# TWIP - Around The Playfield W/ Jack Danger

**Source:** Dead Flip  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2018-02-06  
**Duration:** 10m 21s  
**Beat:** Pinball

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

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## Analysis

Jack Danger of Deadflip participates in a questionnaire for This Week in Pinball, discussing his entry into pinball (via Judge Dredd after being introduced by Zac Stark), his first purchase (a $200 Cabaret), memorable moments including playing with a broken arm at a Metallica launch tournament, his philosophy on favorite machines, and his vision for pinball's future emphasizing hybrid digital-physical innovations like P3 and increased adoption of virtual cabinets.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Jack Danger entry into pinball was via Judge Dredd machine brought by Zac Stark to his animation studio in West Loop Chicago — _Jack Danger describing his origin story directly in this video_
- [HIGH] Jack Danger purchased a Cabaret for $200 and is currently re-theming it — _Jack Danger explicitly stating this as his only purchased machine_
- [HIGH] Jack Danger competed in a Metallica launch tournament at Emporium in Wicker Park with a broken left arm and performed well — _Jack Danger recounting this personal achievement in detail_
- [HIGH] Zach Sharpe taught Jack Danger to play pinball using one hand, which transformed his playstyle — _Jack Danger crediting Zach Sharpe for teaching single-hand technique_
- [HIGH] Jack Danger believes pinball will see increased digital-physical hybrid machines (like P3) and more virtual pinball cabinet adoption at locations — _Jack Danger response to 5-10 year outlook question_
- [HIGH] Jack Danger only owns two pinball machines permanently (Cabaret and Capcom Breakshot from donor Wonko) — _Jack Danger clarifying his machine collection as mostly temporary donations_
- [HIGH] Jack Danger previously played in Papa tournaments and experienced tilt while using headphones during competition — _Jack Danger recounting an embarrassing tournament moment from 4-5 years prior_
- [MEDIUM] Gavin (presumably Gavin Minter) exploded the soundboard on a machine during Jack Danger live show — _Jack Danger mentioning this as a dumb mistake moment, but context suggests it was Gavin's action not his own_

### Notable Quotes

> "And from the moment we lifted the head on that thing, plugged it in, turned it on, I was sold on that game. Pinball was like, I need to know everything."
> — **Jack Danger**, ~1:30-1:50
> _Pivotal moment describing his conversion from skeptic to pinball enthusiast upon first exposure to Judge Dredd_

> "I like to say my favorite machine is the machine I'm currently playing. You know, because pinball is pinball, even if it's like the worst machine you've ever heard of."
> — **Jack Danger**, ~6:00-6:15
> _Philosophy on pinball's universal appeal regardless of game quality; reflects community ethos_

> "Pinball will always be here, absolutely. And I think with advancements in technology and the prices of technology going down, we're going to see so many new innovations coming out in pinball machines."
> — **Jack Danger**, ~13:30-13:50
> _Forward-looking statement on industry innovation and technological integration in pinball_

> "You need to be aware of what's happening. I don't know."
> — **Jack Danger**, ~11:00-11:10
> _Lesson learned from over-confidence during Papa tournament, emphasizing situational awareness during play_

> "I think the world needs a little bit of a break on music pins but I think the Beastie Boys would go a long way"
> — **Jack Danger**, ~7:30-7:45
> _Commentary on music pinball theme saturation while expressing a specific licensing wish_

