The Pinball Party
During the fall, Vancouver is a city for indoor activities. Day after day of rain leaves most people with a gloomy demeanour, but Slice of Life has just the thing to brighten up your day: a weekly open pinball tournament!
Aside from the flashing lights boosting your vitamin D levels, the pinball tournament is the place to go if you loves games and meeting new people. For three hours, competitors battle it out in a round-robin style format to see who can secure most wins by the end of the night.
To some, the tournament setup may seem intimidating, and whilst there are some pinball wizards in attendance, this event is relaxed and open to all. Located on Vendables, just off from Commercial Drive, this event really does capture the essence of East Vancouver with an eclectic mix of players, and a bring your own booze policy that guarantees good times.
So if you if like beer, and have lightning quick reactions, you should get yourself down there.
Matt Ewan is an integral member of the pinball community in Vancouver. He first started playing in his friends garage as a kid and has been hooked ever since. Matt is the person that originally brought pinball to Slice of Life in 2021. After a hiatus of indoor gatherings due to the covid pandemic, Matt wanted to get pinball players back playing together so he decided to host a pinball birthday party at Slice of Life.
After the party was a resounding success, Matt began to wonder whether Slice of Life could be the setting for a new weekly tournament in the city.
Matt had previously run a tournament at a venue called Pub 49 which closed for good when the pandemic hit. After the success of his birthday party, Matt saw potential in Slice of Life to fill the void that Pub 49 had left.
“Starting a tournament was always at the back of my mind, but I wasn’t sure where would be a good venue. I thought that Slice of Life could be a good place, and after my birthday party, it started to look like a possibility, so I initiated a partnership between Slice of Life and a pinball machine renter that I knew.”
Whilst Matt had the vision to get a pinball tournament going at Slice of Life, he didn’t expect it to be as popular as it is, with up to 40 people turning up each week.
“There’s been a slow growth over time. The space had a lot of opportunity, but I didn’t necessarily expect to have eight machines up and running.”
“The reason I run these tournaments is because I enjoy the social aspect of it. The fact that it’s opening up pinball to so many people is also great."
"For me, pinball should be about fun, the competition comes second to that.”
Matt’s approach to running the tournament speaks for itself, with more and more new faces turning up every week. If the growth continues like this, he might have to consider hiring more machines in the new year.
Sheena Botelho is the owner of Slice of Life, an art gallery and shared working space in East Vancouver. Ever since her partner started taking her to pinball tournaments in Vancouver six years ago, Sheena fell in love with the game, motivating her to get machines in her own venue.
“Since I first started going to tournaments, I wanted a pinball machine at Slice of Life. The issue was that most pinball proprietors didn’t see the value in putting a machine in our place compared with pubs and bars.”
Luckily for Sheena, her friendship with Matt would prove to be the key in getting pinball machines at Slice of Life.
“We made the breakthrough because of Matt when he had his birthday here. Matt holds sway in the pinball community because he’s been in it for so long. He used his influence to get a machine here for his birthday and once we had a machine here, we proved that we could get enough coin drop for it to stay.”
Sheena was always confident that pinball would be popular at Slice of Life because she wanted to do things differently, creating an event that put the players first.
“In most places pinball is an after thought. In bars, the main goal is selling alcohol and the pinball machine normally ends up in a shitty corner. When you come to Slice on Thursday's, pinball is the focus and this creates the feel of a private function that is designed for players.”
“Thursday nights has become the night when I don’t make other plans. The tournament has become foundational to my schedule and think other people feel the same.”
Joining a pinball tournament can seem like an unusual thing to do, but Matt and Sheena have proved that it can be a hub of community that is often lacking these days.
Every week, new friendships (and rivalries) are formed through a game which continues to stand the test of time.
And yes, the cruelty of the balls drop might have you ripping out your hair at times, but that soon subsides when you step back into the warmth of your fellow players.
So next Thursday when you're about to fire up Netflix, reconsider and try something new. You could well be initiating a new addiction, but at least you'll make some friends with this one.
Slice of Life Pinball Tournament Information:
Where: Slice Nextdoor, 1638 Venables Street, Vancouver, V5L 2H2
When: Every Thursday 6-10PM
Price: $10 entry fee
To find out more, follow this link: https://www.slicevancouver.ca/product/thursday-pinball-games/4351?cs=true&cst=custom
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