# I'm Guilty... **Source:** Cary Hardy **Type:** video **Published:** 2022-12-21 **Duration:** 5m 32s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTtAPpBlADk --- ## Analysis Cary Hardy confesses to converting his World Cup Soccer pinball machine's GI (general illumination) lighting to purple using cheap single-SMD LEDs, which he now masks with PIN Stadium lighting to improve the game's appearance. He uses this as a teaching moment for the community about poor LED conversion choices, demonstrating the dramatic visual difference between the purple GI and corrected lighting, while acknowledging that many enthusiasts likely make similar mistakes. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Cary Hardy's World Cup Soccer has approximately 90% of its GI converted to purple using cheap single-SMD LEDs — _Direct admission with visual evidence shown in video; speaker explicitly states 'over 90% of my GI is purple'_ - [HIGH] PIN Stadium lighting makes such a dramatic difference that it masks poor underlying GI work — _Visual demonstration showing World Cup Soccer with and without PIN Stadium; Cary states 'that is the make or break between making one of my games look horrible'_ - [HIGH] Cary receives compliments at Texas Pinball Festival for World Cup Soccer's appearance despite the poor GI underneath — _Direct statement: 'I get compliments every year at Texas Pinball Festival on how great my game looks'_ - [HIGH] The purple LEDs used were substandard even for purple, as they were inexpensive single-SMD components — _Cary explains his choice: 'I was just putting like some single SMDs in there I believe... These aren't even the correct versions of purple'_ ### Notable Quotes > "I am guilty of this at one point in time i thought having purple or blue stuff like that changing up the gi color was a good thing" > — **Cary Hardy**, ~1:15 > _Core confession establishing the central theme of the video_ > "Penn Stadiums. Literally. That is the make or break between making one of my games look horrible." > — **Cary Hardy**, ~2:00 > _Demonstrates the transformative impact of sidelighting on masking poor GI work_ > "And every time I disagree, I'm like, it's okay. Because inside my mind, I know that it doesn't look as good as they think it does." > — **Cary Hardy**, ~1:45 > _Reveals the gap between community perception and his own awareness of the underlying issue_ > "over 90% of my GI is purple. And these aren even really good purples either" > — **Cary Hardy**, ~3:30 > _Quantifies the extent of the problem and admits to substandard component choices_ > "It's merely the Penn Stadium that's doing all the work." > — **Cary Hardy**, ~2:15 > _Explicitly credits sidelighting system for visual success rather than underlying restoration work_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Cary Hardy | person | Content creator and pinball enthusiast; hosts video discussing his own LED conversion mistakes | | World Cup Soccer | game | Pinball machine owned by Cary Hardy that has been converted with purple GI lighting, masked by PIN Stadium sidelighting | | Dirty Harry | game | Pinball machine referenced at beginning of video as example of community member with problematic LED conversion | | PIN Stadium | product | Sidelighting system used by Cary Hardy to mask poor GI conversion work; demonstrated as transformative for game appearance | | Texas Pinball Festival | event | Annual event where Cary Hardy displays World Cup Soccer and receives compliments on its appearance | ### Topics - **Primary:** LED conversion mistakes and poor GI lighting choices, Sidelighting systems as masking solutions for underlying restoration issues, Community standards and aesthetic judgment in pinball customization - **Secondary:** PIN Stadium effectiveness and value proposition, Confessions and community accountability in pinball hobby ### Sentiment **Mixed** (0.55) — Cary presents a self-deprecating, humorous confession (positive community engagement tone) but underlying message is critical of poor LED conversion practices and his own past choices. The humor and honesty create positive sentiment, but the admission of substandard work and use of workarounds to mask failures introduces negative undertones about craftsmanship and authenticity. ### Signals - **[community_signal]** Cary Hardy's confession suggests widespread community problem with poor LED GI conversions, particularly monochromatic color choices that compromise playfield aesthetics (confidence: medium) — Cary explicitly invites others to confess: 'I cannot be the only one who has done their GI in a completely off-white color like purple green or whatever. Fess up guys.' Also references Facebook post of another player with purple GI as triggering common complaint. - **[market_signal]** PIN Stadium sidelighting appears to have significant