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Keith

person12 mentionsFirst seen Feb 24, 2007Last seen Dec 5, 2025

Profile

Keith is a world-class competitive pinball player and game designer who has been active in the pinball industry since at least 2007. He has served as a Stern representative and designer (notably for King Kong: Myth of Terror Island and Jurassic Park), a Jersey Jack Pinball team member and developer, and currently works as a game designer for Barrels of Fun. His roles span competitive play, firmware/software development, rules design, and game design oversight across multiple major manufacturers.

Aliases

No aliases

Relationships

  • works_atJersey Jack PinballSoftware/driver developer; team member involved in firmware development for spinning disc mechanismmedium
  • works_atBarrels of FunGame designer; positioned for competitive play with Carlmedium
  • designedKing Kong: Myth of Terror IslandLead designer and rules designer; directed game design philosophy and tonemedium
  • designedJurassic ParkWorld-class player involved in game design oversight; emphasized T-Rex ball-eating mechanicmedium
  • affiliated_withRoger SharpeCompeted against in head-to-head match as elite competitorsmedium

Facts

  • achievementCompleted original Walking Dead Last Man Standing challenge at 115 zombie killshighfrom 2025
  • achievementRanked #1 world competitive pinball playerhighfrom 2007
  • locationFrom Californiahigh
  • roleDevelopment team lead for King Kong Pinballhighfrom 2025
  • roleWorld-class pinball player involved in Stern Jurassic Park Pinball game design oversighthighfrom 2019
  • roleGame designer for Barrels of Funhighfrom 2025

Claims (9)

  • factualhigh

    Pin Brew Fest is in its 5th year running in April (10-12) with 160+ machines and 8 breweries

    Source: Pin Brew Fest organizer direct statementBDYETP 92: Pinbrew 2025, Cuphead TPF?, So much Alice, Walking Dead Remastered, Original Themes, DnD Impressions
  • factualhigh

    Pin Brew Fest 2024 will have over 100 pinball games with confirmed participation from Stern (30-40 games including 10 Jaws LEs), Spooky, and American Pinball

    Source: BDYETP podcast episode 84BDYETP 84: Princess Bride, Barry’s BBQ, Haggis “recapitalizes,” baby games revisited, JJP Pirates Review
  • factualmedium

    Designer Keith identifies two core playstyle archetypes: explorers (objective-focused) and scorechasers (points-focused)

    Source: Martín Gonzalez (paraphrasing Keith)Ep 111: Pinball Mob War with Martín Gonzalez
  • factual

Recent Mentions (12)

  • Jersey Jack Pinball team member; competitive pinball player described as 'monster'

    Ep 8 - Melissa Reese (Gun N' Roses - Keyboardist)Nov 10, 2020
  • World-class pinball player; now game designer for Barrels of Fun; positioned for friendly competition with Carl

    Episode 30 :: The Electric Bat CastOct 22, 2025
  • Ranked #1 world competitive pinball player; from California; first name only provided

    TOPCast 7: Tech showFeb 24, 2007
  • Development team lead for King Kong; credited with responsive exploit management and code changes

    King Kong Pro v0.85 Gameplay by Stern PinballAug 22, 2025
  • Recipient of King Kong t-shirt from Hardy; encouraged to wear at Expo or send picture

    Ding Dong, Kong is Gone.Oct 7, 2025
  • Competitive pinball player noted as one of few capable of completing original Walking Dead Last Man Standing challenge at 115 zombie kills

    Changing LandscapeDec 5, 2025
  • Second elite competitor in the head-to-head match; former IFPA world champion

Contradictions

  • Existing: Multiple mentions of work with Stern Pinball as designer and player (mentions 1, 3, 5, 8)vsConflicting: Now game designer for Barrels of Fun (mention 10)
    Expert: merged definition Expert: merged definition
    Resolved
    merged · Mar 3, 2026
  • Existing: Lead designer/rules designer for King Kong at Stern Pinball (mention 5, 8)vsConflicting: Software/driver developer at Jersey Jack Pinball developing firmware (mention 2)
    Resolved
    accepted_new · Mar 3, 2026
  • Existing: Keith ranked #1 world competitive pinball player (2007)vsConflicting: Keith described as 'second elite competitor' in head-to-head match with Roger Sharpe (2018)
    Resolved
    kept_existing · Mar 3, 2026

Related Glossary Terms

No linked glossary terms

role
Stern representative
high
from 2018
  • roleLead designer/rules designer for King Kong: Myth of Terror Island Pinballhighfrom 2025
  • medium

    Keith won Finberg 2019 championship over Andre Masenkov after Andre performed well on Guardians but had a bad break on Pinbot

    Source: DerekSan Francisco League Finals - May 10 2023
  • factualhigh

    Keith achieved a $10 million score on The Beatles in the previous day's tournament play

    Source: Crystal Gemnick mentioning tournament recordWomen's Tournament Finals - Pinball Expo 2019
  • factualhigh

    Keith (game designer) removed an exploit that allowed infinite upper playfield access via drop target manipulation

    Source: IE PinballWizard of Oz Pinball - Somewhere Over the Rainbow Wizard Mode Achieved
  • factualmedium

    Keith designed the rule set for Iron Maiden

    Source: Stream reference to 'Keith's rule design'Iron Maiden Pro Tournament Strategy
  • factualhigh

    Keith is ranked 1st in competitive pinball with a significant lead due to strong performances at Papa (4x weighting) and Expo (2x weighting)

    Source: Trent / HostsTOPCast 19: Tech show
  • factuallow

    Keith from California is the number one ranked professional pinball player

    Source: Host responding to question about top rankingsTOPCast 7: Tech show
  • Episode 62 – Roger SharpeOct 1, 2018
  • Stern representative; leads strategy video, discusses rules updates and hints at upcoming announcements

    Iron Maiden Pro Tournament StrategyMay 14, 2018
  • Lead designer/rules designer; directed humorous tone and overall game design philosophy

    The Making of King Kong: Myth of Terror Island PinballNov 7, 2025
  • Pinball player whose Black Knight gameplay Joe watched and analyzed

    Episode 95 – Multiple JackpotsJun 10, 2019
  • World-class pinball player involved in game design oversight; emphasized T-Rex ball-eating mechanic

    The Making of Stern Jurassic Park Pinball! (2019)Nov 5, 2019
  • Software/driver developer at Jersey Jack Pinball; developing firmware for spinning disc mechanism

    Episode 28 – Eric Meunier from Jersey Jack PinballJan 29, 2018