# ARCADE REPORT: Champs Downtown - State College, PA (July 2021) **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2021-08-21 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/arcade-report-champs-downtown-state-college-pa-july-2021 --- ## Analysis A visit report to Champs Downtown, a sports bar arcade in State College, PA with 11 pinball machines. The author found the location had minimal pinball traffic, played several classic pins (Royal Rumble, Stargate, Monopoly), and noted maintenance issues with Twilight Zone and Stargate. The venue features pool, foosball, arcade games, and a full restaurant upstairs. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Champs Downtown has 11 pinball machines — _Direct observation during visit: 'Specifically there was 11 pins at this location.'_ - [HIGH] Monopoly is a Pat Lawlor design — _Author states: 'It's a Pat Lawlor design' regarding Stern's Monopoly pinball machine_ - [HIGH] Twilight Zone was down due to ball search malfunction — _Direct observation: 'The Twilight Zone was stuck on ball search so it was down.'_ - [MEDIUM] Stargate appeared dimmer than expected, possibly due to GI outage — _Author's assessment: 'The Stargate seemed a little dark when I was playing it. I don't know if that's normal for that game or if some of the GI was out. I suspect that it was the latter.'_ - [HIGH] Pinball machines at the location received minimal play from patrons — _Author observation: 'The pinball machines at Champs were literally getting no play from anyone. That was great for me, but not so much for the location.'_ ### Notable Quotes > "I love the the Monopoly pinball machine. I have fond memories of playing the board game with my boys when they were little." > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Personal connection to Monopoly pinball; demonstrates collector/enthusiast perspective on theme relevance and nostalgia value_ > "I feel like I like it much more than most people. Again if I found a Monopoly for sale near me, I'd buy it in a second." > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Strong endorsement of Monopoly despite acknowledging it's underappreciated; indicates secondary market demand signal_ > "Now that I've been to so many arcades, I'm sort of chasing the pinball dragon. I try to play games that I haven't played at all or much before." > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Reveals collector/enthusiast motivation pattern: seeking novel gameplay experiences across multiple venues_ > "State College isn't really known for its pinball but we managed to find a couple of solid locations." > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Market intelligence: State College, PA positioned as non-hub pinball market; limited location density_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Champs Downtown | event | Sports bar arcade venue in downtown State College, PA featuring 11 pinball machines, pool tables, foosball, Golden Tee, arcade games, and full restaurant service | | State College, PA | product | Location in Pennsylvania near Penn State University; arcade venue market area | | Pat Lawlor | person | Legendary pinball designer credited with designing Stern's Monopoly pinball machine | | Stern | company | Pinball manufacturer; produced Monopoly machine discussed in article | | Data East Royal Rumble | game | Pinball machine available at Champs Downtown, played by author | | Gottlieb Stargate | game | Classic pinball machine at Champs Downtown; observed to be dimmer than expected during play | | Stern Monopoly | game | Pat Lawlor-designed pinball machine; author's favorite game at the location, played successfully with multiple Replay wins | | Twilight Zone | game | Pinball machine at Champs Downtown; was non-operational due to ball search malfunction during visit | | Knapp Arcade | person | Author of arcade report; location scout and pinball enthusiast documenting arcade venues | ### Topics - **Primary:** Location scouting and arcade venue reports, Pinball machine availability in non-hub markets - **Secondary:** Maintenance and operational issues (Twilight Zone ball search, Stargate GI), Collector enthusiasm and game discovery, Location operator challenges (low pinball traffic) - **Mentioned:** Pat Lawlor design legacy (Monopoly) ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.72) — Author appreciates the venue discovery and finds quality machines to play despite low traffic. Positive experience with bartender and game condition (except for maintenance issues). Some disappointment with limited operating hours and minimal pinball interest from patrons, but overall tone is encouraging and forward-looking. ### Signals - **[collector_signal]** Enthusiast traveling multiple venues systematically to seek novel pinball experiences; strategy focused on playing unfamiliar machines across different locations (confidence: high) — 'Now that I've been to so many arcades, I'm sort of chasing the pinball dragon. I try to play games that I haven't played at all or much before.' - **[gameplay_signal]** Strong personal affinity for Monopoly pinball (Pat Lawlor design) tied to personal nostalgia; author believes game underappreciated by market despite quality design (confidence: high) — 'I love the the Monopoly pinball machine... I feel like I like it much more than most people. Again if I found a Monopoly for sale near me, I'd buy it in a second.' - **[venue_signal]** Low pinball engagement at venue despite adequate machine availability and quality; pinball machines receiving no play from regular patrons while billiards dominates (confidence: high) — 'The pinball machines at Champs were literally getting no play from anyone. That was great for me, but not so much for the location.' and 'Most of the patrons of Champs were playing billiards.' - **[operational_signal]** Operational problems reported: Twilight Zone stuck on ball search (game down); Stargate suspected GI outage (game playable but dimmed) (confidence: high) — 'The Twilight Zone was stuck on ball search so it was down.' and 'The Stargate seemed a little dark when I was playing it. I don't know if that's normal for that game or if some of the GI was out. I suspect that it was the latter.' - **[market_signal]** State College positioned as non-hub pinball market; location density low; venue hours restricted (pinball arcade didn't open until 7:30 PM) (confidence: medium) — 'State College isn't really known for its pinball' and 'the downstairs portion that had the pinball machines didn't open until 7:30' - **[venue_signal]** New pinball arcade venue identified in non-hub market (State College, PA); venue previously had no pinball but recently added 11 machines to sports bar (confidence: high) — Author states 'Champs is a local sports bar that has had a couple of locations near Penn State for decades. I've been to one in the past and I don't remember it having pinball. We'll, Champs Downtown certainly does now.' --- ## Transcript The second arcade stop in State College, Pennsylvania almost didn’t happen. Champs is a local sports bar that has had a couple of locations near Penn State for decades. I’ve been to one in the past and I don’t remember it having pinball. We’ll, Champs Downtown certainly does now. My family and I were exploring downtown State College and we found ourselves a couple hundred feet from Champs Downtown at around 3:00 PM. We went inside and much to my chagrin the downstairs portion that had the pinball machines didn’t open until 7:30. Miss. Fortunately, we ended up going out to dinner five minutes from there later in the day. My wife and boys went back to the hotel and I stopped back at Champs to check it out. As I mentioned, the downstairs of Champs Downtown is an Arcade / Bar that has pool tables, foosball, Golden Tee, several arcade games and of course pinball. Specifically there was 11 pins at this location. Now that I’ve been to so many arcades, I’m sort of chasing the pinball dragon. I try to play games that I haven’t played at all or much before. At this place, that meant playing Data East Royal Rumble, Gottlieb Stargate and another one of my guilty pleasure pins Stern’s Monopoly. I love the the Monopoly pinball machine. I have fond memories of playing the board game with my boys when they were little. It’s a Pat Lawlor design. I feel like I like it much more than most people. Again if I found a Monopoly for sale near me, I’d buy it in a second. The pinball machines at Champs were literally getting no play from anyone. That was great for me, but not so much for the location. I pumped a bunch of quarters into the pins at $0.50/game. I managed to play some solidly mediocre pinball, other than winning a couple of Replays on Monopoly. The pins that I played all worked well. The Twilight Zone was stuck on ball search so it was down. The Stargate seemed a little dark when I was playing it. I don’t know if that’s normal for that game or if some of the GI was out. I suspect that it was the latter. Most of the patrons of Champs were playing billiards. A few were playing vids like a linked Mario Cart. The place had a large variety of beers and ciders on tap. The crowd, unsurprisingly was mostly college aged people. The bartender who I dealt with was very friendly. The upstairs of Champs is a full service restaurant with typical sports bar food. This concludes the Penn State portion of the trip. State College isn’t really known for its pinball but we managed to find a couple of solid locations. Next up, we hit some really heavy hitter pinball locations. I can’t wait to share. Keep an eye out for an update in the near future. Thanks for reading everyone! _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 329f6ae3-ea92-4e76-8802-fe4af50703b6*