I can't believe I'm going to get into this but I was in the car earlier and wrote a page about it. I wanted to extract what I wrote and then paraphrase another thing I wrote and learnt over the course of my pinball journey (over the past... Month maybe).

"Well, if we look at the "official" guidelines that tell you what makes a sport and what doesn't there is one massive pointer that makes pinball NOT a sport. That a sport "shouldn't involve luck". Or whatever. We find that, especially in older games, pinball has a fair bit of luck involved. HOWEVER I again contradict myself.

If we look at Addams Family (because why not) you should theoretically be able, if you're superhuman (lol), to have full control of the ball at all times. You plunge into the skill shot hole, it kicks it to the flipper, you shoot the left ramp, it comes down to the flipper, you can flipper pass or post catch or otherwise. You shoot the bear ramp. It goes down to the flipper. You shoot the ball up the little ramp and it goes into that same skill shot hole. It kicks it out, you shoot it up that left ramp again. Technically, are you then reducing luck and putting it into making those continuous shots? The ball is in YOUR control. YOU have control, because it SHOULD be going straight back to your flipper. You are the one controlling the amount of luck in that game."

I just jotted that down earlier. It isn't fantastic, but I was trying to make a point. AND I CONTINUE. Why does it matter? If pinball makes people happy, and it brings people together, then why does it matter. Pinball was just meant to be made to go and have fun. Yeah you can compete. It is competitive. It could really be considered a bit of everything. A sport. A hobby. A competitive... THING. Like I don't know. I'm not gonna go and say that it's soccer or anything, but it's its own THING. It's open to interpretation.

Wow that was long.

Danni

Watch this and see how you feel. The control and skills that can be achieved... It's amazing. You still need stamina, you still need skill.

(Hopefully the link works in your region. It's the game where Olli-Mikko plays Julio on Stern's Shrek - Round of 24 - IFPA 12, Borås, Sweden)

Do NOT bring chess into the conversation. Chess is mostly intellectual and although it is played on a board, comparing chess to pinball, although it may in some ways be accurate, it isn't the same.

Pinball is unique. Pinball is unorthodox. Pinball brings happiness. Literally that is all that matters.

Like the question can be debated all you like, it doesn't matter. There are still going to be comps. Like I don't think that classifying it even matters. There are people who play it. Labels don't matter as much as you think they do. Guys, just play. Just have fun. If you aren't having fun, you shouldn't be playing pinball. Sorry. I'm having a lil angry moment there maybe a little yeah. Pinball.

Damn, I'll be sure to wear one next comp I have. Good suggestion.

Genuinely a good idea. The more I think about it the more appealing the idea is

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Not a sponsor.

I mean, anything to stop that extreme jiggle lol