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When Kim Darowski retired four years ago from his job as a Bell Canada technician he bought a small warehouse and stuffed it full of pinball machines and related paraphernalia.
“I didn’t want to get bored during retirement,” laughed the pinball technology expert.
Darowski was in his milieu on Saturday, advertising his repair skills in the heart of the Nepean Sportsplex where hundreds of pinball enthusiasts were trying out several generations of pinball technology. The occasion: the annual Ottawa Pinball & Gameroom Show, which launched in 2011.
The annual event is put on by a group of local pinball enthusiasts who go by the name of Ottawa Pinball & Amusements. Since 2014, a key player of the group has been the House of Targ, a local restaurant that offers music, pinball and perogies.
The pinball industry has a long history, which is why it needs people such as Darowski, a different kind of pinball wizard, to keep it together. Some of the machines on display at the Sportsplex date from the 1970s and carry brand names, such as Bally and Williams Electronics, that have long since been acquired by more successful conglomerates such as the Scientific Games Corp., which makes the lion’s share of its money selling slot machines and other gambling products.
Kim Darowski is a different kind of pinball wizard. The retired Bell Canada technician has been repairing pinball machines for 17 years and knows the technology inside out. James Bagnall
About 100 pinball machines are lined up for free play in the Sportsplex, and most are in use. As you might expect on this beautiful September day, most in the crowd are male but there is a generous sprinkling of women enthusiasts and children of both genders as well.
This is a family-friendly expo. The themes are decidedly retro. There’s a Williams machine featuring the original Star Trek as a theme, and a Bally pinball device that advertises the Six Million Dollar Man, in reference to the television program that aired in the 1970s. On the north side of the room are newer machines, such as Ghostbusters, released in 2016 (based on the remake, not the original film).
If you’re interested in buying one of these big
Owen Beland, 8, and his sister Elena Beland, 6, take part in Canada’s longest running pinball expo at the Nepean Sportsplex. Patrick Doyle
toys for your recreation room, the older models can be had for around $1,500 while more recent machines retail for more than $8,000.
Pinball play has changed little over the decades. The goal is to keep the ball in play for as long as possible while scoring bonus points off a variety of themed targets. However, the newer games offer a more complete video and audio experience. The Ghostbusters machine shouts encouragingly “70 ghosts caught!”, “extra ball!” and “now THAT’S a big score,” loud enough for adjacent players to hear.
Darowski, who travelled to this show from his home in Ajax, just east of Toronto, is convinced pinball is undergoing something of a resurgence, even though computer gaming long ago surpassed pinball in terms of numbers of players. “With gaming things can get fairly repetitive, but pinball involves more mechanics,” he says, “You never play the same game twice.”
Players take part in Canada’s longest running pinball expo at the Nepean Sportsplex in Ottawa on Saturday. Patrick Doyle
查看原文...
“I didn’t want to get bored during retirement,” laughed the pinball technology expert.
Darowski was in his milieu on Saturday, advertising his repair skills in the heart of the Nepean Sportsplex where hundreds of pinball enthusiasts were trying out several generations of pinball technology. The occasion: the annual Ottawa Pinball & Gameroom Show, which launched in 2011.
The annual event is put on by a group of local pinball enthusiasts who go by the name of Ottawa Pinball & Amusements. Since 2014, a key player of the group has been the House of Targ, a local restaurant that offers music, pinball and perogies.
The pinball industry has a long history, which is why it needs people such as Darowski, a different kind of pinball wizard, to keep it together. Some of the machines on display at the Sportsplex date from the 1970s and carry brand names, such as Bally and Williams Electronics, that have long since been acquired by more successful conglomerates such as the Scientific Games Corp., which makes the lion’s share of its money selling slot machines and other gambling products.
Kim Darowski is a different kind of pinball wizard. The retired Bell Canada technician has been repairing pinball machines for 17 years and knows the technology inside out. James Bagnall
About 100 pinball machines are lined up for free play in the Sportsplex, and most are in use. As you might expect on this beautiful September day, most in the crowd are male but there is a generous sprinkling of women enthusiasts and children of both genders as well.
This is a family-friendly expo. The themes are decidedly retro. There’s a Williams machine featuring the original Star Trek as a theme, and a Bally pinball device that advertises the Six Million Dollar Man, in reference to the television program that aired in the 1970s. On the north side of the room are newer machines, such as Ghostbusters, released in 2016 (based on the remake, not the original film).
If you’re interested in buying one of these big
Owen Beland, 8, and his sister Elena Beland, 6, take part in Canada’s longest running pinball expo at the Nepean Sportsplex. Patrick Doyle
toys for your recreation room, the older models can be had for around $1,500 while more recent machines retail for more than $8,000.
Pinball play has changed little over the decades. The goal is to keep the ball in play for as long as possible while scoring bonus points off a variety of themed targets. However, the newer games offer a more complete video and audio experience. The Ghostbusters machine shouts encouragingly “70 ghosts caught!”, “extra ball!” and “now THAT’S a big score,” loud enough for adjacent players to hear.
Darowski, who travelled to this show from his home in Ajax, just east of Toronto, is convinced pinball is undergoing something of a resurgence, even though computer gaming long ago surpassed pinball in terms of numbers of players. “With gaming things can get fairly repetitive, but pinball involves more mechanics,” he says, “You never play the same game twice.”
Players take part in Canada’s longest running pinball expo at the Nepean Sportsplex in Ottawa on Saturday. Patrick Doyle
查看原文...
