# NORTHWEST PINBALL & ARCADE SHOW 2018: SATURDAY **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2018-06-09 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2018/06/09/northwest-pinball-arcade-show-2018-3 --- ## Analysis Coverage of Saturday at the 2018 Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show in Tacoma, Washington, featuring heavy attendance, multiple seminars on WPC systems and pinball art history, tournaments, vendor activities, and entertainment including a Family Feud game show hosted by Stern software engineers Dwight Sullivan and Corey Stup. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Dwight Sullivan worked at Williams Pinball starting in 1989 on games including Terminator 2, High Speed 2, and Star Trek: The Next Generation — _Article states his work history explicitly in seminar description_ - [HIGH] Dwight Sullivan joined Stern Pinball in 1999 after Williams' pinball division closed and stayed until 2008 — _Direct biographical statement in article_ - [HIGH] Dwight Sullivan returned to Stern in 2014 and has led software design for Game of Thrones and Star Wars — _Explicit statement about his role and games designed_ - [HIGH] Corey Stup has worked at Stern since 2015 designing and programming software with Dwight Sullivan — _Direct biographical information in article_ - [HIGH] Greg Freres cited Roy Parker's backglass artwork for Daisy May as inspiration for his backglass on Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons — _Direct quote from Greg Freres seminar content_ ### Notable Quotes > "how to appease your spouse when buying yet another game" > — **Audience member at 'Getting into Pinball' seminar**, Saturday afternoon seminar > _Reflects common challenge faced by pinball collectors balancing hobby with household relationships_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show 2018 | event | Annual pinball and arcade convention held June 8-10, 2018 in Tacoma, WA | | Dwight Sullivan | person | Stern Pinball software engineer and designer; worked at Williams 1989-1999, rejoined Stern 2014-present; designed Game of Thrones and Star Wars | | Corey Stup | person | Stern Pinball software designer and programmer since 2015; works with Dwight Sullivan | | Greg Freres | person | Pinball artist with 40 years in art business; designed backglass for Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons | | Victor Tan | person | Seminar speaker on WPC pinball control systems and collector panel member | | David Shoemaker | person | Seminar speaker on WPC general illumination systems and troubleshooting | | Dave Okert | person | Seminar speaker on WPC systems and general illumination problems | | Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; had four games displayed at show: The Wizard of Oz, The Hobbit, Dialed In!, Pirates of the Caribbean | | Seattle Pinball Museum | organization | Museum operator hosting Jersey Jack Pinball machines at the show | | Marco Specialties | company | Pinball parts distributor with busy vendor booth at the show | | Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; software engineers present at show; promoted latest games | | Williams Pinball | company | Historic pinball manufacturer; Dwight Sullivan worked there 1989-1999 before division closure | | Ray Acevedo | person | Experienced pinball collector on 'Getting into Pinball' panel | | Sandi LiSanti | person | Experienced pinball collector on 'Getting into Pinball' panel | | Armand LiSanti | person | Experienced pinball collector on 'Getting into Pinball' panel | ### Topics - **Primary:** Event coverage and show operations, Pinball seminars and education - **Secondary:** WPC (Williams Pinball Computer) systems maintenance, Pinball art and design history, Collector acquisition and ownership advice, Stern software engineering and game development, Tournament competition ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Article conveys enthusiasm about show attendance, vendor activity, game popularity, and educational seminars; positive tone throughout with descriptive language about crowds and engagement ### Signals - **[event_signal]** Educational seminars on WPC systems maintenance and pinball art history attract collector audience (confidence: high) — Multiple seminars documented: WPC control systems (Victor Tan, David Shoemaker, Dave Okert), Greg Freres 40-year art retrospective, 'Getting into Pinball' collector Q&A panel - **[event_signal]** Major pinball show with strong Saturday attendance, multiple seminars, tournaments, and vendor presence (confidence: high) — Explicit coverage of 2018 NWPAS with detailed descriptions of crowds, seminars, tournaments, and vendor activity including Jersey Jack, Marco Specialties, and Stern presence - **[personnel_signal]** Dwight Sullivan confirmed as lead software designer for Stern's Game of Thrones and Star Wars (confidence: high) — Article explicitly states: 'he had lead the software design of title such as Game of Thrones and Star Wars' after returning to Stern in 2014 --- ## Transcript Date: 8th-10th June, 2018 Location: Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, 1500 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402, USA Saturday at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Centre has always been the busiest of the three show days, and the crowd outside the main hall at opening time certainly suggested this year would be no different. ![Awaiting the opening of the doors](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/201-nwpas-2018.jpg) Awaiting