Journalist Tool

Kineticist

  • HDashboard
  • IItems
  • ↓Ingest
  • SSources
  • KBeats
  • BBriefs
  • RIntel
  • QSearch
  • AActivity
  • +Health
  • ?Guide

v0.1.0

← All beats

Pinball

/pinball

DashboardKnowledge Base2772IntelligenceTools1SettingsChangelog
← Back to KB

Ryan

person10 mentionsFirst seen May 14, 2018Last seen Aug 27, 2025

Profile

Ryan is a multifaceted figure in the pinball community who has evolved from being a co-host of the Head2Head Pinball podcast (appearing prominently from 2018-2019) to becoming an operator of Pinball Map and a board member of the Austin Pinball Collective. He is known for his technical expertise in pinball mechanics and sound engineering, his participation in competitive tournaments and polls, and his involvement with custom pinball machines. Ryan maintains active involvement in the pinball community through podcast appearances, league play, and collective leadership.

Aliases

No aliases

Relationships

  • ownsQuicksilverCurrently owns Quicksilver; previously co-owned by Bruce and Ronmedium
  • foundedPinball MapRyan is creator/founder of Pinball Map; appears as interview subject in Dirty Pool Podcast and hosts weekly location highlight seriesmedium
  • works_atPinball MapOperator of Pinball Mapmedium
  • affiliated_withAustin Pinball CollectiveBoard membermedium
  • hostsHead2Head Pinball Podcast

Facts

  • achievementOwner of Xenon pinball machinehigh
  • affiliationBoard member of Austin Pinball Collectivehigh
  • affiliationParticipates in local pinball leaguemedium
  • attributeDescribed as shy about podcast appearancesmediumfrom 2025
  • roleAssisting with Barry Alford's final pinball gamehighfrom 2023
  • rolePinball designer at American Pinballhighfrom 2022
  • roleCo-host of Head2Head Pinball podcast

Claims (27)

  • factualhigh

    Barrels of Fun is releasing Winchester Mystery House pinball machine with custom playfield mechanism.

    Source: Direct statement on podcastEp 85: We Know All
  • predictionlow

    Turner Pinball has Merlin's Arcade game in development with more magic and fewer ninjas than Ninja Eclipse.

    Source: Direct statement on podcastEp 85: We Know All
  • factualhigh

    The Bash Locks mechanic was conceived by Ryan to solve modern ruleset incompatibility with classic saucer lock-stealing mechanics

    Source: American Pinball presentersAmerican Pinball Update - 2024
  • factualhigh

    King of the Arcade uses copper wire for ramps and cardboard for ball protectors as material-compromise solutions for rapid prototyping

Recent Mentions (10)

  • Pinball designer at American Pinball hired over a year ago; currently has whitewood in production phase; assisting with Barry Alford's final game

    Ep 125: Fixing the rumors with David FixDec 5, 2023
  • Friend of Scott Larson who owns Iron Maiden Pro; upgraded to Premium after playing comparison at Salt Lake Comic Festival

    Ep 12: Keith Elwin!Jul 1, 2019
  • Head to Head podcast personality; first introduced Josh to Rick and Morty theme concept

    Ep 24: Happy Holidays!Dec 18, 2019
  • Board member of Austin Pinball Collective; owner of Xenon machine that required troubleshooting with Chris

    Dirty Pool Podcast Ep15 – Rebecca Salam on Pinball CollectivesAug 27, 2025
  • Co-host/creator of Stern Battle Royale poll; absent from this episode; advocated for Walking Dead in tournament; now running Ripley's secondary poll

    Episode 91 – Rotordave ReturnsMay 6, 2019
  • Operator of Pinball Map; plays in same league as Dirtypool podcast host. Described as 'a little shy' about podcast appearance.

    Dirty Pool Podcast Ep01 – Kineticist on the State of Pinball News

Contradictions

  • Existing: Ryan is a co-host of Head2Head Pinball podcast (mentions 1, 2, 7)vsConflicting: Mention 5 describes Ryan as Australian owner/operator of a Wonka unit; mention 6 describes Ryan as main gameplay commentator on Iron Maiden; mention 8 describes Ryan as friend of Scott Larson; mention 9 describes Ryan as pinball designer at American Pinball
    Unresolved
  • Existing: Ryan is co-host of Head2Head Pinball podcast (mentions 1, 2, 7)vsConflicting: Mention 4 describes Ryan as 'absent from this episode' in reference to Episode 91, but also describes him as 'Co-host/creator of Stern Battle Royale poll' which is a different role than Head2Head podcast co-host
    Expert: merged definition Expert: merged definition
    Resolved
    merged · Mar 3, 2026
  • Existing: Ryan is operator of Pinball Map and board member of Austin Pinball Collective (mentions 0, 3)vsConflicting: Mention 5 attributes the defective Wonka unit ownership to 'Australian owner/operator' which would be geographically inconsistent with Austin-based operations

Related Glossary Terms

No linked glossary terms

Co-host of podcast (2018-2019)
medium
  • appears_inDirty Pool PodcastParticipant in league and podcast guestmedium
  • high
    from 2018
  • roleCreator/co-host of Stern Battle Royale pollhighfrom 2019
  • roleOperator of Pinball Maphigh
  • statusHas whitewood pinball machine in production phasehighfrom 2023
  • Source: Ryan (King of the Arcade developer/Mike's collaborator)Homebrew Developers Panel - 2024
  • prediction/opinionmedium

