Budge The Nudge 1: Solvieg’s Party

Nudge Magazine (website feed)·article·analyzed·Feb 3, 2025

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.018

TL;DR

Nudge Magazine launches 'Budge The Nudge' gameshow featuring competitive pinball at Solvieg's party.

Summary

Nudge Magazine has launched 'Budge The Nudge,' a gameshow where challengers play pinball against a designated 'Nudge' player for prizes or embarrassment. The inaugural event was held at Solvieg's birthday party in Mankato, MN, using a 1980 Bally Xenon machine borrowed from Dan Hansen of Northstar Pinball Collective. The article documents the setup, rules, and playful competition that ensued.

Key Claims

Budge The Nudge is a new gameshow format where one player (The Nudge) challenges contestants to single games of pinball, with winners receiving free magazines and losers getting unflattering photos taken
high confidence · Nudge Magazine article describing the gameshow concept and rules
Dan Hansen from Northstar Pinball Collective lent a Xenon pinball machine for the event
high confidence · Article states Dan Hansen 'has a ton of awesome pinball machines' and recommended Xenon as ideal for a casual party
Xenon (1980 Bally) was designed by Greg Kmiec with art by Paul Faris, and its sound/speech mechanics were built by Suzanne Ciani
high confidence · Direct attribution in article: 'Xenon is a 1980 Bally pinball machine designed by Greg Kmiec with art by Paul Faris' and 'Suzanne Ciani, the experimental artist and musician' created the sound design
Most party attendees had never played pinball seriously before
high confidence · Author states 'With a few exceptions, this was everyone's first time really knowing what to do in a pinball game'
The author owns a Torpedo Alley pinball machine
high confidence · Article: 'I don't really own any pinball machines except for a Torpedo Alley that literally no one wants to play except for me and my sick friends'

Notable Quotes

“Budge the Nudge is a simple game. One person is designated The Nudge... That person is willing to take on all challengers in a single game of pinball of their choosing.”
Nudge Magazine (author) — Core explanation of the gameshow mechanic
“How 'bout a Xenon? he said with a wild little glint in his eye.”
Dan Hansen — Hansen's recommendation of Xenon for the party event
“the party was NOT in minneapolis as I had assumed, but was instead even further south, like another hour away, in a little college town called Mankato. That was gonna put our return ETA to our respective houses at well past 3am. I was like oh shit, do you still wanna go? And Dan was like 'Hell yeah.'”
Nudge Magazine (author) / Dan Hansen — Demonstrates Hansen's commitment to the event despite logistical challenges
“I spent a little time wandering through the party, taking pics of people and generally being at peace that the old classics of getting fucked up and having fun with your friends is still alive and well in this generation. COVID didn't ruin that.”
Nudge Magazine (author) — Reflects on generational continuity post-COVID
“Rip that spinner and hit the gobble hole when you can. OK, here are some more ugly faces.”
Nudge Magazine (author) — Tongue-in-cheek strategy advice for Xenon gameplay

Entities

Nudge MagazineorganizationDan HansenpersonSolviegpersonNorthstar Pinball CollectiveorganizationXenongame Greg Kmiecperson Paul Farisperson Suzanne Cianiperson

Signals

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content_signal: Nudge Magazine has launched 'Budge The Nudge,' a new original gameshow format for events, representing expansion of their media offerings beyond print and podcast.
high · Article explicitly introduces Budge The Nudge as 'the newest gameshow from Nudge Magazine' and describes it as their 'biggest reveal' for the year
?
community_signal: Event demonstrates successful integration of pinball into casual party settings with non-enthusiast audiences, suggesting potential for grassroots community building.
high · Article notes most attendees were playing pinball for the first time, yet were receptive and engaged; author emphasizes 'teaching people about pinball' with positive outcomes
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venue_signal: Pinball machines can function as entertainment centerpieces at residential parties and events, opening new venue opportunities beyond traditional arcades and bars.
medium · Successful hosting of Xenon at a college town birthday party; author notes party attendees accepted the machine naturally and engaged competitively
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historical_signal: Xenon (1980) remains culturally vibrant and accessible as a teaching tool and party centerpiece despite its age, validating classic Bally-era design principles.
high · Article states Xenon 'Still Rules' and characterizes it as 'a vibey as hell experience even today' and 'perfect' for introducing casual players
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operational_signal: Pinball equipment lending networks and hauler infrastructure (like Dan Hansen's pin hauler) enable event mobility and community resource sharing.

Topics

Budge The Nudge gameshow formatprimaryXenon pinball machine and its design/historical significanceprimaryCommunity engagement and casual pinball introductionprimaryNudge Magazine content expansion and product launchessecondaryPinball equipment lending and logisticssecondaryEvent hosting and party integrationsecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.85)— The article is celebratory and humorous in tone, documenting a successful event launch with enthusiasm for both the gameshow concept and pinball community engagement. The author expresses genuine joy in teaching newcomers about pinball and finds humor in the competition format. No significant negative sentiment present.

