Tired of the convention center? Pop over to the Marriot Marquis Pacific Ballroom for some sweet pinball opportunities. Tucked away from the main hub of the convention is a gem that we discovered last year. Stern Pinball, the largest manufacturer of pinball machines, is at San Diego Comic Con once again at the Pinball Lounge.
We stopped by and spoke with Jack Danger, Stern Pinball’s Global Ambassador and a major pinball influencer. Those who are fans may recognize him from his Twitch stream. He’s a huge fan of pinball and was excited to tell us about everything that’s happening at San Diego Comic Con this weekend.
At the pinball lounge, attendees can experience all the joy of comic books in a tactile, gravity-defying form. Debuting this weekend is their latest title: Star Wars Home Edition. This is a “new product for a new market”, meant to be played at home as opposed to an arcade or bar. With this in mind, the machine has been stripped down of all the extra bits necessary to dump money in it but maintains all of the sounds, lights, and movie clips.
We hung around and tested it out and had a blast. It really is a beautiful set-up and a heck of a fun game to play. There is something to be said for the physical nature of pinball and it is nice to get lost in the lights, sounds, and roll of a pinball for a while.
We asked Jack what makes pinball so great. “Pinball is very tactile,” he said. “It is just you fighting gravity. The ball will never do the same thing twice.” Jack contrasted this to video games which, while great, by nature have to follow set patterns. You can teach yourself to play a video game blindfolded, but that’s not the case for pinball.
Still not convinced you should drop by? Jack has a message for you.
You are missing out on everything you love and an ability to play those things you love. You love Deadpool? We’ve got a game with Deadpool screaming at you the entire time. You get to help him beat up your favorite villains. Star Wars, Batman 66, we just make those awesome titles that people are in love with and come to comic con for, to experience those things. Here you actually get to interact with those titles.
Jack Danger, Stern Pinball’s Global Ambassador
Since we checked out the lounge ourselves, we have to agree. It is a great space to interact with all the popular culture titles we love in a new and tactile way. The pinball lounge is open today, 7/20 now until 7pm and will open again tomorrow, 7/21 from 10am – 2pm. Go check it out.
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