I’m gonna throw this out here for comments–really not sure how it would be received. Due to a combination of things like too-bright LEDs, dim ambient lighting, aging eyes, etc., I often find it hard to track the ball(s) when playing. And we all know it takes very little to mess up a shot/save! For example, I noticed my general scores at a particular location were better on average when playing during the day than at night, and I felt like I could see and react to the ball better.
I’ve been using an LED headlamp a lot lately while repairing games, and realized (duh!) I could generally see the playfield better with it on. I was wondering if it’s “legal” to use a headlamp on the game I’m playong at a tourney, and how others might see that. (good idea? cheating?) Of course, distracting lights on a neighboring game would be a no-no.
Thoughts? I find too-bright inserts and bare GI LEDs make it very hard to track the ball sometimes.
I don’t see any reason why it would be cheating. If it helps you out, then that’s totally okay. We had a top 20 ranked player in the world using one for part of the day at our Michigan State Championship… and then he won.
Yeah, unless it’s as bright as a floodlight and you’re not shining it directly into other players’ eyes, I think it’ll be fine. I’m not a tournament organizer, but if I was in their situation, I’d say anything to help you see is okay as long as it doesn’t interfere with the machines or the other players.
Sorry but I’ve seen players do this a number of times and it is a GIGANTIC distraction for everyone around you. No matter how hard you try, you WILL be impacting other players.
It should be a sign for the establishment that the lighting for the games needs to be adjusted if someone has to employ a headlamp to play a tourney game.
The lighting for the establishment may need to be adjusted too, in some cases. I like playing in bright, well-lit places, as it allows me to see everything clearly, for instance. (For that reason, I prefer playing in the morning or afternoon more so than evening or nighttime.)
