Episode 338: Arvid Flygare

Pinball Profile·podcast_episode·14m 58s·analyzed·Mar 5, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.026

TL;DR

Interview with 13yo Swedish pinball prodigy Arvid Flygare, ranked #4 IFPA, Player of Year 2021.

Summary

Pinball Profile interviews Arvid Flygare, a 13-year-old Swedish pinball prodigy ranked #4 in the world who won Player of the Year honors in 2021 and finished top 16 at his first IFPA Major (Indisc). The discussion covers his competitive achievements, learning methods, tournament experiences in Europe, and aspirations to compete at the 2023 IFPA World Championship in Germany. Flygare emphasizes shot-making fundamentals, learning from top streamers and players, and balancing school with competitive pinball travel.

Key Claims

Arvid Flygare is 13 years old and ranked #4 in the world at time of recording
high confidence · Jeff Teolis introduces him as '13 number four in the world at the time of this recording' and later references multiple tournament achievements confirming this ranking
Flygare won IFPA Player of the Month in November and December 2021, leading to Player of the Year honors
high confidence · Jeff explicitly states: 'The Player of the Month November, the Player of the Month in December. Very impressive. That catapulted you to the Player of the Year.'
Flygare finished top 16 in both Classics 1 and 2 divisions at Indisc, and top 16 in the Open (IFPA Major)
high confidence · Jeff: 'He finished in the top 16 in the Open. The IFPA Major, his first one. He finished top 16 in both the Classics 1 and 2.'
Flygare learned pinball from his father starting at age 5, when his father bought him his first machine
high confidence · Arvid: 'he bought my first pinball machine when i was five, so i got to learn pinball from him'
Flygare was born in Massachusetts and retains American citizenship
high confidence · Jeff: 'A little side note, you were actually born in the States' and Arvid confirms 'I was born in Massachusetts' and 'still got my American citizenship, though'
Flygare watches IE Pinball and Deadflip primarily to learn new game rules, taking approximately two weeks to learn a new game well
high confidence · Arvid: 'I like to watch big streamers play the game so i can learn probably like two weeks until i know the game pretty well' and 'IE Pinball, Deadflip. Yeah, that's probably the two streamers that I watch the most'
There's a local arcade near Flygare in Sweden (LPA) approximately 1 kilometer from his home with about 48 games and monthly tournaments
high confidence · Arvid: 'lpa that's near you isn't it yeah one kilometer from where i live they have about 48 games i go there every week to play pinball they have monthly tournaments as well'

Notable Quotes

“you sir have the goods”
Jeff Teolis @ early in interview — Establishes credibility of Flygare's tournament performance after witnessing his play at Indisc
“It felt much more real than just esports because it's not just pixels. It's actually happening in real life and you get to control it much more.”
Arvid Flygare @ mid-interview — Explains why pinball appeals to younger generation despite video game competition
“Classics, your shot making is much more important. Learning rules is very important on the newer games. but shot making is always helpful on every single game so i recommend shot making more”
Arvid Flygare @ mid-interview — Flygare's practical advice on learning strategy across different game eras
“If you restart the game while having a triple stack, you will get three times the amount of points on your next game. And if you then start your triple stack, you will have nine next scoring.”
Arvid Flygare @ discussing Bram Stoker's Dracula exploit — Demonstrates deep technical knowledge of game mechanics and advanced exploitation strategies
“That was the most epic pinball moment ever. The biggest come from behind and it kind of teaches everyone you're never out of it. If you have a ball, you have a chance.”
Arvid Flygare @ discussing IFPA World Championship Bram Stoker's Dracula final — Flygare's reflection on Johannes Ostermeyer vs Daniele Acari championship match as inspiration
“He had very good control very good live catches sort of like Jonas Wallström in Sweden”
Arvid Flygare @ discussing Kaylee George's playing style — Connects Swedish pinball players to international competitive style
“I can probably recover my schoolwork after these big events. I think it's worth it, though, because it's very, very fun.”
Arvid Flygare @ discussing school/tournament balance — Shows Flygare's commitment to competitive pinball despite school obligations

Entities

Arvid FlygarepersonJeff Teolisperson Pinball Profileorganization IndisceventKaylee GeorgepersonJohannes OstermeyerpersonDaniele AcaripersonEscher LefkoffpersonZach McCarthyperson

