# TOKEN GAME TAVERN **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2018-01-28 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2018/01/28/token-game-tavern --- ## Analysis Token Game Tavern is a newly opened barcade in Knoxville, TN (opened early December 2017) featuring a curated selection of pinball machines, classic arcade games, board games, and food service. The venue houses six pinball machines as of January 2018, including recent releases like Stern's Star Wars and Aerosmith, Chicago Gaming's Attack from Mars Remake, and Jersey Jack's The Hobbit. The location emphasizes family-friendly gaming, excellent machine maintenance, and community gathering with themed artwork and special event hosting. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Token Game Tavern opened in early December 2017 — _Since the grand opening of Token Game Tavern in early December, a few pin games have been swapped out_ - [HIGH] All pinball machines in the venue were in excellent condition and played extremely well — _All of the pin games that we played were in excellent condition and played extremely well_ - [HIGH] Extra ball and free game thresholds were set generously, even on the newest games — _I felt that extra ball and free game thresholds were set a bit generous- even on the very newest games_ - [HIGH] Token Game Tavern is one of the few locations in North America with Killer Queen arcade game — _Token is one of the few locations in North America that currently has Killer Queen by Indiecade_ - [HIGH] The venue is family-friendly and attracts millennials with their children — _Token proudly boasts that they are family-friendly and we did see a few millennials with their offspring in tow_ ### Notable Quotes > "We are told that good dogs go to the Rainbow Bridge after their time on earth; Terri and I believe that we have found the Rainbow Bridge for the geeks still on planet Earth." > — **Pinball News reviewer**, introduction > _Poetic framing of the venue as a paradise for gaming enthusiasts; establishes reviewer's positive sentiment toward the location._ > "All of the pin games that we played were in excellent condition and played extremely well." > — **Pinball News reviewer**, machine quality section > _Direct endorsement of machine maintenance standards, key criterion for arcade venue quality._ > "It seems to be the new and hip place for the 20-30 something crowd in the Knoxville area." > — **Pinball News reviewer**, closing observations > _Community positioning and demographic appeal assessment._ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Token Game Tavern | organization | Barcade venue in Knoxville, TN; opened early December 2017; features pinball machines, arcade games, board games, food service | | Knoxville, TN | location | City where Token Game Tavern is located; at 213 N Seven Oaks Drive | | Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Aerosmith, Game of Thrones, and Star Wars machines in the venue | | Chicago Gaming Company | company | Manufacturer of Attack from Mars Remake in the venue | | Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer of The Hobbit machine in the venue | | Bally | company | Manufacturer of Scared Stiff (1996) vintage machine in the venue | | Pinball News | organization | Publication that conducted the venue review | | Aerosmith | product | Stern pinball machine (2017) in the venue | | Attack from Mars Remake | product | Chicago Gaming pinball machine (2017) in the venue | | Game of Thrones | product | Stern pinball machine (2016) in the venue | | Star Wars | product | Stern pinball machine (2017) in the venue | | The Hobbit | product | Jersey Jack pinball machine (2016) in the venue | | Scared Stiff | product | Bally pinball machine (1996) vintage title in the venue | | Killer Queen | product | Ten-player (5v5) strategy arcade game by Indiecade at the venue; noted as rare in North America | | Indiecade | company | Developer/publisher of Killer Queen arcade game | ### Topics - **Primary:** Barcade venue design and atmosphere, Pinball machine selection and maintenance, Recent Stern and Chicago Gaming pinball releases - **Secondary:** Multi-game arcade venues and community spaces, Location-based pinball game settings and configurations, Family-friendly gaming venues ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.92) — Reviewer expresses strong enthusiasm for the venue through poetic opening framing ('Rainbow Bridge'), consistent praise of machine condition, cleanliness, service, and game selection. No criticisms noted beyond minor observations about generous thresholds. Conclusion recommends the venue highly. ### Signals - **[event_signal]** Token Game Tavern hosts birthday parties and special events with custom packages; positions itself as a community gathering space for 20-30 something demographic in Knoxville area (confidence: high) — Token hosts birthday parties and special events; they have a number of packages available or will work with you to set up something custom just for your group - **[market_signal]** January 2018 snapshot of Stern's recent pinball