# Replay FX: One of the Greatest Pinball & Arcade Conventions That Ever Was **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2022-07-31 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/replay-fx-one-of-the-greatest-pinball-arcade-conventions-that-ever-was --- ## Analysis A nostalgic retrospective of Replay FX, a historic Pittsburgh pinball and arcade convention that ran before COVID-19 shutdown. The author reflects on attending in 2016 with family, seeing landmark games like Jersey Jack's The Hobbit and Stern's Ghostbusters, and how the event sparked a lasting love for Pittsburgh's pinball culture. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Replay FX was held at Pittsburgh's David L. Lawrence Convention Center — _Direct statement about venue location_ - [HIGH] Pinburgh was at the time, and may still be, the largest pinball tournament in the world — _Author's direct assertion; note the hedging 'may still be' suggests uncertainty about current status_ - [HIGH] COVID ended both Replay FX and Pinburgh — _Stated as definitive cause of event termination_ - [HIGH] Jersey Jack's The Hobbit, Stern's Ghostbusters, and Chicago Gaming's Medieval Madness were brand new or nearly new in 2016 — _Author recalls seeing these as new releases at the 2016 show_ ### Notable Quotes > "Replay FX was a combination of an absolutely enormous gaming convention at Pittsburgh's David L. Lawrence Convention Center and what was at the time, and may still be, the largest pinball tournament in the world, PAPA's Pinburgh." > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Defines the dual nature of Replay FX and establishes it as a major industry event_ > "Sadly COVID ended up taking down both Replay FX and Pinburgh" > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Explains the end of both events, a significant loss to the pinball community_ > "That trip created the love that I have for the city of Pittsburgh that I still have today. It's a great place and a fantastic pinball city." > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Demonstrates the lasting personal and community impact of the event_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Replay FX | event | Historic pinball and arcade convention held in Pittsburgh; combination convention and tournament venue; ended due to COVID-19 | | Pinburgh | event | Professional & Amateur Pinball Association tournament; described as the largest (or among the largest) pinball tournaments in the world; held as part of Replay FX; ended due to COVID-19 | | Pittsburgh | organization | City hosting Replay FX and Pinburgh; described as a 'fantastic pinball city' | | David L. Lawrence Convention Center | organization | Pittsburgh venue that hosted Replay FX convention | | Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; The Hobbit was new/featured at 2016 Replay FX | | Stern Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; Ghostbusters was new/featured at 2016 Replay FX | | Chicago Gaming Company | company | Pinball/arcade manufacturer; Medieval Madness featured at 2016 Replay FX | | The Hobbit | game | Jersey Jack Pinball machine; brand new or nearly new at 2016 Replay FX | | Ghostbusters | game | Stern Pinball machine; brand new or nearly new at 2016 Replay FX | | Medieval Madness | game | Chicago Gaming Company machine; featured at 2016 Replay FX | | Knapp Arcade | person | Article author; attended Replay FX in 2016 with family; documents pinball games and conventions | | PAPA | organization | Professional & Amateur Pinball Association; organizer of Pinburgh tournament | ### Topics - **Primary:** Replay FX event history and legacy, Pinburgh tournament significance, COVID-19 impact on pinball events - **Secondary:** Pittsburgh as pinball hub, Game releases in 2016 era ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Nostalgic, affectionate tone throughout. Author expresses fondness for the event, the games, and Pittsburgh. Sadness about COVID's impact is tempered by appreciation for the memories created. No negative criticism of the event itself. ### Signals - **[community_signal]** Pittsburgh positioned as significant pinball hub with lasting cultural impact on enthusiasts; Replay FX event created enduring affinity for the city within pinball community (confidence: high) — Author states the event 'created the love that I have for the city of Pittsburgh that I still have today' and describes it as 'a fantastic pinball city' - **[event_signal]** Replay FX confirmed as a major historical pinball and arcade convention in Pittsburgh; now defunct due to COVID-19 (confidence: high) — Direct statement that 'COVID ended up taking down both Replay FX and Pinburgh'; article describes it as 'one of the greatest pinball & arcade conventions in history' --- ## Transcript As you can tell from my recent posts, I've always been big into family vacations...particularly road trips. Back in 2016, my family decided to take a summer road trip that was centered around one of the greatest pinball and arcade conventions in history, Pittsburgh's Replay FX. Replay FX was a combination of an absolutely enormous gaming convention at Pittsburgh's David L. Lawrence Convention Center and what was at the time, and may still be, the largest pinball tournament in the world, PAPA's (Professional & Amateur Pinball Association) Pinburgh. Sadly COVID ended up taking down both Replay FX and Pinburgh, but pictures of the trip that my family took to the event popped up in my Facebook memories yesterday. I figured that I'd share them here to give people who were fond of the event a chance to look back and reminisce and those who were never able to go a chance to see what it was all about. A lot of the games that John Youssi in these pictures, such as Jersey Jack's The Hobbit, Stern Pinball's Ghostbusters, and even Chicago Gaming Company's Medieval Madness to a certain extent were brand new at the time. My sons were so little in these pictures. One of them is going off to college in two weeks and the other is in 8th grade. And it was pre-beard, pre-heart surgeries for me. What a great show. That trip created the love that I have for the city of Pittsburgh that I still have today. It's a great place and a fantastic pinball city. Keep in mind that this was back when I was just starting the whole take pictures of games and share them on my Facebook page thing so the quality of the pics isn't what it is today :). Enjoy! _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 52890952-0019-4f5c-abcc-338823b75f32*