Any thoughts?
Is this the kind of thing you’d be willing to sacrifice a small amount of the prize pool for, or is it just too much fun to catch on at your average pinball tournament?
I have requested this for the kickback weekly which isn’t streamed. But only for the final two of course.
The lights, pyro and MC are fun. The boxing getups are awkward.
How many tournaments have enough people left in the room for finals to make it worth the effort though?
1 Like
That’s an interesting point and one that didn’t go unnoticed.
At EPC, generally, most of the crowd supporting once country will remain on site until the last of their countrymen is playing. So, you had a Dane, a Swede, and a German in the finals, so you had dozens of people who wanted to support them to victory.
In the US, nobody gives a shit about anything other than leaving as soon as they are eliminated. That being said, there’s value for this stuff for the stream even without a crowd. And perhaps increased production values will help keep people around longer to see the results, but who knows.
I liked the boxing getups, could do with a little tweaking but I liked the whole rollout of the finals. Nice to see some real effort and pride put into a production.
1 Like
I definitely think the countrymen support is cool at Euro tournaments and I’d like to see more camaraderie like that in the US, but it feels more like a bunch of lone wolves here. I like to stay and watch finals if I’m on a trip with a fixed schedule, but if I can hop in my car and drive home after getting bounced then I’m probably going to do that, regardless of production value.
Levi I’ve got the same mindset as you. Since Day 1, Delaware tournaments bring the music, we bring the hyped intros, we bring a different atmosphere to make pinball tournaments fun and exciting. I’m all for the theatrics and entertainment.
4 Likes
I’d rather supply my own outfit.
But in seriousness, as much as I would love this I don’t think this is the answer. I wouldn’t want to sacrifice anything from the prize pool to go to something like this. From some sort of promotion or outside source sure that’s fine but still could go towards a prize pool.
Not everyone wants this and I totally get that. When we get bigger sponsors or maybe something as big as Pinburgh then sure I’m in.
The ClePin Show women’s royal rumble had a championship belt and boy was I ever jealous. I think something that tangible or unique makes it more lucrative and promoted that tournament well. Nothing about this personally makes me say “Now I want to play or watch it.”.
2 Likes
pyro is short for pyrotechnics. may help the second language english speakers.
1 Like
Unless by “Pyro” we mean “the sacrificial burning of an inferior tournament game to appease the pinball gods” * coughs * eltoro * coughs *
Agree with the general conceit that more hype and energy is good for Finals, especially if it’s an event captured on stream, and I highly recommending hiring @djreddog for any and all of your pinball event entertainment needs.
1 Like
It will surprise no one that knows me that this is not my jam. But I am the person who goes to a rock concert and wishes everyone would just sit down and shut up so I can enjoy the musical performance.
Finland did some similar things with playing the national anthem of the winner at EPC last year.
The pomp and circumstance is fun. We chuckled watching the stream in the car on the way home from the event. It looked like there was a pretty good crowd in the room as well. There is some corny awkwardness to iron out, but we have to start somewhere as pinball grows.
Also, there is usually no prize pot to draw money from with European tournaments. We play for whoppers and love of the game (most of the time) 
1 Like
Do you mean you wouldn’t enjoy seeing it as an attendee, wouldn’t enjoy being part of it (if you were in a final 4), or both?
For me, both. But, if it gets others excited and more into it, I would be happy to have it happen. If I was in the audience, I would probably step out and grab drink of water. I am boring.
I love the hype and theatrics.
And even more so: loved the big crowd that was there cheering on the finalists – I think this is more important than the hype/theatrics. The beginning hype lasts for a few minutes. A large crowd that’s engaged in the final match creates a lasting electric atmosphere.
One critical element to making this more commonplace in tourneys: hold the finals on Saturday night and make it “prime time” viewing for those in attendance, instead of something that’s wrapping up while everyone is breaking down pins, cleaning up, recovering from hangovers, etc.
8 Likes
Having good player intros is a Good Thing. The competition is all about the players, so they should be properly introduced. The boxing getups were cheesy as hell and I’d be perfectly happy if that never catches on. And the pyro… eh, it’s cute.
My biggest concern about this sort of thing is that it can turn into an arms race. Next event feels they have to do the pyro and add cheerleaders. The event after that believes they have to add a live band. etc etc… costs keep mounting, not to mention it takes more and more attention away from already-busy TD staff. Let’s focus on the pinball.
1 Like
Excitement Creators will be a good thing for pinball. Non Players will see it as an event rather than a couple people playing pinball. Makes it an experience. No opinion on specifics of pyro, boxing robes, etc, but hype in general is good. Makes it accessible to people new or blind to the hobby/sport that we all love
If you use pyrotechnics please make sure it is done with proper care and knowhow. They look cool but I can’t not worry about potential risks.
3 Likes
I am all about the hardware. If money comes out of the prize pool I still like it to be part of the prize pool in that it still goes to prizes. Belts, trophies, medals, rings, anything else you buy or make to commemorate a players accomplishment is great.
Pyro… eh… it wouldn’t motivate me to watch or compete and would probably be more of a deterrent for me attending a finals as a spectator. I’m also a fairy silly person and yet I would still never put on the boxing gear for a pinball finals introduction. Just not going to be my thing, but no shade to anyone that had fun with it.
I’m speaking specifically on it coming out of the prize pool. I’m not denying that it is nice or that of course I enjoy it. There are lots of people like @gammagoat that wouldn’t speak up on this.
I guess what I’m to discuss is that this isn’t the most efficient ways to gain viewers or exposure. Of course pyro and theater will come in time. We still need to focus on the basics like consistent streams, less downtime in streams and in between games so they don’t switch channels. Those are the challenges and problems we need to fix/make more efficient.
1 Like
I really enjoyed watching it on the stream. The only thing I missed was each player’s height and the college they went to.
1 Like