> "Zac Stark, this is your fault, buddy."
> — **Jack Danger**, ~2:15
> _Humorously crediting his pinball obsession to Brad Zac Stark's initial Judge Dredd donation_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Jack Danger | person | Deadflip content creator, pinball designer, tournament competitor, answering This Week in Pinball questionnaire |
| Zac Stark | person | Original Deadflip collaborator who introduced Jack Danger to pinball by bringing Lord of the Rings and Judge Dredd machines to his animation studio |
| Zach Sharpe | person | Pinball player/mentor who taught Jack Danger single-hand playing technique and encouraged him at Metallica launch tournament despite broken arm |
| Wonko | person | Pinball community member who permanently donated a Capcom Break Shot machine to Jack Danger |
| Nick | person | Jack Danger's friend and Deadflip collaborator; suggested using headphones during Papa tournament play |
| Bowen | person | Pinball community member who shared a donut with Jack Danger at Papa |
| Gavin | person | Pinball enthusiast who exploded the soundboard on a machine during Jack Danger's live show (likely Gavin Minter based on community context) |
| Deadflip | organization | Jack Danger's streaming/content creation studio and channel focused on pinball gameplay and commentary |
| This Week in Pinball | organization | Pinball news/podcast outlet creating questionnaire content featuring pinball personalities |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; Jack Danger is a designer there (mentioned in KB context) |
| Emporium | venue | Arcade venue in Wicker Park, Chicago where Metallica pinball launch tournament was held |
| West Loop | venue | Neighborhood in Chicago where Jack Danger's animation studio was located |
| Judge Dredd | game | Pinball machine that catalyzed Jack Danger's passion for pinball; key game in his entry story |
| Lord of the Rings | game | Pinball machine initially brought to Jack Danger's studio by Brad Zac Stark, didn't hook him initially |
| [name withheld pending review] | game | Electromechanical pinball machine purchased by Jack Danger for $200; currently being re-themed |
| Capcom Break Shot | game | Pinball machine permanently donated to Jack Danger by Wonko |
| Metallica | game | Stern pinball machine with launch tournament at Emporium where Jack Danger competed with broken arm |
| High Speed | game | Classic pinball machine mentioned by Jack Danger as example during his Papa tournament tilt story |
| [name withheld pending review] | game | Pinball game referenced in community meme as 'worst pinball machine' according to Jack Danger's chat |
| P3 | product | Multimorphic hybrid digital-physical pinball platform that Jack Danger cites as innovation model for future |
| Papa | organization | Pinball tournament/competition network where Jack Danger has competed in past events |
| Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey | media | Movie reference Jack Danger mentions as potential music pinball theme (Beastie Boys reference) |

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Jack Danger credits Zach Sharpe with transformative single-hand playing technique that improved his competitive performance, highlighting knowledge transfer and mentorship within the competitive pinball community (confidence: high) — Jack describes learning one-handed play from Zach Sharpe: 'he taught me to play one and I thought he was trolling me...But it really does transform the way you play'
- **[competitive_signal]** Jack Danger demonstrated competitive resilience by playing well at Metallica launch tournament despite competing with a broken left arm, beating more than half the field including both Sharp brothers (confidence: high) — Direct account of Metallica launch tournament at Emporium: 'I beat more than half of the people, including both Sharp brothers'
- **[design_philosophy]** Jack Danger articulates philosophy that all pinball has inherent value and appeal regardless of perceived quality, reflecting community-wide acceptance of diverse game designs (confidence: high) — 'pinball is pinball, even if it's like the worst machine you've ever heard of' and 'If that is the only machine and you're stuck in the middle of nowhere, you're going to play the game'
- **[technology_signal]** Jack Danger predicts significant growth in hybrid digital-physical pinball machines (like P3) over next 5-10 years as technology becomes cheaper and more accessible (confidence: high) — 'advancements in technology and the prices of technology going down, we're going to see so many new innovations coming out in pinball machines...like P3, you know, it's like half digital, half physical. I think we're going to start seeing a lot more of that type of thing happening'
- **[technology_signal]** Jack Danger suggests virtual pinball cabinets for location play are underutilized, citing lack of maintenance requirements as major advantage for operators (confidence: medium) — 'I'm actually surprised you don't see like virtual cabinets on location because there's like no maintenance there'
- **[market_signal]** Jack Danger indicates market fatigue with music-themed pinball machines, suggesting pause in music IP licensing despite identifying Beastie Boys as conceptually strong theme (confidence: medium) — 'I think the world needs a little bit of a break on music pins but I think the Beastie Boys would go a long way'
- **[content_signal]** This Week in Pinball conducting questionnaire series with pinball celebrities to build brand awareness and community engagement across multiple content creators (confidence: high) — Jack Danger participating in This Week in Pinball questionnaire: 'the fine folks at This Week in Pinball have asked me to partake in a little questionnaire that they're passing around to certain pinball celebrities'
- **[community_signal]** Jack Danger characterizes pinball hobby as 'enigmatic' with mixed positive and negative elements (great players, toxic people, awesome history, amazing people), reflecting nuanced community self-awareness (confidence: high) — 'it has everything. It has everything. And if we didn't have everything it wouldn't be this hobby'
- **[product_concern]** Jack Danger references soundboard failure on machine during live stream (attributed to Gavin), suggesting equipment reliability or installation concerns (confidence: medium) — 'Gavin exploded the soundboard on this live on my show. That was pretty cool.'
- **[collector_signal]** Jack Danger maintains minimal permanent collection (2 machines) while utilizing temporary donations from community, suggesting alternative to full ownership model for content creators (confidence: high) — 'All of them have been donated by viewers temporarily. The only permanent donation we've received is the Capcom Break Shot...I really only own two pinball machines'