Signals

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community_signal: Top competitive players (Escher Lefkoff, Zach McCarthy, Andre Masonkov) actively mentoring younger players at tournaments, sharing game knowledge and strategies
high · Jeff discusses Escher's teaching approach at competitions: 'he'll give you two or three pointers'; Flygare confirms 'I got to learn a lot of new games from Asher this weekend' and learned exploit from Messier
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community_signal: Pinball arcades maintaining weekly play and monthly tournament infrastructure in Sweden (LPA venue); consistent tournament activity supporting player development
high · Flygare plays at LPA weekly (1km from home, 48 games), attends monthly tournaments there with visiting international players like Peter Anderson and Ed Emil Dry
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competitive_signal: Shot-making fundamentals emphasized as more important than rules knowledge on classic games, while rules learning critical on newer games; live catch technique increasingly valued in competitive play
high · Flygare directly states 'Classics, your shot making is much more important. Learning rules is very important on the newer games' and praises Kaylee George's live catch technique as exceptional skill
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market_signal: Generation of young European pinball players (Flygare, Viggo Lovgren) emerging as competitive force despite video game competition; learning through streaming content rather than traditional play
high · Flygare is 13 and ranked #4 world; learns primarily from IE Pinball and Deadflip streams; Sweden producing multiple young competitive players mentioned alongside Jorgen Engelbrekson legacy
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Topics

Competitive pinball tournament performance and rankingsprimaryLearning strategy: rules vs. shot-making fundamentalsprimarySwedish pinball scene and playersprimaryStreaming and content creators as learning resourcesprimaryYoung players entering competitive pinballprimaryClassic vs. modern game mechanics and competitionsecondaryIFPA tournament structure and qualification pathssecondaryBalancing school and competitive pinball travelsecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.92)— Interview is enthusiastic and celebratory of Flygare's achievements. Jeff expresses admiration consistently ('you sir have the goods'), and Flygare is humble yet confident. Discussion of tournament experiences is positive; even competitive challenges are framed as valuable learning moments. No criticism or negative sentiment detected.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.045

