# GAME OF THE YEAR

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2019-03-18  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2019/03/18/game-of-the-year

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## Analysis

Pinball News announced Iron Maiden from Stern Pinball as Game of the Year 2018, winning nearly 40% of reader votes. Mike Vinikour accepted the award on behalf of the Stern team at the Arcade Expo show.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Iron Maiden received nearly 40% of votes in the Pinball News Game of the Year 2018 reader poll — _Direct statement from Pinball News award announcement_
- [HIGH] Iron Maiden was the clear winner of the 2018 Game of the Year voting — _Pinball News explicitly states 'There was one clear winner' regarding Iron Maiden's vote share_
- [HIGH] The award was presented at the Arcade Expo show — _Stated in article: 'At the Arcade Expo show yesterday, Pinball News presented the award'_
- [HIGH] Mike Vinikour accepted the award on behalf of the Stern Pinball team — _Direct statement with photo caption confirmation_

### Notable Quotes

> "There was one clear winner."
> — **Pinball News (author)**
> _Emphasizes the dominant margin of Iron Maiden's victory in the voting_

> "Which game will win the coveted Game of the Year title and trophy for 2019? Only you can decide, by voting in our Review of the Year 2019, published at the end of the year."
> — **Pinball News (author)**
> _Calls to action for future voting and engagement_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Iron Maiden | game | Stern Pinball title that won Pinball News Game of the Year 2018 with nearly 40% of reader votes |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Iron Maiden; accepted award through Mike Vinikour at Arcade Expo |
| Mike Vinikour | person | Stern Pinball representative who accepted the Game of the Year award on behalf of the team |
| Pinball News | organization | Independent pinball media outlet that conducted the Game of the Year 2018 reader poll and presented the award |
| Arcade Expo | event | Show where the Game of the Year award was presented to Stern Pinball |
| Elk Grove Village | location | Location of Stern Pinball factory where Mike Vinikour brought the award |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Game of the Year awards and recognition, Iron Maiden (Stern Pinball) reception and acclaim
- **Secondary:** Community voting and engagement, Pinball industry events and trade shows

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Article celebrates Iron Maiden's achievement and community recognition; tone is congratulatory and encouraging toward future participation

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Pinball News conducted reader voting for Game of the Year, demonstrating active community participation in industry recognition (confidence: high) — Article describes year-end voting mechanism and reader poll results
- **[sentiment_shift]** Iron Maiden's overwhelming 40% vote share indicates strong positive community reception and dominance in 2018 new releases (confidence: high) — Nearly 40% of votes with explicit statement of 'one clear winner' suggests significant margin over competitors

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## Transcript

Earlier this year, as part of our [look back at 2018](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2018/12/31/2018-review-of-the-year/), we invited readers to vote for their favourite new pinball from the previous twelve months.

There was one clear winner.

With nearly 40% of the votes, *Iron Maiden* from Stern Pinball was voted the Pinball News Game of the Year 2018.

At the Arcade Expo show yesterday, Pinball News presented the award to Mike Mike Vinikour from Stern Pinball on behalf of the whole team which worked on the game.

![Mike Mike Vinikour accepts the Pinball News Game of the Year award for Iron Maiden](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/game-of-the-year-2018/01-game-of-the-year-2018-1024x690.jpg)

Mike Mike Vinikour accepts the Pinball News Game of the Year award for Iron Maiden

![The Game of the Year award](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/game-of-the-year-2018/02-game-of-the-year-2018-718x1024.jpg)

The Game of the Year award

Mike has taken the jade crystal award back to the team at the Stern Pinball factory in Elk Grove Village where they are busy developing their next titles.

Which game will win the coveted Game of the Year title and trophy for 2019? Only you can decide, by voting in our Review of the Year 2019, published at the end of the year.

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 83ded10e-3232-4a2b-9507-ce0b55a651bd*