Pinball wizards gathered last week in Malvern to compete, flipper-to-flipper, in the hopes of securing a berth in the Pennsylvania State Championship, writes Pat Toddy for CBS Philly.

The 32 participants also competed for trophies and prizes during the PHILA Pinball Regional Finals at the Pinball Gallery.

One of the competitors, Corey Hulse, also runs a league that has been holding playoffs throughout the region. His goal is to start a craze in Philadelphia.

“You’re forced to actually go to a physical location and interact with people,” he said. “You can submit rankings and have an international pinball ranking.”

[uam_ad id=”58459″]

Advertisement

Rick Prince, who ranks 675 out of 50,000 pinball players worldwide, battled one of the hottest new machines, aptly named “Total Annihilation.”

“I like the design, the flow, simple rules, great music, great theme,” said Prince.

A 12-year-old Allentown boy was one of the youngest competitors at the finals. His strategy was simple but effective.

“Shoot the middle and try in light modes to go with multi-ball,” he said.

He picked up the strategy from his dad, who accompanied him and enjoyed some bonding over the bells and flashing lights.

Read more about the pinball competition in Malvern at CBS Philly here.

[uam_ad id=”72786″]