it's time for another pinball profile i'm your host jeff teols you can find everything on pinballprofile.com past episodes subscriptions and more we're on instagram and twitter at pinball profile we're also on facebook and you can email us pinball profile at gmail.com Great to see this young superstar. We're here at Indisc in Southern California, and the first time I got to meet Arvid Fliegera. How are you doing? I'm doing fine. Very pleased with my performance. You should be not only at Indisc, but really what you've done over 2021. The Player of the Month November, the Player of the Month in December. Very impressive. That catapulted you to the Player of the Year. A nice honour. I'm very honoured. did we mention this young man is 13 years old 13 number four in the world at the time of this recording and i got to see you play this weekend and you know we always wonder those people we never see do they have the goods you sir have the goods yeah even though i might not be as good as the players here still in europe okay this kid's being humble all right he finished in the top 16 in the Open. The IFPA Major, his first one. He finished top 16 in both the Classics 1 and 2. And a lot of these games you were seeing for the very first time. Can you think of some of these ones that kind of surprised you? Mystery Castle. Mystery Castle surprised a lot of people. There's nothing on the play field to tell you what to do. Yeah, I never got the chance to play it though. Now do you know it about the Red Skull and everything? Yeah, I watched Colin Urban play. Helped me get to know the game a lot. You probably won't see too many of those, that's fine. But in the target match play, there were a lot of those games you were like, boy, I've never seen that. Yeah, Party Animal was pretty fun. Party Animal, what was your strategy? Just taking the right flipper and just going back up to the scoop? Yeah, that was a very good exploit. I know that because you told me and you helped me out. Thanks very much. Appreciate that, Arvid. But again, this kind of big, big tournament, you have a long way to come from Sweden to get here. I assume it was worth the trip. Is it something you want to maybe do once a year, twice a year, if you can? Absolutely. It was very fun. You are in some tournaments that people on this side are very envious of because you've done very well at the Boras Open. That event takes place twice a year, and it's also a classics and a match play. And you did well in both, so we see a lot of young players that really dominate some of the modern games. They seem to absorb the rules and learn certainly quicker than us old guys. But what I saw you do on classics, it didn't matter. Yeah, I don't know. There isn't really a big difference between the main and the classic machines when it comes down to flipper skills. The ruleset is kind of the same, really, if you just knew all the rules. Did you find some of these games that you hadn't played before, or maybe don't get an opportunity to see often, that you're like, okay, I've got a new love for this game here at InDisc? I really like Party Animal. You see, going back to that Party Animal. You could probably pick one of those up pretty cheap if you can find one in Sweden. Yeah, might get my hands on this. You have a few games at home, and not many, but like many of us, some working, some not working. But I know you're a big Bram Stoker's Dracula fan. Yeah, I love that game. Very good for competition as well. Well, again, you're only 13. I assume you saw the great IFPA World Championship on Bram Stoker Dracula between Daniele Acari and the winner Johannes Ostermeyer What did you think of that Yeah that was the most epic pinball moment ever The biggest come from behind and it kind of teaches everyone you're never out of it. If you have a ball, you have a chance. Yeah, definitely. I tried to recreate it to only play one ball on my Bram Stoker's Dracula, but I haven't gotten close. That's pretty impressive, too, to do that triple stack and make it happen. And that's one for the ages. And we all saw that on JDL pinball with Jim and Dina Lindsay. And speaking of those two, they're in Europe a lot, certainly in Germany, in Fulda at Bulls and Balls. And you and I were talking before we started recording. That's a place you want to check out. Yeah, definitely. Feels a lot like the Borås place as well. I'm probably going to go to the IFBA Olympics in April if Corona doesn't ruin my chances. Yeah, that's the thing. but they have three major events at Bulls and Balls and of course the IFPA World Championship in 2023. Right now you have to be looking pretty good for that which would be your first World Championship. Yeah, I think I'm going to qualify for that. Is it in the Freddy's Pinball Paradise? It's in Freddy's but they also have some other events at Bulls and Balls and other places around Germany too. It's kind of a week-long thing. Of course the major championship will be at Freddy's But it's something the top players like yourself, you look at on the calendar and go, OK, I've got a year to grind. I've got a year to stay in the top two in my country, if you can, which you're doing well. But let's talk about Sweden, because the number of players that have come out of Sweden, I mean, we all know what Jorgen Engelbrekson did for so many years. In fact, Josh Sharpe joked when I said I was going to be interviewing Arvid, he goes, oh, young Jorgen. Yeah. But there's also Jorgen Holm. He's a very active player and also young players too. We've got to watch out for this guy, Viggo Lovgren. Tell me about Viggo. Yeah, Viggo is a great guy, a great pinball player. Has very good control in aim. Yeah, I think me and him probably got good potential of becoming a good player in the future. Well, you already are good players, but you're right, talking about staying at the top. And that was what's neat about Indisk too, because you got to see Kaylee George, you got to see Raymond Davidson, Escher Lefkoff, Keith Elwin and you probably got to play against some of those people too so being able to hold your own against these make you think okay I belong. Yeah it was very challenging never got to see that good pinball play before. I know you had mentioned you really enjoyed watching Kaylee George who made the finals and finished third what was it about Kaylee's game that you really liked? He had very good control very good live catches sort of like Jonas Wallström in Sweden he kind a place like Kelly George. Always going for the live catch. When he was behind on Shadow with 7 million going into ball 3 and knowing he had to probably get, I don't know, a billion, he went for those loops, those orbit loops, which are tough to do. It's a great way to score, but not many people can do it. Yeah, if you have good shot tacklers and control like Kelly George, it's probably the best choice. You got to play some Doctor Who. We were thinking, okay, how do you get some big points in there we know the jackpots are huge in multiball but that's not what people were doing it was all about loops yeah that was a pretty insane game i got third place with 690 million and probably like 50 plus loops yeah one guy got over 100 loops that was walt wood from colorado he did 126 loops and a lot of dance moves as well maybe that's what you need to do some dance moves Yeah you need to have