# Stern Pinball's Flippin' Entertainment Centers at Next Level Pinball Museum

**Source:** Stern Pinball  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2024-11-27  
**Duration:** 5m 40s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtGx1zidYQs

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## Analysis

Next Level Pinball Museum showcases one of the world's largest arcade collections (650+ machines including 300 pinballs) with a focus on pinball history from 1977 to present, organized by manufacturer. The venue hosts weekly Friday tournaments (30-40 players) featuring Insider Connected leaderboards, and launched a charity X-Men tournament supporting Project Pinball. The museum emphasizes nostalgia, pop culture memorabilia, and multi-generational appeal to drive foot traffic.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Next Level Pinball Museum has 650+ pieces total (300 arcade, 300 pinball machines) — _Museum owner stated directly on camera as defining characteristic of venue_
- [HIGH] Pinball collection spans from 1977 to present day — _Owner explicitly stating collection range in tour description_
- [HIGH] Museum hosts weekly Friday night tournaments with 30-40 regular participants — _Owner provided specific frequency and attendance numbers_
- [HIGH] Insider Connected drives tournament participation and leaderboard engagement — _Owner noted players get excited to compete on IC leaderboards and engage with daily content updates_
- [MEDIUM] X-Men Charity Tournament features 35+ playable characters (superpower selection mechanic) — _Owner described tournament format with character assignment; specific number stated as 'about 35'_

### Notable Quotes

> "We've got over 650 pieces on the floor, about 300 arcade games, about 300 pinball machines... what we're most known for is our pinball machines."
> — **Next Level Museum Owner**, opening
> _Establishes museum scale and primary draw as pinball venue_

> "So in the late '70s, I had six or eight pinballs, and I was looking for something to put up above them, and that's when I found six lunchpails one day at a flea market."
> — **Museum Owner**, early
> _Origin story of lunchbox collection that became defining feature; contextualizes how museum evolved from personal hobby_

> "Our pinball collection here at Next Level starts at 1977 and then goes all the way to the present—new machines."
> — **Museum Owner**, mid
> _Confirms comprehensive historical coverage of pinball evolution across eras and manufacturers_

> "We like to keep things sort of separated out by manufacturer, so whether it's Sterns or Bally Williams from the '90s, we like to keep them together so you can sort of see that theme and how that manufacturer's evolved."
> — **Museum Owner**, mid
> _Explains curatorial philosophy emphasizing manufacturer lineage and design evolution_

> "Tournaments are awesome to run because you get new customers that are coming in. They get really excited, especially when they'll get into Insider Connected because then they want to be up on the leaderboard."
> — **Museum Owner**, tournament section
> _Demonstrates Insider Connected's role in driving tournament engagement and venue traffic_

> "We use this as a charity fundraiser. So we love supporting Project Pinball. They put pinball machines in children's hospitals around the country."
> — **Museum Owner**, charity tournament
> _Connects X-Men launch tournament to Project Pinball charity mission_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Next Level Pinball Museum | organization | World's largest arcade with 650+ machines (300 pinball, 300 arcade), comprehensive pinball history collection 1977–present, hosts weekly tournaments with IC integration |
| Insider Connected | product | Stern Pinball's leaderboard/achievement system driving tournament participation and daily engagement at Next Level; central to venue's competitive infrastructure |
| Project Pinball | organization | Charity organization placing pinball machines in children's hospitals; supported by Next Level's X-Men charity tournament fundraiser |
| The Uncanny X-Men | game | Stern Pinball machine launching with dedicated charity tournament at Next Level featuring 35+ playable character superpowers |
| Stern Pinball | company | Primary modern manufacturer featured in Next Level's collection and tournament infrastructure; Insider Connected integrated into venue operations |
| Bally Williams | company | Classic manufacturer represented in Next Level collection; owner completed comprehensive 45-machine DMD collection and maintains manufacturer-grouped display sections |
| Sega | company | Pinball manufacturer with approximately 19 games produced; represented in Next Level collection |
| Jordan | person | Museum owner's son; first introduced to pinball via TMNT machine, evolved into co-collector and likely co-operator of Next Level |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Museum/venue operations and curatorial strategy, Insider Connected integration and tournament infrastructure, Pinball history and manufacturer evolution (1977–present), X-Men launch and charity tournament mechanics
- **Secondary:** Pop culture memorabilia and nostalgia-driven customer acquisition, Generational engagement and hobby sustainability, Project Pinball charity support