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## Transcript

 Hey This Week in Pinball fans! My name is Jack Danger of Deadflip and the fine folks at This Week in Pinball have asked me to partake in a little questionnaire that they're passing around to certain pinball celebrities and I'm happy to oblige. So we're just gonna kick it off if that's cool with you. So the first question is, how did you first get into pinball? That's a great question and a story I've told a couple of times, so I don't want to bore anybody, but when I was the owner of an animation studio in the West Loop of Chicago, I was building out this space, and my buddy Brad Zac Stark, one of the original Deadflip guys with me, he bought a Lord of the Rings pinball machine and had nowhere to put it. So I was like, yeah, we got room, bring it on by, drop it off. It is what it is. We plugged it in, played it for a little bit, wasn't really sold on pinball, it was still just like electronic furniture to me. So, you know, like a week passes, Brad hollers at me again. He's like, hey, I bought another pinball machine. I'm like, all right, dude, you know, these are big and I don't have room for this stuff. But, you know, we did have room. So it was a Judge Dredd pinball machine that we brought in. And from the moment we lifted the head on that thing, plugged it in, turned it on, I was sold on that game. Pinball was like, I need to know everything. The animations on that game were great. The art was awesome. The shots were fun. And I needed to know how to beat pinball. Come to find out you can't, but that is how I got into it. So there it is. Brad Zac Stark, this is your fault, buddy. All right. Second question is, what was the first pinball machine you ever bought? Now, I've had a lot of pinball machines in my collection. All of them have been donated by viewers temporarily. The only permanent donation we've received is the Capcom Break Shot over there from my boy Wonko. Love you, bud. But the only machine I ever purchased was a cabaret Williams cabaret that's over there in the corner. And I bought it for $200. And we're re theming it right now. Great EM if you haven't played one, go check it out. But yeah, I mean, I really only own two pinball machines. All right, what is your best pinball achievement or favorite pinball moment? Oh, there's too many to count, like way too many to count. Just off the top of my head, things I can think of. When I first met Zach Sharp, and he taught me how to play pinball he taught me to play one and I thought he was trolling me It seemed like some stupid Mr Miyagi stuff like wax on wax off You only going to play with one hand close your eyes you know that kind of thing But it really does transform the way you play it teaches you how to read the ball sooner trust your deadflips more. And there was the Metallica launch party that I was going to go to, I was out with my buddy Nick, another deadflip guy, we're having a good time, blah blah blah, and on my way home, I was on my bike, some van flung open their door and I ran into it and caught myself on both my arms and I broke my left elbow. I'd never broken a bone before in my life. So I'm like, frick, you know, never broken something before. And I really wanted to go to this launch tournament. So I go to the launch event for Metallica at Emporium in Wicker Park. And I'm standing in line and people in line are like, oh, Jack, oh, sorry to hear about your arm, man. Are you holding a spot for somebody? and my left arm's in a sling, and I'm like, no, man, I'm here to play. They're like, what? And I'm like, yeah, check this out. And I was like three people away in line to go play, and Zach walks up to me and he's like, are you kidding me? You broke your arm? I'm like, yeah, dude. And he's like, you're going to murder everybody. And in that tournament, I beat more than half of the people, including both Sharp brothers. So, you know, that was a great moment. There's been plenty. There's been plenty. One time before I knew Bowen, he gave me half of his donut at Papa. That was fun. Whatever. Let's see. What is your favorite and least favorite pinball machine? I'm sure you're going to get this a lot from everybody, but I don't think there's an answer to favorite pinball machine. I like to say my favorite machine is the machine I'm currently playing. You know, because pinball is pinball, even if it's like the worst machine you've ever heard of. Pinball is still pinball. I don't know. My least favorite pinball machine, I don't think it's been made yet. You know, because really, at the end of the day, you're on a desert island. And if there's a, you know, we have a little bit of a meme in my chat that Daddy E. Simpsons is the worst pinball machine, but there's definitely worse out there. If that is the only machine and you're stuck in the