I have never worn headphones while playing except once on WoZ listening to the game sound, but I hated being tethered to the machine, so only once. I’d think music would be distracting for me, but the white noise idea is something I’d like to try. Maybe I’ll give that a whirl next Thursday at my league finals.
Just started doing this in the local league. We play in a hopping place so I can’t hear game music anyways. Made a big difference just to keep my mood level while playing (I make better decisions when I’m calm it turns out). I listen to the Grizzly Bear + Pinback station on Pandora
Now that Kiss has been shipped, I think this is a great time to go buy a set of headphones.
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And you won 1st Place! You might be on to something here.
Haha, I have no doubt it helped me focus.
Only if it’s Exhumed.
I’ve noticed that even with music I really like, depending on it’s energy levels it can make me play quicker/slower than I’d like. So now I’m taking to music I don’t mind but keeps me in a happy mood, relaxed or not. So, believe it or not, I’m experimenting with this and finding it helps hugely with any in-game jitters:
My brain also works better with repetition than listening to a wide variety of songs (so I get into a “groove”, if you will). It was really with only one night so far and I wasn’t exactly successful, but I was far more relaxed and enjoyed it more.
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Kevin, I’m partial to “Town Without Pity”. 
I started using earbuds while playing about year ago and it has helped me tremendously. I have a real problem with distractions. Especially peripheral vision distractions. Music helps me relax and focus on the game in front of me. Funny thing is what I’m actually listening to. You see, I’m 50 and have mostly listened to rock/blues/heavy metal all my life. BUT, I’ve found a new niche when listening while playing pinball. Dub step and EDM! I’ve made a killer mix just for pinball that includes Knife Party, Zomboy, Skrillex, Wolfgang Gartner, Kraftwerk, etc. It works for me!
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If I put on headphones, I generally listen to black metal. I like it because the songs are consistently loud and will drown out outside noise, the beats are repetitive, and I can’t understand the vocals. The fast pace may also increase my alertness.
My go-to’s are Krallice, Leviathan, and Deathspell Omega.
Nice black metal choices! Krallice are good friends of mine and they rule! Deathspell is also amazing, especially Fas. What an incredible record. Check out Heresi - Psalm II if you’re not familiar.
Rad! I hope they put out another album! I recently bought an old issue of Decibel magazine on ebay just so I could get the Krallice flexi.
I’ll check out Heresi. Thanks. I tend to be drawn toward muddy, poor recordings. Like the early Deathspell stuff and Vlad Tepes.
I wear, really helps to concentrate on the game, playing and decision making. Without I found myself to be disturbed quite easily. I have excellent noise cancellation headphones, Bose QC25. Music that I play varies but it’s always so quiet so I barely can detect what song is playing. But this takes most of the ambient noises away which helps a lot. I usually listen some fast rock/heavy/trash metal or some techno etc. Depends on the mood…
Could it be that a familiar beat simply helps flipper timing? #knowyourbrain
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