Ian Jacoby is the founder, owner, editor-in-chief, and publisher of Nudge Magazine, a pinball industry publication and media brand. He is a multi-talented creative professional with a background in music (as a songwriter and singer in indie rock band Larks) and fiction writing (Master's degree), who has transitioned into pinball journalism and cultural commentary. Beyond his editorial role, Jacoby serves as co-host of the NudgeCast podcast and is an accomplished photographer whose film camera work has shaped the magazine's visual identity. He has become a prominent voice in pinball culture, known for substantive commentary on games and the community.
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Transformers playfield layout is original and doesn't heavily copy other modern Stern designs
Stern is defining itself by prioritizing code and layout quality over mechanical toy complexity
The community is not properly recognizing the quality of Star Wars: Fall of the Empire
Pokemon pinball does not feature Han Solo
Friend who introduced Joe and Jamey at Expo October 2024
Pinball community member selected for Stern factory media tour
Founder/editor of Nudge Magazine; pinball community media figure; author of article proposing manufacturer adoption of homebrew incubation model; podcast co-host (NudgeCast)
Introduced Jamie to Ralph, facilitating the connection that led to the JBS Show roundtable formation.
Editor-in-chief and publisher of Nudge Magazine; co-host of Nudgecast; pinball industry insider; Devil's advocate role in discussing game criticism
Writer for Nudge Magazine, casual pinball player, author of this analysis piece
No linked glossary terms
There is a Mynoch multiball available on premium editions of Star Wars: Fall of the Empire
Spike 3 sound and light technology is utilized better in Star Wars: Fall of the Empire than in other games released on that platform
Star Wars: Fall of the Empire will never be a good tournament choice
Star Wars: Fall of the Empire is superior to Data East Star Wars as a pinball game
The game's fan layout is specifically designed for single-player-focused, long-duration play
Current location traffic is heavily focused on Pokemon and Transformers pinball machines
Harry Potter is the 2025 game of the year despite AI art controversy
Evil Dead will likely be the frontrunner for 2025 GOTY in Twippies voting
Dune code was broken at launch with non-functional scoring and unintended ball saves
Winchester Mystery House code was polished at launch without the issues present in Dune
Carl D'Angelo is the designer of Winchester Mystery House
Jeff Dodson kept Winchester Mystery House secret despite staying at Ian's house
Boutique manufacturers prioritize game flow and uniqueness over rapid production, avoiding Stern's high-volume criticism
George Gomez confirmed computer keyboard switches were used in Pinball 2000 action buttons for reliability over traditional leaf/opto switches
Star Wars Episode I is a beautiful piece of art aesthetically and represents the twilight of the Williams era as a 'capstone'
The entire situation represents a 'series of failures' in oversight, QA, and accountability rather than a single malicious act
We are living in a very good time for pinball creatively
Dune's punch-glass replay feature and day/night cycle mechanic represent novel innovations in pinball design
Johnny Pinball Crapman's apron art on Dune integrates Arabic/Sanskrit-inspired sandworm mural from the film
Mad Pinball provides exceptional customer service including rapid problem resolution and replacement procedures
Keith Elwin is the greatest pinball player of all time
King Kong pinball is scheduled to release in April
There is a rumored King Kong pinball machine coming soon from Stern designed by Keith Elwin
Portal had a 10-minute ball time making it a long-playing game
MGC pinball tournament has grown from 60 to 90+ participants year-over-year
Barrels of Fun is running factory tours to reveal an unreleased game
Stern is positioning King Kong's April release to compete strategically with Harry Potter pinball
Stern has another game releasing in approximately one week
Evil Dead is Spooky Pinball best overall game, surpassing The Crying Dead Man
Evil Dead is Spooky Pinball's best game overall, despite Bug favoring TCM personally.
Turner Pinball's Chris Turner acquired Deep Root Pinball assets during their financial collapse and auction.
Ian Jacoby chooses to play Evil Dead approximately twice as often as D&D at Lit Pinball Bar.
