OK so I’m just gonna throw this out there…
Only a matter of time before someone causes a huge accident falling asleep at the wheel after one of these things.
I don’t know, just something to think about. If we are really gonna start doing these things all over the place, we might need to think about making sleeping/transportation arrangements part of the deal.
Part of me was curiously how many people were driving legally impaired and would fail a roadside sobriety test. Most of me does not want to know.
In the 24 hour final battle, my wife insisted I not drive or get in a car after not sleeping. Luckily the Sanctum in CT is walking distance to the new CTRail Hartford Line and I was able to take that to New Haven and transfer to Amtrak to get back to Providence. It’s a PITA but I’m not putting myself or anyone else in danger.
This is a valid point… but probably deserves its own thread instead of being on Colorado’s 24-hour tourney thread.
Done.
That’s good to know! If I ever manage to register in time for this event, I’ve often wondered the best transportation options that don’t involve driving.
I think @Funtorium is absolutely right. Where I live, establishments can be held liable for allowing their patrons to leave and drive while intoxicated. It’s not a stretch to imagine there would be similar liability for depriving people of sleep for an extended period of time. Even if there isn’t, it’s something event organizers should be cognizant of.
I was a little concerned about driving an hour home. I did have a buddy in the car though, and it was easy to be awake recounting the tourney on the ride home.
FWIW, the venue didn’t sell or condone alcohol. Most venues for monthly tournaments sell alcohol, so even though you’re not playing for 24 hours, many participants have been drinking.
I would guess levels of impairment might not have been that different on the whole for this event as compared to a normal 4 hour tournament at a bar.
I’ve always told everyone there is plenty of room in our parking lot. Sleep in your car before you head off if you drove here. Uber, train, all possible from here as well.
This was my fourth time- the previous three times, I’ve napped in the car before starting to drive home (and stopped for another nap about halfway home) and felt alert while I was driving. This time I carpooled and we kept each other alert talking about the tournament.
I know a guy who is actually an occupational sleep trainer (like, travels the country working with companies that run 24/7 to teach people who work the night shift how to sleep properly). I’ll ask him his opinion!
I had a convo about this with a friend who is a lawyer and has handled some ambulance chasing cases. He says in his opinion there wouldn’t be a good case against venue/organizers. And keep in mind they aren’t serving booze at these things.
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/295665/why-we-sleep/9780141983769.html
Impaired driving is only one of many negative things to happen from lack of sleep.
The health risks of staying awake for 24+ hours are numerous; just google it and you’ll find hundreds of articles about it, ranging from drunk-equivalence to cardiovascular degradation to brain impacts. Even 19 hours is marginal. The whole 24-hour thing smacks of excess-T, as in “I’m strong enough to abuse my body and get away with it.”
“Endurance” pinball should be more like Pinburgh - - many sessions over multiple days, but with suitable sleep and food breaks [Pinburgh could do better on the latter …].
I worked overnights for about a decade with either 3 or 4 nights on, then a 3 or 4 day weekend. On the last day of the work week I would stay up all day (until about 30 hours) and then get on a “normal” schedule for the weekend. I got so used to weird sleep patterns that this tournament doesn’t really affect me too much. Either I gradually built up some sort of immunity, or dug myself an early grave. Guess we’ll see!
Nah, I don’t really think there’s much of that attitude at the event. If anything people make fun of themselves and the event for being a big fun but sort of ridiculous thing to do.
I don’t think this is a new norm. It’s a one event thing. Some friends in Colorado wanted to give it a shot too and run at the same time for fun.
I don’t think we are going to see multiples of this all over as a new trend. It’s fun to have something different and a bit off the wall in the slew of events we have these days. With thousands of tournaments a year I think it’s ok to have a couple that aren’t for everyone. We do welcome everyone though and definitely had a wonderfully diverse crowd as usual this year.
They do crazy stuff for 24 hours or more that’s even crazier like running all the time. https://www.runningintheusa.com/classic/list/6h-to-24h
This is not the new norm at all.
I did the Colorado tournament, and plan to do it next year too, but there is no way I’d be interested in doing this more than once a year.
My university juggling club use to run a 24h juggling festival. That was also questionable.
As soon as I can arrange stand-up paddle boards to accommodate the machines I want to organize an ultraman triathalon where you must push the machine in front of you the entire way. http://ultramanworlds.com/
Contemplating a feature where if you drain, you have to go back to the start for the hardcore among us.
No-hold flippers a must.
Well it’s going to happen in Delaware next year 
Dave Peck has a tournament in the rolling hills of New Zealand where you have to play a pinball machine as it’s being hauled around in a hearse that you are running after.
I think it’s a 24-second tournament.
I’m going to go with personal responsibility on this one.
If staying up for 24+ hours would cause anyone undue health risks, or trying to drive after such an event would be dangerous, it’s on the player, not the event.