AIKEN – Pinball wizards from all over are sure to play a mean pinball Jan. 18-19.
They will work their magic during the International Flipper Pinball Association South Carolina State Pinball Championship at Radioactive Pinball Arcade at 113 Laurens St. SW No.103 in Aiken.
As evidenced by this championship, pinball has grown as a hobby and is nearly reaching the status shown in the 60s rock opera “Tommy.”
“Pinball is a fairly niche hobby that is quickly becoming mainstream through game advancements like Stern Pinball’s ‘Insider Connected’ platform, which allows players to compete with players locally as well as globally,” said Eric Edwards, who owns the arcade with his wife, Erin.
Read more: Classic arcades return to area
“This platform alone is largely responsible for a meteoric rise in pinball popularity, and it is based at its core on the competitive nature of pinball players, so we would have to say there is a huge demand for competition within the growing pinball community,” he said.
Pinball champions can be as intense about the game as football or other sports players. Pinball is a highly social game and people who are involved with the hobby quickly make friends with one another, Erin Edwards said.
Radioactive Pinball Arcade’s reputation preceded its involvement with the upcoming championship.
“We have been having tournaments and leagues at Radioactive Pinball Arcade for over a year…Radioactive has the most pinball machines on location in South Carolina of any arcade,” she said.
The owners do not take any credit for the upcoming IFPA S.C. State Championship itself, however.
“That championship series was being held before we played our first game of pinball,” he said.
Last summer, David Benke, one of the State IFPA Tournament directors, spoke with Radioactive Pinball Arcade’s owners and asked them to be the host location for the championship.
“The emergence of arcade bars plays a huge role in bringing the pinball community back to life. The novelty of playing ‘retro’ games grabbed at the nostalgia of the elders and piqued the curiosity of a generation that never went to arcades in their youth,” Benke said.
But there’s something special about pinball.
“The fact that the player is manipulating an actual steel ball and not just pixels on a screen is refreshing to some people. To others, it’s simply fun,” he said.
Jason Burleson, who lives in Graniteville and has participated in around 23 tournaments, including local league and travel tournaments, is one of the players who has been chosen to participate in the state tournament next weekend.
“To my knowledge, Jason Burleson played his first game of pinball at our place, which means he hasn’t been playing nearly as long as his competitors but has made his way through the ranks to compete for the top spot against the best South Carolina has to offer,” said Eric Edwards.
Burleson said, “The 15 games that have been chosen for the state tournament are currently in the backroom of Radioactive Pinball Arcade, and those of us invited to the state tournament can get access to those machines for a discounted rate.”
And he’s been taking advantage of that discount.
“I have spent my days off and a few hours around my shifts in that backroom, improving my accuracy and tournament strategies on those games,” he said.
On Jan. 10, Burleson and Benke flexed their flipper fingers to ready for the tournament by playing in a smaller event – the Stern Pinball Metallica Remastered Pinball with Burleson placing first and Benke finishing in second.
The 15 pinball games being utilized for the tournament include Aladdin’s Castle, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Ship Ahoy, Evel Knievel, Triple Strike, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Elvira and the Party Monsters, T2, Tales from the Crypt, Taxi, Aerosmith, Black Knight Sword of Rage, Iron Man, Pulp Fiction and Tron.
Burleson said he is excited and nervous about participating but said he has stood his ground well during gameplay.
“While I will impress myself with my play occasionally, I know there is a long, long road before I could consider myself a ‘wizard.’ I’ve only been playing Pinball since November 2023 when a visit to Radioactive Pinball Arcade got me hooked, and just started tournaments early last year,” he said.
The International Flipper Pinball Association keeps track of everyone’s top 20 performances in the state, and the top 24 people are invited to the state championship.
The main tournament will begin at noon Saturday with approximately 24 players, and the women’s event will start at noon Jan. 19 with approximately 16 players. The top player each day will win cash and prizes as well as an invitation to the national championships.
Sarah Kelly will play in the women’s event.
“We are consistently seeing more and more women come out to play pinball, both recreationally and competitively. I think the increase in women players has a lot to do with the supportive and inclusive nature of our community,” she said.
Erin Edwards has seen an uptick in female players since the business opened.
“Our demographic has changed some since our opening a year and a half ago. Our primary demographic is adult males, but we have seen a tremendous increase in female players as the interest of pinball has started spreading through the community,” she said.
Radioactive Pinball Arcade has had a couple of months of preparation for the tournament with the couple turning the 1,100-square-foot party room into the tournament space.
Correspondent Ron Baxley Jr. is a veteran journalist who has worked with multiple news organizations in his career. Subscribe to the Augusta Good News’ newsletter here.
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