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.88) — Owner expresses genuine passion for collection, customers, and community impact. Enthusiastic about pinball evolution, newer technology (LCD screens, mechanics), and multi-generational appeal. Optimistic about hobby growth and venue's role in nurturing next generation of players. No criticism or concerns expressed.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Next Level operates weekly tournaments with 30-40 participants and actively integrates Insider Connected for leaderboard competition and daily content engagement. (confidence: high) — Owner: 'We host tournaments every Friday night. We usually get between 30 to 40 people every week... they get really excited, especially when they'll get into Insider Connected because then they want to be up on the leaderboard.'
- **[event_signal]** X-Men Charity Tournament launched at Next Level with superpower character selection mechanic (35+ playable characters) as annual fundraiser for Project Pinball supporting hospital placements. (confidence: high) — Owner: 'I developed this tournament, just called X-Men Charity Tournament. Everybody gets a superpower... There's about 35 different characters... We use this as a charity fundraiser... They put pinball machines in children's hospitals around the country.'
- **[product_strategy]** Insider Connected generating continuous daily content updates that maintain player relevance and engagement in tournament environment. (confidence: high) — Owner: 'There's just so much content that's coming out every day for Insider Connected that it stays really relevant and exciting to be a part of.'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Museum owner emphasizes role of next generation engagement and expressed concern about hobby sustainability, indicating strategic focus on generational appeal. (confidence: medium) — Owner: 'I love the excitement is seeing this next generation start playing games, because I don't want the hobby to go away.'

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## Transcript

we're here at Next Level Pinball Museum we are one of the world's largest arcades we've got over 650 pieces on the floor about 300 arcade games about 300 pinball machines we've got Collectibles toys on the walls we are the world's largest collection of lunchboxes but what we're most known for is our pinball machines so in the late 70s I had six or eight pinballs and I was looking for something to put up above them and that's when I found six lunch pales one day at a flea market I got hooked on the lunch pales and I just kept finding them and finding them and about 2 years later I had 180 seven different ones so I've obviously come in with my family that loves collecting you know almost everything I always had a love and passion for pinballs and arcade games Jordan his first pinball I got him when he was little he loved the the turtles so I got him a Turtles pinball and then he started picking up games and stuff so I really went after like the Bal Williams collection so there was 45 B Williams DMD and then once I finished that collection I moved on on to the Sega there's roughly 19 of those produ I just wanted to find all of the ones that I either haven't played or that we didn't have and the collection has just kept growing and growing and about 8 nine years ago they said let's do something with this so that's how Next Level sort of came together and evolved I think what drives us is honestly it's that firsttime customer coming in and being so excited to find their toy or collect or favorite machine people that are in their 30s and 40s they really want to relive their childhood and next level is fun to come in for a few hours and you just kind of forget everything that's going on and can just have fun and be entertained we actually get the question a lot of like what makes you a museum it's a really cool interactive way to get involved in history and culture and what you grew up with or what your kids grew up with people come in from all over the world Australia Germany Sweden Robert Englunds Canada Mexico they come from all over to see this we are something that's really totally different from a lot of arcades and other venues the pop culture and just all the memorabilia is really what brings us to life and um put so many smiles on people's faces so our pinball collection here at Next Level starts at 1977 and then goes all the way to the present new machines this is a row of like Sterns from the early 2000s through about 2010 we like to keep things sort of separated out by manufacturer so whether it's Sterns or Bal Williams from the 9s we like to keep them together so you can sort of see that theme and how that manufacturers evolve so that's how we designed sort of these spaces to evoke different kinds of interest in the arcade realm so neat watching all the generations of pinball and how much they've changed with the coding the LCD screens all the mechanisms that they can do now the artwork is phenomenal that the artists you know put all their love and passion into the games so we host tournaments every Friday night we usually get between 30 to 40 people every week tournaments are awesome to run cuz you get new customers that are coming in they get really excited especially when they'll get into The Insider connected cuz then they want to be up on the leaderboard there's just so much content that's coming out every day for Insider connected that it stays really relevant and exciting to be a part of we do have a special tournament today so we are celebrating The Uncanny X-Men coming out from Stern so I developed this tournament uh just called X-Men charity tournament everybody gets a superpower so you can be Wolverine you can be Rogue there's about 35 different characters that are playable uh by the competitors so so we use this as a charity fundraiser so we love supporting project pinball they put pinball machines in children's hospitals around the country so this is one of our annual fundraisers um and it just made sense to bring out our X-Men charity tournament for the launch of The Uncanny X-Men when we started this we were trying to build something there's an old phrase outside the box we were trying to get way out of the box I love the excitement is seeing this next Generation start playing games cuz I don't want the hobby to go away and we're always trying to add more items or more art outside or new statues and just keep growing and evolving there's something here for everyone at next level

_(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 10a3a6d7-9dfe-4ae5-92ae-ff72a8131963*