This past weekend the Embassy Suite’s and the Frisco Convention Center played host to one of the more unique experiences I’ve had from a gaming perspective. The Texas Pinball Festival was in town and drew quite the following!
The festival took up about half of the venue that the Daddy~Daughter Dance does and allowed some 2,500 pinball enthusiast to get their pin on. It allowed for a still unofficial World Record of 272 pinball machines to fire up perfectly in unison.
The World Record event was described by one of the hosts, Paul McKinney, “The silence was a bit surreal. First, you have the set-up noises and commotion followed by a couple of minutes of perfect silence. Then, everybody simultaneously turns the machines on and you hear the solenoids and bells take over the room.”
The crowd was both young and old, but there was a distinct majority that was reliving their youth. There were old-timers that could describe the release of the first coin operated 30’s and 40’s machines. There were the Baby Boomers that could describe the release of AC/DC, Star Trek, and the Addams Family. And of course, the always-cherished Medieval Madness machine. Be sure to check out the pinball historical tour as well.
An entirely new generation of gaming machines has popped up that incorporates LED’s, Infrared Sensors, and other software advances to create a new experience that is more interactive. This technology allows you to purchase one box, and over time, change the software and the magnetic decals to give you new challenges and point goals.
I was even able to get my fix of Galaga, Tron, and Donkey Kong!
You might ask if is it coming back? Yes!! The Texas Pinball Festival is already booked for next year on March 27th-29th in the same venue, so mark your calendars. There will definitely be a World Record of some sort set and I’m sure more games than ever!