Transcript

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Budge The Nudge 1: Solvieg’s Party We’ve been cooking up something special this year. Yes, we’ve already had the debut of a podcast, issue 4, and even an ill-conceived white t-shirt, but we’ve been saving our biggest reveal until right now: we finally started our own gameshow. It’s true. Right now you’re living in a world where Budge the Nudge exists. But what is this rad new game, how can you play, and where is it gonna show up next? Well chill TF out, my dude. That’s literally what we’re here for. So what is Budge The Nudge? Budge the Nudge is the newest gameshow from Nudge Magazine At its core, Budge the Nudge is a gameshow and like all gameshows it really sets out to do a few core things well: Make a fun game for the people playing it and show them how dope pinball is. Humiliate those same people for the enjoyment of onlookers and rubberneckers (you lot). Give me the chance to give away some fabulous Nudge prizes. (hopefully not a lot) With those ideas in mind, we set about creating a game that would be infinitely replicable, super fun, and, most importantly, allow me to do it while smoking copious amounts of weed. In the end, I think we can all agree we at least accomplished that. The Nudge’s budged were the J’s we smoked along the way. But in reality, what is this thing? How do you play Budge The Nudge? Budge the Nudge is a simple game. One person is designated The Nudge. That could be me, it could be another Nudge writer, or it could be a pro pinball player. That person is willing to take on all challengers in a single game of pinball of their choosing. For our first night, we only had one game (a Xenon) which made choices simple, but ultimately the choice of game will ALWAYS be at the discretion of The Nudge. Here are the rest of the rules for Budge the Nudge. Budge the Nudge Rules Contestant will play one (1) game of pinball against THE NUDGE. If the contestant wins the game and BUDGES the Nudge, they will be entitled to one (1) free magazine of the Nudge’s choosing. If the contestant LOSES the game, the Nudge will take one (1) extremely ugly picture of said contestant. That’s it. We keep it simple, stupid. How we set this whole ding dang thing up Being a photographer has been fun and connected me with all kindsa people in the art and music world that I might not be in contact with otherwise. One of those people is local indie rocker, Solvieg, who invited me to their birthday party to take some pictures. I thought it sounded fun, so I said yes, but on one condition: I wanted to bring a pinball machine along with me. Solvieg said yes. Now came the hard part. Most of you know this, but I don’t really own any pinball machines except for a Torpedo Alley that literally no one wants to play except for me and my sick friends – so what was I thinking? Well, I was thinking of Dan Hansen, one of the original founders behind Northstar Pinball Collective, an amazing pinball tech, and all around lover-of-a-good-time. Dan has a ton of awesome pinball machines, so the first thing I did was call up Dan and asked if he had any games that would be good for a party like this. Namely, a party full of hipster, fun-loving 20-somethings who weren’t pinball serious the way us freaks are. Dan came back immediately with a great pick. “How ‘bout a Xenon?” he said with a wild little glint in his eye. Xenon Still Rules Xenon has been the subject of numerous Nudge shoots already, but let’s get the basics out of the way. Xenon is a 1980 Bally pinball machine designed by Greg Kmiec with art by Paul Faris. It’s perhaps best known, though, for its use of sound and speech as a storytelling/gameplay device. These mechanics were built from the ground up by Suzanne Ciani, the experimental artist and musician, making Xenon a groundbreaking pin for its time – and a vibey as hell experience even today. It was gonna be perfect for us. 7:30 PM - Dan’s office Dan has an office in Savage, MN – about a 40 minute drive from the Twin Cities proper. I drove on over and met him at an office that smelled a bit like soup and a lot like pinball parts. Dan seemed excited and a little apprehensive about this whole experience, and some of that apprehension ended up coming my way when I realized after looking at the invite that this party was NOT in minneapolis as I had assumed, but was instead even further south, like another hour away, in a little college town called Mankato. That was gonna put our return ETA to our respective houses at well past 3am. I was like oh shit, do you still wanna go? And Dan was like “Hell yeah.” So I guess first hurdle cleared. Dan already had the hard part of loading the game into his pin hauler already done, so we got in our respective cars (Prius for me) and sped off into the night. Responsibly. 8:30 arriving at the house party/set up By the time we got there, the party was already started. There were people sorta just chilling out in the main room as Dan and I walked up and had the shitty realization that we’re a lot older than anybody else up in there. To those dudes' credit, they didn’t blink twice. They acted like it was completely normal to have two crusty dusties come in and set up a pinball machine in the middle of their living room. Solvieg showed us where we could plug in. I asked where I could smoke a bunch of joints I had in my pocket. She said right here and sorta just motioned in front of the pinball machine. I proceeded to smoke a j basically by myself as Dan set up the game and the party sorta curiously watched. Like I was a talking animal that had walked in the door or like my fly was open and I was the only one that didn’t know. The end of the world as we know it I spent a little time wandering through the party, taking pics of people and generally being at peace that the old classics of getting fucked up and having fun with your friends is still alive and well in this generation. COVID didn’t ruin that. By the time I got back, Dan was set up and a couple curious onlookers had already started rubbernecking. I explained the rules for Budge The Nudge and we got to business, and let’s just say this: the business for ugly pics was GOOD. My favorite thing to do was definitely yelling at people to make their faces uglier. I might actually like that more than pinball. My next magazine might just be people making super ugly faces. Call it Grimace, I dunno. It was cool teaching people about pinball. With a few exceptions, this was everyone’s first time really knowing what to do in a pinball game. Like teaching them the basics of setting up a two player game, understanding that flippers are supposed to help you aim for stuff and control the ball. I taught them with joy in my heart, as one by one I mercilessly crushed them. Did we give away any magazines? Yes, we did. But overwhelmingly I got to take a LOT of ugly pictures of people, and in that way I like to think we all won. I mean look at these goofenbachers. They fought valiantly, but in the end fell a couple spinner rips short. I still couldn’t really tell you a good strat for Xenon other than rip the spinner and hope for it to fall in the gobble hole or whatever. That’s also my general advice for life. Rip that spinner and hit the gobble hole when you can. OK, here are some more ugly faces. Enjoy!