value proposition for masking LED conversion mistakes, potentially driving adoption among hobbyists with problematic GI work (confidence: medium) — Cary identifies PIN Stadium as essential for World Cup Soccer's visual appeal; describes it as 'make or break' factor; suggests it as primary solution for others with similar issues - **[product_concern]** Community perception of game quality may be significantly influenced by sidelighting systems that mask underlying restoration/conversion issues rather than actual craftsmanship (confidence: high) — Dramatic visual difference demonstrated between World Cup Soccer with and without PIN Stadium; Cary receives consistent compliments despite poor GI work being masked by sidelighting system --- ## Transcript Merely moments ago, someone posted this picture of their Dirty Harry on Facebook. And granted, you might notice that it has a particular dominant color throughout. And without a doubt, this individual was very excited about their newest LED conversion. They were honestly what looks to be proud. Or it could be a giant troll for the fellow pinball enthusiasts, because this is a big trigger for a lot of us out there. Now obviously it's your game, you can do what you want with it, but whenever you put it out there for the rest of us to look at and publicly be able to say what we want, especially when it's covered in purple... I need help! I had a dream it would end this way. Now what if I told you that I'm honestly guilty guys. I am guilty of something. Nothing actually in violation of like you know law, but maybe the unwritten pinball law. What if I told you that one of my games back here has nothing but purple GI Would you believe me By looking back here and by me going over my games what have i told you that one of them is completely purple gi i say completely but not the slingshots i am guilty of this at one point in time i thought having purple or blue stuff like that changing up the gi color was a good thing now you can fix this or you can mask it like i did am doing. PinStadiums. Literally. That is the make or break between making one of my games look horrible. And that game is my World Cup soccer. And I get compliments every year at Texas Pinball Festival on how great my game looks. And every time I disagree, I'm like, it's okay. Because inside my mind, I know that it doesn't look as good as they think it does. It's merely the Penn Stadium that's doing all the work. So here is my World Cup soccer all lit up, and it looks pretty good, right? Everything can be seen. You can see all the colors on the playfield. And then let's disconnect the Penn Stadium. Major difference, huh? As you can see, as I pan over this playfield that I'd say over 90% of my GI is purple. And these aren even really good purples either This is when I was really cheap on the LEDs back in the day and I was just putting like some single SMDs in there I believe So these aren't even the correct versions of purple, even if I was to do purple GI again. And let's plug the Penn Stadium back in. Night and day difference. No, this was not a promotion video for PinStadiums. That's not what it is. It's merely showing you what I've done to mask my inadequacy when it comes to lighting that game. Now, someday I plan on taking everything apart again and redoing the GI whenever I do a complete restore on that game. But as of right now, I don't really need to because evidently no one notices. So for those of you out there that have completely done their game in like purple or blue or whatever GI, you have a couple of options. One, live with it, enjoy it, it's your game, do what you please. Second option, get you a set of PinStadiums. I say like it's nothing, they are a little expensive, but they're going to save you a lot of work on having to do a teardown of all the plastics and put in a cool white or a warm white GI. Or completely tear down the top side of your game and redo the GI It it whatever you want to do but I just wanted to share this with you guys because i been there i done it i guilty of it i mean i the proof is in the pudding guys i've done it it's there don't think that i've never posted a picture of a game of mine back in the day and been what i thought was to be proud of it like excited check out what i did and without missing a beat i got the feedback and no this was not a promotional video for PinStadiums it's merely just to show you that hey I've been there I've done it it's still currently there I've merely covered it up with Penn Stadium now I cannot be the only one who has done their GI in a completely off-white color like purple green or whatever. Fess up guys. Let me know in the comments down below if you are in fact guilty of such thing. Confess. _(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 7f61059e-f8f3-4807-8cc8-41012c1b19e7*