that rhythm to repeat your shots so you can be a consistent player You obviously in school being a young man and that going to take you away from a lot of travel so you only have so much time off for school Is it going to be difficult to make some of these big events, or do you just kind of have to pick and choose? Yeah, I can probably recover my schoolwork after these big events. I think it's worth it, though, because it's very, very fun. Well, travel's a good experience. Forget the pinball aside, but a chance to see a different country and different people and learn some of the different customs. There's some value in that as well. Yeah, definitely. Very good experience. How did your dad like it over in California? Yeah, he enjoyed the sun, enjoyed watching me. It's pretty good. He's a good player too, so you probably learned a lot from him. Yeah, he bought my first pinball machine when I was five, so I got to learn pinball from him. And what amazes me is that we're seeing so many young players into pinball when video games are certainly more attractive, and it's not the case. What drew you to pinball when it's such a different experience than esports? Yeah, it felt much more real than just esports because it's not just pixels. It's actually happening in real life and you get to control it much more. When a new game comes out, how much time do you spend on learning rules? I like to watch big streamers play the game so I can learn probably like two weeks until I know the game pretty well. But code always changes too, so then you might have to go back to those videos. So who are some of the streamers that really give you some good tips? IE Pinball, Deadflip. Yeah, that's probably the two streamers that I watch the most. Carl? JDL Pinball, of course. Big events. Yeah, JDL focusing on the tournament play certainly will bring out the great players. And yeah, Deadflip definitely knows what they're doing. Jack Danger and Carl. I mean, if you want to see some wizard modes, IE Pinball, that's it. Yeah, he's a very good player. Okay, help some of us out who are certainly not fourth in the world in IFPA or a player of the year. What are some of the tips that help you that might help some of us? Is it about learning the shots first and then the rules? Or can rules be overpowering and it could be all about that? It depends on the game. Classics, your shot making is much more important. Learning rules is very important on the newer games. but shot making is always helpful on every single game so i recommend shot making more yeah i mean you could know the rules but if you don't have the shots it's not going to matter yeah definitely not you know that's one of my favorite things about escher lefkoff who's a wonderful player and again a young man at 18 you'll play him in a competition and as you were here or many of us will be playing games we've never seen before because he has experience with lions classic in colorado and and just the years of him and his father playing pinball, you can be in a competition with him, and he'll say, do you know this game at all? And you can say, no, I don't. And he'll say, okay, well, this is what I'm going to be doing. These are the shots you need to make, and he'll give you two or three pointers. Now you have the same knowledge as someone like Asher or Zach McCarthy, the overall winner of the IFPA Open, but you've still got to make the shots. Yeah, definitely. I got to learn a lot of new games from Asher this weekend. And you really have to know the rule set on some games here. Like, I learned a lot from Messier. I even learned an exploit on Bram Stoker's Dracula. If you restart the game while having a triple stack, you will get three times the amount of points on your next game. And if you then start your triple stack, you will have nine next scoring. Seriously? Yeah, I'm going to try that when I come home. It doesn really help you in competition but if you want to put up a nice GC Grand Champ that a good way to do it Yeah Then you feel like Johannes and Daniele at IFBA 16 Yeah. So you got to see him, you got to see Kaylee George. Who were some of the other people you were excited to see when you came to the IFBA Open at Indisc? Raymond, Keith Elwin, Zach McCarthy. Yeah, a lot of people. Even Andrei Masenkov, also. He's a great guy and a great player. yeah on the fly it's interesting if there's a game that requires high speed action and it's tough to cradle up and you have to go up against andre i think andre's got a big advantage he probably does on any game but something like that where it's just go go go isn't that incredible yeah it's a whole different skill going on the fly it works on a lot of games but i would recommend trying to get control more because the vast majority of games it's very important to have control but still a very cool skill so we're gonna see you play in sweden i know you like matchstick pinball they have a lot of le's there don't they yeah almost only at least very good condition of their games and you're wearing a shirt lpa that's near you isn't it yeah one kilometer from where i live they have about 48 games i go there every week to play pinball they have monthly tournaments as well a lot of great players come to their tournaments such as peter anderson oh wonderful from denmark yeah and ed email dry work so what's your goal obviously to maintain this top status try to get to some of the big events i'm not sure where you go to the european pinball championship this year yeah i think so belgium yeah i think it's belgium I'm not sure if they have decided yet, but I will most likely go there. And I think, and I could be wrong, I think Germany is going to be hosting the European Pinball Championship next year. Could you imagine that, back-to-back with the World Championship? Oh, boy. Yeah, that would be great to warm up for the IFPA playing the European Championship. It's great to see you. I'm glad you and your father made it over. It's probably a little sad and bittersweet that it's all come to an end because with your energy and your wonderful playing, you probably could do another few days, couldn't you? Yeah, but maybe not because my jet lag is pretty huge. Well, wait till you go back. It's actually worse when you go east. So when you get back and you arrive, who knows, in the morning, you'll forget about it. So a lot of us players, when we go to Europe, we have to make sure we come a day early because the first day it's a write-off. But yeah, I mean, you certainly had that jet lag, but it didn't show in your play. You did wonderful. A little side note, you were actually born in the States. I didn't realize that. Yeah, I was born in Massachusetts. My parents worked there for three years. So you don't obviously remember anything back in Boston. I hear you saying you're ours. It's not like you're packing your car. Yeah, still got my American citizenship, though. Perfect. Yeah, that will help a lot in the future. For sure. It is great to meet you, Arvid, and I look forward to seeing you for many years to come. Yeah, thanks. Great meeting you. This has been your Pinball Profile You can find everything on pinballprofile.com We are on Twitter and Instagram at pinballprofile Email us pinballprofile at gmail.com I'm Jeff Teolas Alright, Troy Eagley Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah We'll tag it along