releases (Aerosmith, Star Wars, Game of Thrones) in active location rotation, indicating strong market presence and operator adoption (confidence: high) — Venue contains Stern Aerosmith (2017), Star Wars (2017), and Game of Thrones (2016), all recent releases as of January 2018 --- ## Transcript Date: January 2018 Location: 213 N Seven Oaks Drive, Knoxville, TN 37922, USA Games: Aerosmith (Stern, 2017) Attack from Mars Remake (Chicago Gaming, 2017) Game of Thrones (Stern, 2016) Scared Stiff (Bally, 1996) Star Wars (Stern, 2017) The Hobbit (Jersey Jack, 2016) We are told that good dogs go to the Rainbow Bridge after their time on earth; Terri and I believe that we have found the Rainbow Bridge for the geeks still on planet Earth. ![Token Game Tavern's exterior](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/token-game-tavern/03-token-game-tavern.jpg) Token Game Tavern’s exterior Token Game Tavern is a very new barcade in the Knoxville, TN area. It is located in a very common-looking strip mall and the exterior is very low-key and unassuming; once you walk inside that all changes. ![Inside Token Game Tavern](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/token-game-tavern/07-token-game-tavern.jpg) Inside Token Game Tavern The first thing that I noticed were the colorful sci-fi and fantasy posters, neatly-framed mind you, on the walls. There is also some attractive original game-inspired artwork painted on the wall that is the backdrop for the bar. ![Custom artwork behind the bar with more on the walls above the machines](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/token-game-tavern/04-token-game-tavern.jpg) Custom machines Token offers a great selection of sandwiches, snacks and full meals at very reasonable prices. One of the items to note on their menu are the ‘slider dogs’ available in six different styles. Daily food and drink specials as well as high scores are posted proudly on the large chalkboard near the bar. Token is one of the few locations in North America that currently has Killer Queen by Indiecade, which is a ten-player (five vs five) strategy video game. There are many other stand-alone and networked video games such as the four-player Pac-Man. ![Killer Queen](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/token-game-tavern/05-token-game-tavern.jpg) Killer Queen ![Four-player Pac-Man](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/token-game-tavern/01-token-game-tavern.jpg) Four-player Pac-Man If you are sitting at the bar you are invited to play complementary classic video console games on the large screen TV’s on the wall behind the bar. Super Mario Kart (Nintendo) seemed to be the most popular when we were visiting. If you are reading this, it’s likely that you are the most interested in the bank of pinballs located in prime real estate near the board gaming area. ![The pinball selection on this visit](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/token-game-tavern/08-token-game-tavern.jpg) The pinball selection on this visit Since the grand opening of Token Game Tavern in early December, a few pin games have been swapped out and others have taken their place. The listing at the beginning of this site review was current as of 24 January 2018. ![The pinballs](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/token-game-tavern/11-token-game-tavern.jpg) The pinballs All of the pin games that we played were in excellent condition and played extremely well. I felt that extra ball and free game thresholds were set a bit generous- even on the very newest games. We also found some pin games with credits on them which was an unexpected bonus. ![The artwork above the games](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/token-game-tavern/09-token-game-tavern.jpg) More artwork above the games There is a area set aside near the front for playing board games and card games. Token has a good selection of games available to play and you are also welcome to bring your own if you want. ![Games people play](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/token-game-tavern/02-token-game-tavern.jpg) Games people play Token hosts birthday parties and special events; they have a number of packages available or will work with you to set up something custom just for your group. Token proudly boasts that they are family-friendly and we did see a few millennials with their offspring in tow. It seems to be the new and hip place for the 20-30 something crowd in the Knoxville area. We are considering a part-year move to the immediate area and will be regulars at Token if we do. ![Play games at the bar or this Action Soccer from Great American](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/token-game-tavern/10-token-game-tavern.jpg) Play American Overall we would highly-rate Token Game Tavern because of their excellent customer service, cleanliness and selection of games. If you are in the area, I would say that you can have a great night out at Token at a budget price. _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: e12a3fca-5a4f-4182-9fb9-608b27803937*