Maybe it’s sufficient to note that we are all human and that, under pressure, people sometimes do things they later regret?
It might be easier all around to just try and remember to do better in the future and to let rest the ghosts of the past.
I certainly don’t like a few things I have done in my past. But I also don’t want to spend the rest of my life constantly chastising myself for them. Especially considering that, with the passage of time, the burden gets ever larger…
Competitors showing emotion is part of most every sport. It’s a perfectly normal human reaction. I would hate to see pinball go the way of golf where everyone is shushed prior the next ball plunge. When I’m competing or watching a competition, I fully expect to see and hear games shoved, glass pounded and swear words blurted out. I might even shove a game myself.
There are lines that can be crossed, but I’m not seeing much of that in this thread. Don’t swear if any kids are in the room, don’t hurt any equipment or people with your actions and be aware of the noobs in the room. Did I miss anything?
By it’s nature, pinball is a brutal sport. The video of Josh above being held out as an example of bad behavior stuns me. If the video had started 15 seconds earlier, folks would’ve seen that Josh qualified War Machine with his first shot. He was set up for a nice stack of Bogey and War Machine. Then he bricked one shot and it drained down an outlane. That’s textbook Iron Man, one of the most brutal modern machines. If he’s not allowed a brisk walk off after that ball (3), I don’t get it.
So please do show emotion while competing. It’s adds to the moment in a good way, when done properly. Otherwise we might as well all join the chess club.
I agree to an extent. When that emotion is expressed with loud negative outbursts and abuse to the machines (slamming lockbar and rage tilting for example), that’s where I draw the line.
I the positive uproars all day. Cheering a great ball, gasps on a bad beat or great save. That stuff is infectious and welcomed in my book.
I had no issue with what josh did above either.
I used to be pretty bad when I got what felt like an unfair drain or a run of bad luck. Not proud of some stuff I’ve done. After realizing I wasn’t in a good place mentally, I was able to fix some issues outside of pinball which have given me a better attitude when competing.
I’ve seen some of the nicest people lose it on occasion. Pinball can be frustrating as heck. I don’t judge though, I know where I’ve been and I know that a lot of the time, pinball is just the trigger.
I do the fast walk off thing. I like to imagine that I don’t do it when I sense someone in my peripheral vision. I haven’t walked into anybody yet. One of my favorite things about pinburgh is playing on the end of a row and really being able to storm off in style.
When I get eliminated from a tournament, I like to quote the movie Clue: “I’m going to go home and sleep with my wife!” But I think it’s getting kind of old because the same people eliminate me over and over again.
Maybe you could switch to “I have no personal guilt or shame over this.”
I once walked around PAPA with one of those “OMG It’s Broken!” sheets attached to my lanyard. Reason: Sucks at pinball. That’s probably my best defeat celebration.
When I posted that video of Josh, this was a thread about “Defeat Celebrations.” I absolutely wasn’t posting that as an example of bad behavior or to chastise anyone. I thought the visual was humorous. Removing yourself from an immediate situation that is causing you undue stress is a healthy reaction and a good coping strategy, especially based on some of the alternative reactions. Any time I have played or watched Josh H. play, he has been a fine competitor and has conducted himself well. I apologize for causing any bad feelings or if posting that video was in bad taste.
Point taken. I still think you shortchanged him by starting the video where you did. 15 seconds earlier and folks would’ve wondered why he didn’t drop an F bomb or kick a chair instead. Video didn’t tell the whole story.
I have been known to slide a tilt out of a machine after it’s annoyed me somewhat.
It reminds me of this time:
I was getting so p!$$ed off with a player playing the machine next to me. Each time he made a slap save his hands were hitting my hands which were still on my machine. I also noticed that he had already used 2 tilt warnings.
At exactly the point my ball was headed towards the outlane his hand hit mine again, I rage slid my machine into his (in the guise of trying to save my ball) and tilted his machine. I then complained that his hand hitting mine had distracted me and thus caused me to lose the ball and he should be penalised.
It didn’t work and my qualifying score in that machine was discounted. I was so annoyed I didn’t even argue, I just walked out, got in my car and drove home, despite being qualified in first place at that point.
That’s uh… not something I would brag about.
Friendly fire happens sometimes. I’d be more inclined to complain to the TD that the machines are too close together, or just wait to play until the other player isn’t bothering you any more.
Intentionally tilting another player’s machine is not cool though. I’m surprised you weren’t DQ’d on the spot for that move.
To recap, another player (unintentionally) annoyed you so you:
That’s not something your should brag about, it’s something you apologize for. You better hope your local TDs don’t read this forum.
I’m not sure how either of you are reading that I’m bragging?
The player had already been warned about his behaviour, interfering with another player, and continued to do so without punishment.
I caused a warning, not a tilt the fact he had 2 other warnings was from his own behaviour.
A player had previously caused a warning on the machine I had been playing with no punishment whatsoever.
The ruling against me was different from a ruling that had been made earlier during the tournament. The outcome was punished, not the effect. Disqualifying a game when I was at the start of ball 2 on AFM with 30Billion on the board already.
I left because I felt the decisions made were the worst I had ever experienced, which were based on personal preferences to benefit the TD and his friends. I told him so and said I would not compete in any tournament he was involved in hosting or running again.
I have held true to my word for over 5 years and don’t see anything changing in the future.
In fact it was one of the main reasons in me hosting more competitions in the UK than anybody else, to show how a tournament should be ran.
I wonder how high you would have scored if you weren’t so distracted? 30B on 2 balls of AFM is pretty good for having to hold hands with another person at the same time.
Here is one of the best defeat celebrations caught on camera!
Many people yesterday trying to buy pinburgh tickets. Staring blankly at a computer with sold out and the clock still reading 12:00.
Too soon?
That’s pretty much my reaction to 0.87 code- the awesome fun of removing a one trick pony and then the crushing realization that it’s still a one trick pony, just slightly fancier.
Best defeat moment I think I’ve witnessed was playing a league game of Getaway with @ChubbyGoomba. He was close to starting something and drained his third ball. He then turned to the adjacent wall and gave it a healthy bang with his hand (side of fist; nothing too extreme). He was immediately greeted with a loud *crash* sound from the other side of the wall. We both looked at each other like “Oh no” and ran around to see what happened. Turned out he had knocked open the paper towel dispenser mounted on the wall of the adjacent bathroom 
lately I’ve noticed I frequently cock my fist back after a drain and walk away looking for something to punch… I don’t think I’ve ever found anything to punch. But I decided yesterday that this celebration can be kinda frightening to new players. If I see a guy I don’t know well growling and gnashing his teeth while looking for something to punch through a wall - I might get a little concerned. I guess I noticed some looks from other players and realized this was probably in bad form. Not as bad as kicking the machine and dropping a pile of F-bombs… but still… I can do better.