Merlin's Arcade from Turner Pinball is their best game and represents top-tier industry quality
Spooky Pinball completely sold out Evil Dead production at TPF with 25 units to distributor
Chris Turner founded Turner Pinball using assets acquired from Deep Root Pinball auction
Ian prefers playing Evil Dead to Stern's D&D at his local venue at approximately 2:1 ratio
Cuphead is the most vibrant and coolest game American Pinball has ever produced
Godzilla's popularity as IP has increased because the pinball game is so good
Barrels of Fun will likely be King Kong as its theme
Portal is coming out for P3 and will be the best P3 game released
Evil Dead has visual appeal in person that exceeds video documentation
Cuphead is the best game American Pinball has ever made
King Kong is 85% likely to be the next Stern game based on licensing evidence
Some manufacturer leaks are intentional marketing strategies
Manual plungers are the foundational mechanic players learn before flipper control
American Pinball staff are working on Cuphead with inadequate compensation
American Pinball staff are working on Cuphead essentially unpaid
Game leaks may be intentional marketing strategies by manufacturers
Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest Stern machines with exemplary use of film audio and IP integration
LCD screens have limited playfield creativity in modern pinball design and make games screen-dependent rather than mechanical-focused
D&D is the most home-buyer focused game Stern has ever made
Ian visited Stern Pinball HQ for a media day to preview Dungeons & Dragons
D&D features an 8-ball multi-ball mode that can escalate to 6-7 balls flying around
The D&D shield mechanic auto-aims shots when the ball rests against it and flippers are slapped
D&D is the most home-buyer focused game Stern has ever made due to its code update features and character progression
Ian would rank D&D as Brian Eddy's 3rd best game, behind The Shadow (#1) and Medieval Madness (#2)
Chicago's pinball league tournament had 105 players and averages 70-90 players
A giant mallet prop was observed in restricted areas at Stern HQ, potentially indicating Donkey Kong game in development
D&D scoring was unbalanced during media day with players hitting 5-6 billion points casually
Brian Eddy worked on PsyOps 3: Mindgate Conspiracy video game before returning to pinball
Chicago pinball league tournaments average 70-90 participants
The next unannounced Stern game might be Donkey Kong based on a giant mallet spotted in the facility
D&D scores during media preview were broken, with players reaching 5-6 billion points, and designer acknowledged this was unbalanced
D&D features 8 balls in active play, which is a lot for a pinball game
The shield mechanic auto-aims the ball up a ramp when the player hits the flipper with the ball resting against the shield
Brian Eddy designed the dragon mech by engineering backwards from the desired ball-ejection outcome
If D&D had released during the pandemic, it would have been a huge game commercially
The Shadow is the best Brian Eddy-designed game, followed by Medieval Madness
Ian Jacoby currently owns seven pinball machines and is out of space in his game room
Manufacturers should adopt Saddle Creek Records-style incubation model for homebrew designers, including small-batch commercial production (100-200 units) of niche-themed games
Nudge Magazine contributors are compensated minimally or not at all and work primarily for love of pinball
Nudge's Twippy Awards timeline article was their biggest public reaction piece and was recognized as journalism
Pinball machines are artistic expressions equivalent to books or movies
MGC (Midwest Gaming Classic) attracts over 30,000 people across four days
Elizabeth Weinberg is a photographer who shoots for Vogue and LA Times and is a tournament director in LA
Metallica pinball has uninspired artwork that looks like eighth grade notebook drawings
All Nudge photography is shot on film rather than digital
Nudge Magazine was founded during COVID as an outlet for pinball thinking while moving to Detroit
Ian's primary inspiration for Nudge's aesthetic was 1990s skateboarding magazine Big Brother
Women contributors and participants in pinball culture are underserved by manufacturers who treat pinball as 1970s-era male space
Co-host and editor-in-chief of Nudge Magazine, pinball enthusiast, currently in Las Vegas
Photographer at Nudge Magazine whose film photography work inspired Kineticist's use of disposable cameras at the mixer
Editor-in-chief and publisher of Nudge Magazine, co-host of Nudgecast; visited Stern Pinball media day and played early version of D&D
Editor-in-chief and publisher of Nudge Magazine; co-host of Nudgecast; pinball community journalist and media figure
Editor-in-chief and publisher of Nudge Magazine; co-host of Nudgecast; played Pokemon, Winchester Mystery House, and Beetlejuice
Editor-in-chief and publisher of Nudge Magazine, co-host of NudgeCast podcast (Doc Monday)
Editor-in-chief and publisher of Nudge Magazine; co-host of Nudgecast; has signed NDA about Barrels of Fun game
Co-host of NudgeCast, editor-in-chief and publisher of Nudge Magazine; knowledgeable about pinball culture and competitive play.
Editor-in-Chief and publisher of Nudge Magazine; co-host of Nudgecast; also known as DocMonday
Editor-in-chief and publisher of Nudge Magazine; co-host of NudgeCast; owns 7 pinball machines including Metallica Remastered LE
Editor-in-chief and publisher of Nudge Magazine; co-host of Nudgecast; attended MGC 2024 and played The Portal, obtained exclusive King Kong rumor
Editor-in-chief and publisher of Nudge Magazine; co-host of Nudgecast; attended Twippies; spoke extensively with Barrels of Fun team; provided emotional support to Kaneda post-meltdown.
Editor-in-chief and publisher of Nudge Magazine; co-host of Nudgecast; location pinball player; creator of 'Budge the Nudge' concept
Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Nudge Magazine, co-host of NudgeCast, passionate game analyst and industry observer
Contributor to Nudge magazine; recommended Avatar video for reaction segment but recommendation was vague and unhelpful; hosts jokingly question his judgment.
Associated with Nudge Magazine; served as man-on-the-street interviewer at Twippies; praised for performance
Founder/editor of Nudge Magazine; attended factory event
Co-host/producer at Twippies event; involved in post-event debrief planning for improvements
Founder and editor of Nudge Magazine; pinball player and content creator; photographer and writer
Sideline reporter for the 2024 Pinball Community Awards, editor/content creator at Nudge Magazine
Editor-in-chief of Nudge Magazine, guest defender of SW:E1, author of controversial article comparing Data East and Stern Star Wars games
Nudge Magazine founder; co-hosting new Nudge Cast podcast with Shane (Silverstein lead singer); five episodes released
Nudge Magazine photographer whose film camera work inspired the disposable camera concept; credited for photos at the first Media Mixer and current event
Editor-in-chief and publisher of Nudge Magazine; NudgeCast co-host; pinball journalist and cultural commentator
Introduced Retro Ralph and Jamie Burchill at 2024 Expo
Co-host of Nudgecast/Nudge Magazine podcast; attending media day event
Owner and creator of Nudge Magazine. Previously songwriter and singer in indie rock band Larks. Master's degree in fiction writing. Uses persona 'Doc Monday' in early issues.