the opening of the doors The doors were actually opened early to help clear the area, but queues for the registration desk soon built. ![The queue for show registration](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/202-nwpas-2018.jpg) The queue for show registration ![Show guides, Skill Shot zines, postcards and stickers at the registration desk](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/200-nwpas-2018.jpg) Show desk There was a new stand in the lobby on Saturday, replacing the Comics4Kids table. ![Face painting was available for the kids on Saturday](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/203-nwpas-2018.jpg) Face painting was available for the kids on Saturday ![Benny's Spaceship Adventure in Lego by Renegade Bricks.](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/204-nwpas-2018.jpg) Benny’s Spaceship Adventure in Lego by Renegade Bricks ![The notice board was filling up with games and parts wanted or for sale](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/205-nwpas-2018.jpg) The noticeboard sale Inside the hall, the Seattle Pinball Museum stand was hosting the four Jersey Jack Pinball machines; The Wizard of Oz, The Hobbit, Dialed In! and Pirates of the Caribbean. ![Jersey Jack Pinball games on the Seattle Pinball Museum stand](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/207-nwpas-2018.jpg) Jersey stand ![Red Floor Arcade had their Multi-Arcade Builder games for sale](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/206-nwpas-2018.jpg) Red sale ![Pinball Bulbs had arrived and set up their stand](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/235-nwpas-2018.jpg) Pinball Bulbs had arrived and set up their stand ![At the back of the hall, the Holodeck VR zone was getting busy](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/208-nwpas-2018.jpg) At busy ![Hercules was in constant demand too](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/209-nwpas-2018.jpg) Hercules was in constant demand too ![There was a display of cocktail video games in the central area, but they weren't drawing a crowd early on Saturday](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/210-nwpas-2018.jpg) There weren’t drawing a crowd early on Saturday ![No such problem with the pinballs though](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/211-nwpas-2018.jpg) No such problem with the pinballs though ![DMD pinballs were very popular](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/213-nwpas-2018.jpg) DMD pinballs were very popular ![More modern pinballs getting constant use](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/216-nwpas-2018.jpg) More modern pinballs getting constant use With so many games and so much play, the game medics were kept busy. ![The central repair zone](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/212-nwpas-2018.jpg) The central repair zone ![Things were also busy at the Marco Specialties parts stand](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/215-nwpas-2018.jpg) Things stand ![Flyers for the latest Stern games and a selection of pinball consumables](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/214-nwpas-2018.jpg) Flyers consumables The first of the day’s seminars begins at 12:30pm and we will be back shortly to report on that. Also, don’t forget you can watch the seminars live at the show website thanks to GeekGamer.TV. ![The seminars area](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/217-nwpas-2018.jpg) The seminars area First up today at 12:30 were Victor Tan, David Shoemaker and Dave Okert who were talking about the Williams WPC pinball control system. ![Dave Okert, Victor Tan and David Shoemaker](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/218-nwpas-2018.jpg) Dave Okert, Victor Tan and David Shoemaker The trio started with a warning about working on a live game due to the high voltages present both in the backbox and in the cabinet. They spoke about the HV interlock switches present on some versions of the WPC system, but not all. Victor then described the different WPC versions, starting with the alphanumeric original system, through WPC with a dot matrix display, the version which uses the two different Fliptronic boards, WPC with the DCS sound system, WPC-S and finally WPC-95. Victor continued by talking about the cable looms which run from between the backbox and the cabinet – four of them for power, lamps, switches and solenoids – before turning to the different switches used, both mechanical and optical, and their uses within the machine. David Shoemaker and Dave Okert returned at 2pm to talk about general illumination problems with the WPC system. ![Dave Okert and David Shoemaker](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/219-nwpas-2018.jpg) Dave Okert and David Shoemaker The general illumination system is notoriously problematic and often results in burned connectors and header pins on the power driver board, so David and Dave described the steps they take to fix existing problems and bulletproof boards so they don’t get burned in future. They examined the various connectors and pins used, and explained how to make your own higher-rated replacement power cable to run from a game’s transformer into the backbox for cases where the original cabling has been burned or stressed. Finally, David talked about his methods for curing game resets caused by low-voltage from a game’s 5V power supply. At 3:30pm, Greg Freres gave his seminar looking back at his forty years in the art business. ![Greg Freres](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/220-nwpas-2018.jpg) Greg Freres Greg spoke about how important first impressions are and what his first impressions were of pinball. He was introduced to pinball through playing pitch and bat baseball coin-op games. He then talked about the people who created pinball artwork before he joined the industry, the techniques they used and those who inspired him in later year. He cited Roy Parker’s backglass artwork for the game Daisy May as inspiration for his backglass on Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons, but also listed many other contemporary pop culture elements as influences on his later work. Saturday’s penultimate seminar was for would-be or new collectors and consisted of a panel of seven experienced pinball buyers and owners. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/221-nwpas-2018.jpg) The ‘Getting into Pinball’ seminar This was a Q&A-based session where questions from the audience included, how to appease your spouse when buying yet another game, where to find pinball repair information (Pinside, PinRepair, PinWiki) and how much you should rely on those sources. ![Victor Tan, Ray Acevedo, Sandi LiSanti, Armand LiSanti and Brian Cady](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/222-nwpas-2018.jpg) Victor Cady ![Sandi, Armand, Brian, Dan Halligan and Patti Okert](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/223-nwpas-2018.jpg) Sandi, Armand, Brian, Dan O’Halligan and Patti Okert Further questions asked if there was a practical limit on the number of machines you could own (there’s always room for one more), and if the panel members have any machines they would never sell. That last question earned a mixed response, with some being totally wed to a certain machine, while others had a lesser commitment to any machine in their collection. To wrap up the 2018 seminar series, Dwight Sullivan and Corey Stup hosted a Family Feud Without The Family game show a 8pm. ![Dwight Sullivan](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/225-nwpas-2018.jpg) Dwight Sullivan ![Corey Stup](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/224-nwpas-2018.jpg) Corey Stup Dwight is a long-time software designer and programmer, starting at Williams Pinball in 1989 where he worked on games such as Terminator 2, High Speed 2 and Star Trek: The Next Generation. In 1999 after Williams’ pinball division closed he joined Stern Pinball where he stayed until 2008. After a period at WMS Gaming, he returned to Stern in 2014 since when he had lead the software design of title such as Game of Thrones and Star Wars. Corey has worked at Stern since 2015, working with Dwight and designing/programming software for the company’s many pinball titles. They played the Family Feud game using topics such as popular pinballs from the ’90s, the first video game you played, popular ’80s video games and the pinball game with the best toy. Dwight was the quizmaster while Corey operated the scoreboard in this special gamer-themed version of the classic TV quiz. ![Playing Family Feud Without The Family](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/226-nwpas-2018.jpg) Playing Family Feud Without The Family After the quiz, Dwight took questions from the audience about the amount of time taken to design a new game, the possibiity of Stern Pinball releasing an unlicensed theme, and the process for developing the software for a new game. Meanwhile in the main hall the tournaments were in full flow. ![Plaques for the tournament winners](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/227-nwpas-2018.jpg) Plaques for the tournament winners The women’s tournament ran late into the night, while the match play tournament’s qualifying rounds continued throughout Saturday, with the play-offs on Sunday. ![Players in the match play tournament](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/228-nwpas-2018.jpg) Players in the match play tournament At 10pm the draw for the daily prize took place at the show desk. Saturday’s prize was a Flash Gordon pinball. ![Saturday's daily prize was Flash Gordon](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/229-nwpas-2018.jpg) Saturday’s daily prize was Flash Gordon ![The crowd waits for the winning ticket to be drawn](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/230-nwpas-2018.jpg) The drawn ![The winning ticket is selected](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/231-nwpas-2018.jpg) The winning ticket is selected ![But oh no, a dinosaur attacks and tries to steal the ticket](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/232-nwpas-2018.jpg) But ticket ![Fortunately the ticket is saved and the lucky winner steps forward to claim their prize](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/233-nwpas-2018.jpg) Fortunately prize ![Dinosaurs might be found roaming the show floor at any time](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/nwpas-2018/234-nwpas-2018.jpg) Dinosaurs time That’s nearly all from the second day of the Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show, but don’t forget you can check out our reports from Thursday and Friday at the main NWPAS page. You can also take a look at our exclusive Twenty-Five Minute Tour video which shows you all around the show, from the registration desk through the hall and back, taking in all the games and vendors. You can see it here or on our YouTube channel. VIDEO _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 5b06a864-ccfa-41b5-a6bc-7eb170b982f6*