Vol. 128, No. 5 Thursday, July 5, 2018
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
SEXUAL HARASSMENT RETALIATION CASE MOVES FORWARD
CAREFUL WITH FIREWORKS THIS YEAR
CSU HAS MORE SPORTS THAN THOSE IN THE LIMELIGHT
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Pinball tournaments roll out the retro Pinball tournaments are a monthly happening at vintage arcade and bar, Pinball Jones. Owner Kim Jones wants her business to be a judgment-free zone where people come to enjoy the simple things in life. PHOTO BY FORREST CZARNECKI COLLEGIAN
Pinball Jones hosts community-driven tournaments By Babin Dinda @Babin39443894
When asked to choose between a gaming system and an arcade, there may not be a lot of people who would choose the “old school” route. The final novice rounds of the pinball tournaments held at Pinball Jones have ended and the professionals have stepped in for their turn. This is a monthly happening at Pinball Jones where individuals from all enthusiast
levels gather for two things in particular: pinball and good times. “This is where you meet your first date,” said owner Kim Jones. “Pinball serves as a brilliant icebreaker, you don’t have to have a conversation to have a good time.” Pinball Jones has been holding these tournaments since its start in 2011 and all of the leagues are monitored by International Flipper Pinball Association (IFPA). Elliott Layne, the organizer of these tournaments
and a semi-professional player himself, said Pinball Jones holds tournaments throughout the year and they also have training sessions. These training sessions are mentored by a professional to disperse the strategies and techniques of this sport. Layne also said with this growing fan base, there are resources like pinside.com where users can go to locate establishments that own a pinball machine. There is a misconception that
this modern generation lacks the psychological set up to appreciate old-fashioned machinery. However, these tournaments at Pinball Jones flipped just might flip that entire notion on its head. Jackson Fry, a competitor at the tournament used the example of Escher Lofkoff, the 13-year-old pinball world champion from Denver. When asked whether the younger generation is slowly moving toward the digital world of gaming leaving behind the arcade
machines, the response was the same across the board. “I am a gamer myself, and the hand-eye coordination that you develop playing games are translated to these machines,” said competitor Natasha Kalda said. “The only difference is that pinball is a little more physically connected than any video games.” This tournament and the atmosphere at Pinball Jones goes far beyond the sense of see PINBALL on page 14 >>