Duncan ‘plays a mean pinball’
Bang! Ding! Whizz! Ring, ring, ring!
Deep in suburban Christchurch, behind brick walls and manicured gardens, Duncan Booth has created himself a noisy escape.
The 41-year-old is a pinball fanatic. Both the dining and living rooms in his Parklands home are dominated by seven bright, loud, exciting machines. It is a peek behind the curtain of competitive pinball.
‘‘Back in the 1990s I walked into a Time Out and there was a pinball machine there. I had a go and thought: Well, this is a bit of all right,’’ Booth said.
‘‘Long story short, 10 years ago I found one online and had a bit of spare cash and thought: Oh yeah, I wouldn’t mind owning one of those.’’
An auto-electrician by trade, Booth was able to bring all but one of his pinball machines back to working order. They range in age from 20 to 45 years.
In November, Booth competed in the Mac’s Interstate Pinball Competition at The Vic Brewbar in Nelson.
It was one of two opportunities for South Islanders to win entry into the national finals in Auckland.
‘‘I just happened to be in Nelson when the tournament was on, played a couple of tokens and put myself on the high score board, where I stayed for three weeks,’’ he said.
Organisers called Booth just before Christmas to tell him he was heading to the nationals to be held today. .
‘‘Yeah, I was quite excited, it was definitely a bit of a buzz.
‘‘I do know of a few other competitors within the pinball community that will be attending. Dave Peck, he’s number one in New Zealand.’’
The tournament location was a mystery, as were the machines competitors would play on.
‘‘I tried to get out of them what machines it would be but, no, it was a secret.’’
Should Booth take out the nationals, he will win entry into the Pinsburgh Pinball Matchplay Championship, played in Pittsburgh in the United States in July.
According to the tournament website, it is the biggest pinball competition in the world, with 800 attendees and a top prize of $15,000.
The official tournament format dictates four players play per machine. Each person plays three balls and high scores are taken at the end of the round – the top two progress to the next round.
Booth said the pinball community was growing every year. Tournaments were held at enthusiasts’ houses, as long as they had enough machines.
‘‘I’ve only been competing in tournaments for about three years. When I first started you’d have maybe 15 people, but now we’re getting upwards of 30 people attending these events.
‘‘I’m not classed as having enough machines yet. One guy here in Christchurch has about 30 machines.’’