# PINBALL LIFE OPEN HOUSE **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2017-10-29 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2017/10/29/pinball-life-open-house --- ## Analysis Pinball News coverage of the annual Pinball Life Open House event held October 12-13, 2017 in Huntley, Illinois. The event featured gameplay on classic and modern pinball machines, including an early production sample of Spooky Pinball's Total Nuclear Annihilation (TNA), novelty attractions like a rotating Playboy machine and funhouse tunnel game, discounted parts sales, and charity fundraising. The event was praised as a highlight of Pinball Expo week. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Pinball Life Open House is held annually and opens the company's Huntley facility to community members for gameplay, socializing, and shopping — _Article states 'Every year, Terry opens up the Pinball Life building... for guests to come along and play pinball, buy parts, enjoy some silly games'_ - [HIGH] Scott Danesi, creator of Total Nuclear Annihilation, brought both a production sample and earlier prototype to the event for community play-testing and demonstration — _Article explicitly states 'He brought along a production sample and an earlier prototype game' and includes detailed photos and technical explanation of the game_ - [HIGH] The 2017 Open House expanded to two days: a general open house on day one and a ticketed charity event on day two — _Jess Kroha's report: 'they opened their doors for not just one, but two days of pinball with a general open house on the first day as well as a ticketed event on the second, with all proceeds going to charity'_ - [MEDIUM] Total Nuclear Annihilation features a relatively straightforward ruleset compared to other modern games — _Article describes TNA as having 'uncomplicated rule set' implicit in detailed playfield description and Spooky Pinball's marketing positioning_ - [MEDIUM] Pinball Life experienced decline in vendors at the broader Wheeling pinball show but maintained strong event presence — _Jess Kroha states 'Despite the hype and the decline in the number of vendors at the Wheeling show, Pinball Life and their Open House party are almost exclusively keeping the fun in Expo'_ ### Notable Quotes > "Despite the hype and the decline in the number of vendors at the Wheeling show, Pinball Life and their Open House party are almost exclusively keeping the 'fun' in Expo." > — **Jess Kroha**, Event coverage section > _Indicates broader industry concern about vendor participation at Pinball Expo while Pinball Life event maintains strong community appeal and event quality_ > "This year they opened their doors for not just one, but two days of pinball with a general open house on the first day as well as a ticketed event on the second, with all proceeds going to charity." > — **Jess Kroha**, Event coverage section > _Highlights event expansion strategy and charitable commitment_ > "A Playboy game on a rotating platform forced players to reckon with gravity general physics and slight nausea." > — **Jess Kroha**, Event coverage section > _Describes novelty attraction innovation at the event_ > "Over all I'd rate the event a '10 out of 10'. Maybe even a 12 if you got to see one of the employees in his man-kini." > — **Jess Kroha**, Event coverage conclusion > _Strong positive sentiment endorsement of event quality and entertainment value_ > "My thanks to Pinball Life for being the highlight of organized Expo-related events." > — **Jess Kroha**, Article conclusion > _Explicit statement positioning Pinball Life event as superior to other official Pinball Expo programming_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Pinball Life | company | Parts retailer and community venue operator based in Huntley, Illinois; hosts annual Open House event during Pinball Expo week | | Terry Dezwarte | person | Owner/operator of Pinball Life; hosts and manages the annual Open House event | | Scott Danesi | person | Designer/creator of Total Nuclear Annihilation pinball game; attended event with production and prototype samples | | Jess Kroha | person | Pinball community member and contributor to Pinball News; attended and reported on the 2017 Open House event | | Total Nuclear Annihilation | game | Modern pinball game by Spooky Pinball; featured prominently at 2017 Open House with production and prototype units available for play | | Spooky Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer producing Total Nuclear Annihilation | | Pinball Expo | event | Annual pinball industry trade show and community event; Pinball Life Open House held concurrent to this event | | Playboy | game | Classic pinball machine featured on rotating turntable novelty attraction at 2017 Open House | | Orbitor 1 | game | Vintage pinball machine positioned in rotating illuminated funhouse tunnel as novelty attraction at event | | Westin hotel | venue | Hotel where Pinball News staff were stationed during Expo; prevented attendance at Open House party | ### Topics - **Primary:** Pinball Life Open House event planning and execution, Total Nuclear Annihilation game showcase and technical details, Novelty attractions and unconventional game presentation - **Secondary:** Pinball Expo event structure and community programming, Pinball parts retail and supply availability, Community engagement and social gathering - **Mentioned:** Charity fundraising through pinball events ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.92) — Overwhelmingly positive coverage praising the event as a highlight of Pinball Expo week. Jess Kroha's account is enthusiastic and complimentary throughout. Strong endorsement of event quality, novelty attractions, parts pricing, and community atmosphere. Only minor critique is structural (article notes seminars room duties prevented initial attendance). ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Decline in vendor participation at Pinball Expo while Pinball Life event maintains or grows in prominence suggests potential shift in community event value perception (confidence: medium) — Jess Kroha explicitly states 'decline in the number of vendors at the Wheeling show' while Pinball Life event is positioned as 'almost exclusively keeping the fun in Expo' - **[event_signal]** Pinball Life Open House established as annual signature community gathering during Pinball Expo week, expanding to two-day format in 2017 (confidence: high) — Multiple references to 'annual' event; Jess Kroha describes it as 'THE event to be at during Expo week'; expansion to two days with ticketed charity component noted - **[sentiment_shift]** Strong positive reception to Total Nuclear Annihilation from community attendees; game treated as marquee attraction at event (confidence: medium) — Prominent feature in event coverage; Scott Danesi conducting detailed ruleset explanations; three units running simultaneously by event's second day - **[event_signal]** Total Nuclear Annihilation (Spooky Pinball) positioned for major community reveal with production and prototype samples available for extended play testing during Open House (confidence: high) — Scott Danesi present with both production and prototype samples; detailed technical walkthrough provided; three TNA units available for play during event - **[market_signal]** Pinball Life leveraging Open House as parts sales and inventory clearance event with promotional pricing on components (confidence: high) — Jess Kroha