geissler to have a home away from home where they can indulge their hobbies to their heart's content (the Players Club's Twitch account, SenzoPinball, is also one of only six channels in the country to livestream games of analog pinball).

“I started playing up in Bellingham, probably 13 or 14 years ago,” says Debock. “I had a roommate who was really into pinball, and a couple of buddies who were really into it. The roommate still plays, and he's a really phenomenal player; the rest of them sort of dropped off. I just got hooked and kept playing, moving from different towns, and kept meeting people that were interested, too. … You get going with the flashing lights, but eventually a buddy might tell you that the game goes deeper than just just flinging away, that there are skills you need to master in order to achieve goals on the machines. I think that's the driving force, learning those rules and achieving those goals that are in place.”

What makes a good game of pinball?

 “I like a game that has a really deep rule set, so that I'm not doing the same repetitive shots over and over,” says Debock. “That's as far as newer machine go. On the older machines, you're kinda stuck doing the same shots. So I want those newer machines to be set up harder, so your ball times aren't as long, and it's really challenging to get those high scores. … It's very therapeutic. You're not really focused on anything but the game, when you're playing. I get super focused.”

Speaking with McManus and Geissler in the neon, buzzing heart of the Players Club, an hour-long interview flew by in a flash. To hear them talk about getting to the point in their lives when they could buy and fix up old machines, the excitement they have in recounting their first time opening one up to feel the weight of the ball and how heavy the ball was and how hard the flippers hit – like the pressure of a nail gun, says McManus – is to really experience how much transcendent joy there is in even talking to a layman about their passion.

On Casual Pinball Culture Today

“You'll see someone in their '60s playing a Kiss game next to someone in their teens playing Guardians of the Galaxy. And the last game put out by Stern is The Beatles. There's this nostalgia bump, with Nintendo making new versions of older games, but there's still people actively doing it today. Pinball is nothing new. They told everyone designing pinball machines, 'Do what you want, but you have to put bumpers and flippers in it.' That's what people want. So, even today, that's what you still have. The form factor has to stay the same.” 

Perhaps the best way to illustrate the differences in taste and motivation with pinball enthusiasts, we asked both Debock and McManus to list their top five favorite machines to play in Tacoma. McManus, the collector, drew a blank about where each game was and which one he might prefer; ever the pragmatist, he listed games, like Monster Bash, that he hoped to see in any respectable pinball spot. Debock, the omnivore, said that he really loves any machine, but quickly shot off five favorites from the top of his head: 

1. White Water, at the Triple Knock, is a classic.
2. World Cup '94, also at the Triple Knock and the Airport Tavern, is one that can't be missed.
3. The remake of Monster Bash, one of the greats, is at the Airport Tavern.
4. The new Beatles game is sitting in Half Pint.
5. Tacoma Brewing has both the Flash Gordon and Dr. Who games, the former of which has a “really cool rule set” and is very challenging

Debock also mentions the new Deadpool and Iron Maiden games as ones to check out, which can all be found at the Airport Tavern, Dorky's, and the Triple Knock.

Nervous about trying out some pinball? Know that there are fanatics around you to shepherd the way, and that “tilting” is not just a metaphor.