Flipping out: Pinball in the Tri-Cities

^{Patrons play pinball at Moonshot Brewing in Kennewick.}

Pinball… the best excuse to spend money to play with someone else’s balls.

Four quarters, that’s all it takes for a few minutes of bliss. The lights, sounds, music, stories, and absolute chaos that only you, the player, control. Much like each of our own lives, pinball has its ups and downs and bumps along the way. I’ve been playing since I was a kid, and while I’m not the best player — nor the most knowledgeable of the industry and cult following — pinball still holds a special place for me. The first memory I have of playing pinball was a Playboy machine at my dad’s friend’s house at about nine years old, getting zoned in on the game (or maybe it was the scantily clad women… Who knows? I was nine!)

Flash forward to 2002 when I was working in a movie theater, and an Attack from Mars machine really set the tone for me as a player. I played that machine 10 to 20 times a day. I was hooked! Now as an ‘adult’ living in the Tri-Cities, I’m blown away seeing the pinball growth here locally, the amount of people who are thriving playing the silver ball to get the high score, and by how awesome and consistent the trend of pinball continues to be.

Embracing an ever-present love for pinball, the Tri-Cities has a growing scene with almost 20 machines scattered around Richland and Kennewick with tons of room to grow! Locals who know keep track of which machines are where with help from sites like Pinside, Pinball Maps, Stern Insider, and a local Facebook group, the Columbia Basin Pinballers. This group was started by locals Brent and Lori Bowen, who are not only folks who supply some of the pinball machines around the Tri-Cities but also stream pinball on Twitch (check out their channel at “HomegrownB-DUB”). 

These two pinball activists organize monthly meetups at the various locations that promote pinball here in the Tri-Cities. They encourage all ages to come hang out and learn some new techniques — like how to stall the ball, or even how to have fun playing with two people on one machine with each person playing one of the flippers. Brent Bowen says, “I love pinball because I can turn on a pinball game, hit start, plunge the ball, and all of my problems go away. I could have had the worst day, but I can play pinball and everything bad just goes away. It gets me out of that yucky mind frame and puts a smile on my face; and I hope one day, everyone will have this feeling too!”

Randy Fairfield, another pinball lover, took pinball from a hobby to a small local business that distributes pinball machines around the Tri Cities. Tri-Cities Pinball puts machines in local businesses but also rents machines to folks for private use in their homes monthly. His deep love for the world of pinball has led to him collecting almost a dozen machines and helping others learn and appreciate the culture more. “Everybody loves pinball!” says Fairfield. “When I’m playing, I really don’t have a chance to think about anything else. I love that there are more venues now in the Tri-Cities and that interest among pinheads is growing.” 

Fairfield’s passion propels his small business, which makes sure all the machines are tip-top, clean, and fully operational at all times. And, he is open to help if you have a personal home machine that needs maintenance. His love for pinball has also passed on to his kids. His son dominated high scores at Moonshot Brewing in Kennewick at their Pinball League Night earlier in July (every Thursday from 6–9pm)! 

Cue up The Who, because it’s time to talk about Pinball Wizard, baby! “How do you think he does it? I don’t know! What makes him so good?!” BJ Johnson — local beer nerd, real estate broker, and pinball wizard — probably loves pinball more than anybody I’ve ever met, and he’s probably one of the best players I’ve ever seen. “Pinball is a live game that always changes,” says Johnson. “I love the honing of chaos. Pinball is a game of skill; it’s the original roguelike and hardest game you will ever play, and the most satisfying game to win.” 

The man knows pinball, travels great lengths to play all over, and blows high scores out of the water! He set a score at Moonshot of over ONE BILLION on Star Wars Iike it was nothing — blasting TIE fighters out of the sky and hitting all the story modes like he does it every day for his 9–5 job. He and his wife Megan recently traveled to London, and while they did enjoy the sites, he still texted me photos of him blowing away high scores overseas! They also just did their 12th annual trip in June to Tacoma, Washington for the Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show to play pinball all weekend along on the 400+ machines there. Johnson got to try out new machines like John Wick and Jaws, the latter of which he said was easily his favorite machine at the expo.

What’s next for the Tri-Cities pinball scene? More machines, that’s for sure! Pinball fever is contagious, people. Rumor has it that a new arcade is coming to the Columbia Center Mall later in 2024, which may have a few pinball machines. Lori Bowen aims to get pinball meetups set up around the Tri-Cities, such as Belles and Chimes, an all female and nonbinary group, as well as hosting LGBTQIA+ pinball meetups. Many locals have told me that they want to start collecting machines and help put them out in our area to spread the love. Current locations like Caterpillar Cafe aim to expand their selections (fingers crossed!), and with all the love that is pulsing in our little corner of Washington, pinball culture is forever growing and I cannot wait to see what’s next. For now, grab some quarters and go set some high scores! 

Where to find pinball in the Tri-Cities:

Caterpillar Cafe

Moonshot Brewing

Ty’s Bar & Grill

Quake Family Fun Center

Power Up Arcade Bar

The Pub

Hubby’s Pizza

Queensgate Fairchild Cinema