specifically notes 'great deals on parts and supplies during the event. Discounted glass and many other parts were all available both days for what I considered a steal' --- ## Transcript Date: 12th October & 13th October, 2017 Location: 11930 Oak Creek Parkway, Huntley, IL 60142, USA One of the unfortunate side-effects of working in the Seminars Room at Pinball Expo is how we end up missing all the fun at the annual Pinball Life Open House party. ![The Pinball Life World Headquarters](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/18-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) The Pinball Life World Headquarters Every year, Terry opens up the Pinball Life building on an industrial park in Huntley – around 45 minutes from Pinball Expo by car – for guests to come along and play pinball, buy parts, enjoy some silly games, talk to other pinball people, drink some beer and try out the latest releases alongside other interesting titles. ![Terry Dezwarte hard at work dealing with parts orders](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/17-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) Terry Dezwarte hard at work dealing with parts orders Because we knew we wouldn’t be able to attend we paid Terry and the team at Pinball Life a visit the day before the first of the Open House’s two days, while everything was still being set up. ![Setting up in the games area](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/10-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) Setting up in the games area ![Lasers set on stun](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/13-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) Lasers set on stun One of the stars of the show was a Playboy machines mounted on a turntable which made it very difficult to play. An Orbitor 1 was placed in a darkened tent inside a rotating illuminated ‘time tunnel’ style tube, causing the player to become disorientated. ![The Playboy on the turntable](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/02-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) The Playboy on the turntable As if that wasn’t enough, there was a mechanical bull for guests to try their riding skills. ![The mechanical bull](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/14-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) The mechanical bull Also setting up was Scott Danesi who created the popular Total Nuclear Annihilation (TNA) game which is being built by Spooky Pinball. He brought along a production sample and an earlier prototype game. ![Scott Danesi with his Total Nuclear Annihilation game](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/01-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) Scott Danesi with his Total Nuclear Annihilation game Scott showed us around the game and explained the ruleset, so let’s take a look at it here. ![The Total Nuclear Annihilation playfield](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/04-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) The Total Nuclear Annihilation playfield ![The inline drop targets and ball lock](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/05-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) The inline drop targets and ball lock ![The mini-playfield area](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/06-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) The mini-playfield area ![The game features LED segment displays as well as an LCD monitor](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/08-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) The game features LED seven-segment displays as well as an LCD monitor ![Scott shows us inside the backbox](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/12-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) Scott shows us inside the backbox ![This is a sample game - the production version has much less wiring and is far neater under the playfield](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/09-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) This is a sample game – playfield ![The Total Nuclear Annihilation translite](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/03-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) The Total Nuclear Annihilation translite Elsewhere in the Pinball Life building, pre-orders were being prepared for collection at the Open House party. ![Picking parts to make up orders for collection](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/15-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) Picking parts to make up orders for collection ![Some of the completed orders](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/16-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) Some of the completed orders While we were back at the Westin hotel during the Open House, Jess Kroha was back in Huntley and reports on the fun being had there once the doors opened. Despite the hype and the decline in the number of vendors at the Wheeling show, Pinball Life and their Open House party are almost exclusively keeping the ‘fun’ in Expo. This year they opened their doors for not just one, but two days of pinball with a general open house on the first day as well as a ticketed event on the second, with all proceeds going to charity. With free drinks, food, an amazing line-up that included not only the most loved games of all time, novelty shooter games and rare pinball gems, and the offer of exclusive play on upcoming and recently released games like TNA, it was definitely THE event to be at during Expo week. ![Lasers lit up the games and players in the darkened room](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/20-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) Lasers room ![More games to play](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/22-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) More games to play ![A third TnA had been added by the time the party began](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/21-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) A third TNA began Beyond the games available to play–and keeping with their tradition of going all-out for this event – there was also a variety of novelty attractions all revolving around pinball (some literally). A Playboy game on a rotating platform forced players to reckon with gravity general physics and slight nausea. They also had a game positioned in a funhouse tunnel where even the best flippers had to struggle for bearings. Slightly disorientating and extremely fun. ![Playing the rotating Playboy](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/23-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) Playing the rotating Playboy They also offered some great deals on parts and supplies during the event. Discounted glass and many other parts were all available both days for what I considered a steal. Over all I’d rate the event a ’10 out of 10′. Maybe even a 12 if you got to see one of the employees in his man-kini. In case you missed the ‘in-person’ version, they also had a cardboard welcome sign for those not wanting to miss out. ![A warm welcome](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-life-party-2017/24-pinball-life-party-2017.jpg) A warm welcome My thanks to Pinball Life for being the highlight of organized Expo-related events. _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 461f00a7-578e-4983-a456-35816e6c82d5*