middle of nowhere, you're going to play the game, right? Calm down. It's fine. It's fine. What is your dream theme or a game that you'd like to see made into a pinball machine? I think for a music pin, I think the Beastie Boys would go a long way. there's a lot of iconography there great music everyone knows the freaking Beastie Boys I think I think the world needs a little bit of a break on music pins but I think the Beastie Boys would go a long way maybe Pee Wee Herman No What that movie with Keanu Reeves and that dude from Lost Boys Wild Stallions Anyway bogus journey. Doesn't matter. I'm having a brain fart. Okay. What is the dumbest mistake you've made in pinball? Messing up, fixing a machine, blah, blah, blah. Oh, man. I know this. Gavin exploded the soundboard on this live on my show. That was pretty cool. But I'd say my most embarrassing moment, um, was I was competing in Papa, uh, five, four or five years ago. God, I can't remember. And I, the, my nerves were starting to get, you know, ahold of me and I was like, crap, I don't know what to do. And my buddy Nick, who's with me at the time, uh, pulls out some headphones and he's like, try listening to music. Like some people play better when they listen to music. And I was like, cool. So I put the headphones in for the life of me. I can't remember the song, but I was grooving so fricking hard, you know, crank the volume up and I'm killing it, killing this game. I think I was playing high speed or something, just murdering this machine. And, you know, I'm doing it and I'm like doing flourishes and like, woo, you know, cause I was just, I was in the zone. And then in the middle of my ball, my flippers die and I look up and I tilted and I turn around and I look at a sea of people just going, Oh, because you can't, you can't vocalize. You can't coach when you're playing. Um, but everyone was just like, Jack, calm the frick down. I was grooving so hard. I was shaking the machine and I did not even notice that I was getting tilt warnings. Uh, that's the last time I've played with music going on in my head. It's just, yeah, you need to be aware of what's happening. I don't know. Uh, what is your, uh, shoe size? Okay. And it's 13. Uh, describe the pinball hobby in one word. Oh man. Uh, that's tough. Uh, like mysterious enigmatic, right? I guess that means mysterious or like hard to pinball pinballs all over the place. You know, there's great players. There's toxic people. There's awesome history. There's amazing people that it has everything. It has everything And if we didn have everything it wouldn be this hobby you know And I love everything about it Yeah I I love cheering people on I love helping people Uh I I don know Enigmatic. Let me get closer to the microphone. Enigmatic. Spell it. E and then enigmatic after it. I don't know. Okay. All right. The final question here, folks, are you ready? Drum roll. I'm going to add that in. Oh, also do a lower third here at the bottom. saying I'm an international pinball sensation. Star wipe. Where do you see the pinball hobby in the next five to ten years? That also is a tough one, because pinball is a physical, tangible game, and things have been moving away from that for a long time and continue to get even more and more digital as things go on. Pinball will always be here, absolutely. And I think with advancements in technology and the prices of technology going down, we're going to see so many new innovations coming out in pinball machines where, you know, like P3, you know, it's like half digital, half physical. I think we're going to start seeing a lot more of that type of thing happening. More magnets. I don't think pinball is going to go away. I do think we're going to see a much larger surge of the fully digital stuff. I'm actually surprised you don't see like virtual cabinets on location because there's like no maintenance there, you know. also you know dead flip when I'm when I'm mayor of Chicago and then you know progress on to be the the ruler of the United States you know pinball is going to be enforced in every household where you have to play 15 minutes a day much like Stern does now it's going to be great you know all hail Jack Danger I love you guys have a wonderful wonderful time thank you so much to This Week in Pinball for thinking about me and introducing me to a whole new news outlet. You know, they're killing it. So many podcasts and like streams and stuff like that. Look to This Week in Pinball for the legwork that they're putting in. And we can't thank you enough for your contribution to this hobby. And yeah, again, thank you so much. And I love you. And you're great. And go play pinball. And yeah, I love you. Goodbye. How do I turn this off? Mom? Hello? Stop.

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: 4d1137e9-2c54-41e9-af5c-9446b0552a32*