    Lack of similar mapping platforms for arcade games is due to high initial setup work required

    Source: Pinball Map co-creatorEpisode 63 - The Pinball Map
  • factualmedium

    Operators sometimes delete and re-add machines to clear negative condition comments

    Source: Pinball Map co-creatorEpisode 63 - The Pinball Map
  • factualmedium

    App and web traffic is roughly 50/50, contrary to expectations of 80% app dominance

    Source: Pinball Map co-creatorEpisode 63 - The Pinball Map
  • factualmedium

    The game has villain mode, henchman mode, and Q Branch mode

    Source: RyanThis could DESTROY MY PARTNERSHIP!
  • factualhigh

    Ryan changed jobs approximately 2.5 years ago to a different urban planning consulting firm

    Source: Ryan#08: Back At It Again At Krispy Kreme
  • factualhigh

    American Pinball now implements overnight burn-in testing on every machine before shipment

    Source: Pintastic New England panel discussionWorking at American Pinball
  • factualhigh

    The driving tank Galactic Tank Force cabinet was powered by a mobility scooter purchased on Craigslist from a construction worker

    Source: Pintastic New England panel discussionWorking at American Pinball
  • factualhigh

    All five target drops share a single reinforced metal bracket rather than being individual off-the-shelf components

    Source: Stream dialogueGalactic Tank Force Gameplay and Reveal!
  • factualhigh

    Engineer Sophia designed a two-part bracket solution addressing both top and bottom playfield reinforcement

    Source: Stream dialogueGalactic Tank Force Gameplay and Reveal!
  • factualhigh

    American Pinball's internal testing over months was insufficient to identify target bracket bending under aggressive play

    Source: Stream dialogueGalactic Tank Force Gameplay and Reveal!
  • factualhigh

    Original game design between flippers included a drop-target mechanism that was later replaced with atomic shield

    Source: Stream dialogueGalactic Tank Force Gameplay and Reveal!
  • factualhigh

    Ryan is a newcomer to pinball and this is his first appearance on Don't Panic Flip

    Source: GeorgeS298: Star Trek (Stern) Pro
  • factualhigh

    Doug Duba updated Medieval Madness LE #1 to match the aesthetic of Monster Bash with RGB LEDs and powder coat trim

    Source: JJP representative commentaryMy 2019 Chicago Pinball Expo Experience Pt. 2
  • factualhigh

    Medieval Madness LE #1 is Doug Duba's personal machine that had been stored in a box at Chicago Gaming for years

    Source: JJP representative commentary at auctionMy 2019 Chicago Pinball Expo Experience Pt. 2
  • opinionmedium

    Star Wars Home Edition looks like it shoots better than the commercial Stern Star Wars machine

    Source: Poor Man's Pinball Podcast Episode 19Episode 19: Jurassic Park round table with guest Josh Siekert
  • factualmedium

    Stern operates only two production lines

    Source: Poor Man's Pinball Podcast Episode 19Episode 19: Jurassic Park round table with guest Josh Siekert
  • factualmedium

    Bram Stoker's Dracula has one of the better Williams playfields after early revision issues were addressed

    Source: Poor Man's Pinball Podcast Episode 19Episode 19: Jurassic Park round table with guest Josh Siekert
  • factualhigh

    George Gomez provided strategy details about Star Wars Home Edition and Stern's distributor relationships via Facebook Messenger

    Source: Poor Man's Pinball Podcast Episode 19Episode 19: Jurassic Park round table with guest Josh Siekert
  • predictionmedium

    The new Pinball Map tile server will be completed within one to two weeks

    Source: discussing server infrastructure timeline#04: Map Or Die
  • factualhigh

    Ghostbusters is the most-located pinball machine on the Pinball Map with 570 machines

    Source: statistics presentation segment#04: Map Or Die
  • factualhigh

    React Native allows write-once, deploy-to-multiple-platforms development approach

    Source: Map Tech segment explanation#04: Map Or Die
  • factualhigh

    The platform has experienced thousands of updates per month across all regions

    Source: Direct quote#01: The Plunge
  • factualhigh

    Pinball Map started as a remade version of an existing Portland pinball map in 2007

    Source: Direct quote#01: The Plunge
  • May 6, 2025
  • Main gameplay commentator; provides detailed technical observations of machine mechanics and code issues

    Episode 43 – Zombie Yeti (Jeremy Packer) interview on Iron MaidenMay 14, 2018
  • Australian owner/operator of defective Wonka unit with multiple issues: playfield chipping, defective pinballs, Gobstopper malfunction

    Episode 108 – LIONMAN!!Sep 9, 2019
  • Co-host of Head2Head Pinball podcast; features prominently on custom machine

    Episode 120 – Ryan and MartyDec 9, 2019
  • Co-host of Head2Head Pinball Podcast; sound engineer perspective; participates in Batphone challenge

    Episode 70 – ROTORDAVE has a better Pinball collection than youNov 19, 2018
  • Resolved
    kept_existing · Mar 3, 2026