My 14 year old daughter brought her boyfriend over for the first time today. Understandably there was a certain amount of trepidation on her part regarding my meeting him.
My wife was chaperone and when I returned home the kids were sat on the sofa watching something tedious looking on TV. I introduced myself to my daughters boyfriend in a civil and friendly fashion. Then came the big question . . . . . "Have you let him play the pinball yet?", I asked. Evidently there had been no pinball action but apparently the young man had inquired what the fun box festooned with lights and spacecraft was.
I asked him if he'd ever played a pinball before and was unsurprised to find out that he hadn't. I'm never one to pass up an opportunity to recruit new blood to the the cause so I asked if he'd like a go. The excitable lad nearly bit my hand off such was his eagerness to get away from whatever 'chick-flick' was being forced upon him.
My tutorial began . . . . "These are flippers and they propel the ball using the buttons on either side. A light will show you which shot is required. This is how you launch the ball . . . .etc"
The attentive young gentleman seemed to be hanging on my every word (a rare occurrence in my life) but I thought it prudent to play a demonstration game to further cement the concept in his mind.
I didn't want to bombard him with too much information so I launched the ball without paying too much attention to which mode I was enabling. As the ball was delivered onto my left flipper I gently pressed the button and propelled the ball straight up the Alpha Quadrant ramp (my intention was to show him some ramp shots and just get him hitting the ball).
As the ball looped back to me I lifted the left flipper and allowed the ball to trickle onto the right appendage on which I steadied and trapped it. With the ball motionless and under control, I explained what had just happened.
I then released the hold that my flipper had on the ball and drove it up the playfiled and straight onto the Alpha Quadrant ramp. Felling quite pleased with myself I then hit the return shot off the left flipper straight onto . . . . . yes you've guessed it. . . the Alpha Quadrant ramp. The call of "Five Million" came from the speakers and I hit the shot again. 10,15, 20 million shots followed
. I'd actually found some friggin rhythm for a change and I wasn't about to stop.
The next shot was just to the right and initiated a mission to start. I very quickly explained what was about to happen and then went on to play the 'Rescue' mission and notch off the first stage of my journey towards 'The Final Frontier'.
Almost immediately, I popped the ball once again into the start mission hole and steadied myself for the imminent 'Time Rift' challenge.
At this point my wife walked in and said, "I think this might be the appropriate time to just allow the ball drain and let Zach have a go". Well I've never heard a more preposterous sentence in all my life! Let Zach have a go? I think bloody not.
By the time I'd lost my first ball I was halfway towards wizard mode and was in no mood to leave. I had the scent of a high score in my nostrils and was a slither away from 'Borg Multiball'. "Jacpot, Jackpot, Jackpot, Super Jackpot" screamed Lieutenant Warf (I think).
I was having the game of my life and the boy waiting politely to my right was going to have to wait. I was protecting the galaxy from all manner waif's n stray's and my Starfleet ranking was rising faster than my warp speed.
I'm not sure how long the poor lad was stood next to me but by the time I was fighting off 6 multiballs in 'The Final Frontier' I really didn't give a sh1t.
2.7 billion and very pleased with myself as I punched DAD into the leader-board . . . . an epic encounter.
A good pinball tutor? Probably not
A good host? Nah
A good first impression? Unlikely
A Pinball Wizard? Oh yes
My wife was chaperone and when I returned home the kids were sat on the sofa watching something tedious looking on TV. I introduced myself to my daughters boyfriend in a civil and friendly fashion. Then came the big question . . . . . "Have you let him play the pinball yet?", I asked. Evidently there had been no pinball action but apparently the young man had inquired what the fun box festooned with lights and spacecraft was.
I asked him if he'd ever played a pinball before and was unsurprised to find out that he hadn't. I'm never one to pass up an opportunity to recruit new blood to the the cause so I asked if he'd like a go. The excitable lad nearly bit my hand off such was his eagerness to get away from whatever 'chick-flick' was being forced upon him.
My tutorial began . . . . "These are flippers and they propel the ball using the buttons on either side. A light will show you which shot is required. This is how you launch the ball . . . .etc"
The attentive young gentleman seemed to be hanging on my every word (a rare occurrence in my life) but I thought it prudent to play a demonstration game to further cement the concept in his mind.
I didn't want to bombard him with too much information so I launched the ball without paying too much attention to which mode I was enabling. As the ball was delivered onto my left flipper I gently pressed the button and propelled the ball straight up the Alpha Quadrant ramp (my intention was to show him some ramp shots and just get him hitting the ball).
As the ball looped back to me I lifted the left flipper and allowed the ball to trickle onto the right appendage on which I steadied and trapped it. With the ball motionless and under control, I explained what had just happened.
I then released the hold that my flipper had on the ball and drove it up the playfiled and straight onto the Alpha Quadrant ramp. Felling quite pleased with myself I then hit the return shot off the left flipper straight onto . . . . . yes you've guessed it. . . the Alpha Quadrant ramp. The call of "Five Million" came from the speakers and I hit the shot again. 10,15, 20 million shots followed
. I'd actually found some friggin rhythm for a change and I wasn't about to stop. The next shot was just to the right and initiated a mission to start. I very quickly explained what was about to happen and then went on to play the 'Rescue' mission and notch off the first stage of my journey towards 'The Final Frontier'.
Almost immediately, I popped the ball once again into the start mission hole and steadied myself for the imminent 'Time Rift' challenge.
At this point my wife walked in and said, "I think this might be the appropriate time to just allow the ball drain and let Zach have a go". Well I've never heard a more preposterous sentence in all my life! Let Zach have a go? I think bloody not.
By the time I'd lost my first ball I was halfway towards wizard mode and was in no mood to leave. I had the scent of a high score in my nostrils and was a slither away from 'Borg Multiball'. "Jacpot, Jackpot, Jackpot, Super Jackpot" screamed Lieutenant Warf (I think).
I was having the game of my life and the boy waiting politely to my right was going to have to wait. I was protecting the galaxy from all manner waif's n stray's and my Starfleet ranking was rising faster than my warp speed.
I'm not sure how long the poor lad was stood next to me but by the time I was fighting off 6 multiballs in 'The Final Frontier' I really didn't give a sh1t.
2.7 billion and very pleased with myself as I punched DAD into the leader-board . . . . an epic encounter.
A good pinball tutor? Probably not
A good host? Nah
A good first impression? Unlikely
A Pinball Wizard? Oh yes
He was so polite, desperately trying not to offend and stand there attentively
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