Episode 407: Pinball in Austria

Pinball Profile·podcast_episode·22m 51s·analyzed·Oct 9, 2024

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.028

TL;DR

Austrian pinball community guests discuss rising talent, upcoming Vienna championships, and pinball's role in building global connections.

Summary

Jeff Teolis interviews Alois Kozar and Robert Glaswutner from Austria's pinball community at Yagpin in Edmonton. Alois recently competed at IFPA 19 World Championships and won the Novice division at Yagpin after starting pinball just two years ago, while Robert is a veteran broadcaster and pinball enthusiast who mentored Alois. The discussion covers Austria's vibrant pinball scene, upcoming European Pinball Championship and IFPA 20 in Vienna, and highlights the international community fostered by competitive pinball.

Key Claims

Alois started playing pinball two years ago and qualified for IFPA 19 World Championships
high confidence · Alois stated directly: 'Me, I'm starting playing pinball two years ago, thanks to Robert' and confirmed qualifying for World Championships
Alois won the Novice division at Yagpin with 240 players
high confidence · Jeff confirms: 'you wind up in the novice division and winning it all' and Alois accepts congratulations on winning
Austria will host European Pinball Championship and IFPA 20 World Championships in 2025
high confidence · Alois states: 'Next year Austria is really going to be on the map for pinball... there's the European Pinball Championship... and then of course the IFBA 20'
Robert has been broadcasting for 22 years and recently started a pinball culture newsletter called 'The Ball is Wild'
high confidence · Robert: 'You been doing it for what 22 years? Yeah I think... I recently started a pinball culture newsletter. It's called The Ball is Wild.'
Austria has a large pinball museum/collection that is one of the biggest in the world
high confidence · Robert states: 'In Austria, we have a big museum, which is one of the biggest pinball and jukebox gatherings... all over the world'
Stefan Riedler of RS Pinball is Austria's distributor and will manage logistics for European Pinball Championship
high confidence · Jeff: 'in Austria you've got a wonderful distributor in Stefan Riedler with RS Pinball' and Alois: 'Stefan Riebler of RS Pinball will be looking after a lot of things there'
Escher is a world champion player who gave Alois tips during World Championships match
medium confidence · Alois describes playing against 'Escher' and says 'he was the world champion' but context suggests Escher was competing at World Championships, not confirmed as current champion
Austria predominantly has Pro tier machines; LE and Premium editions are rare
medium confidence · Robert: 'We are also very rare of LEs and premiums. We mostly have pros.'

Notable Quotes

“If you are encouraged, I want to encourage every person out there to, if you like something and if you're passionate about something, start doing it now and don't let anyone tell you otherwise you're not able to do it.”
Alois Kozar @ ~25:40 — Motivational statement reflecting pinball community values of passion and perseverance; Alois speaking as a two-year player who reached World Championships
“Even if you're competitors, you give away tips and you help each other out. And that's what I like about this scene.”
Alois Kozar @ ~31:00 — Describes the collaborative culture of competitive pinball, contrasting with typical competitive gaming norms; Alois referencing Escher's sportsmanship
“I finally saw Keith Elwin laughing. It's not that easy.”
Alois Kozar @ ~33:20 — Humorous anecdote about interacting with Keith Elwin at World Championships; shows accessibility and humor in elite pinball circles
“pinball is a good way of centering yourself and coping with the fact that sometimes you're having a bad day, sometimes you're having a bad ball. you just have to accept it.”
Robert Glaswutner @ ~28:45 — Philosophical observation on pinball's personal development value; reflects mature approach to competitive gaming
“You have to play all the machines. you have to play the electromechanical solid state dmd modern everything that's great”
Alois Kozar @ ~43:00 — Appreciation for tournament formats requiring knowledge across all pinball eras; reflects value of comprehensive pinball knowledge in competitive play
“showing pinball to the public. This is the thing I like most, to really get people interested that are not pinheads... enthusiasm is the key word here.”
Robert Glaswutner @ ~60:20 — Emphasizes community outreach and public engagement as core motivation for pinball enthusiasm
“I know JDL Pinball probably will be streaming that wonderful tournament or tournaments it's going to be something and you've got to be feel proud that wow the world's coming to austria”

Entities

Alois KozarpersonRobert GlaswutnerpersonJeff TeolispersonStefan Riedler / RS Pinballperson|companyYagpineventIFPA 19 World ChampionshipseventJim BelsitopersonEscherperson

Signals

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community_signal: Pinball Crew (Vienna-based) producing content across multiple media formats (video, photography, Instagram); community-driven content creation model emerging in Austria
medium · Alois part of Pinball Crew; collaborative group where members contribute different skills; Instagram presence with video content shared on Pinball Profile
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community_signal: Austria (Vienna particularly) positioned as emerging competitive pinball hub with organized tournament infrastructure, retail distribution (RS Pinball), museum, and growing player base
high · Robert hosted largest Vienna tournament last year; Pinball Crew active community; Stefan Riedler's distributor role; Austrian museum among world's largest collections
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event_signal: Yagpin demonstrates successful tournament model: 240-player match-play with diverse machine library spanning all eras; attracts international competitors from Europe
high · Alois and Robert traveled from Austria; Robert's first major tournament experience; diversity of machines across EM, solid state, DMD, LCD mentioned by both
?
event_signal: IFPA 20 World Championships confirmed for Austria in 2025 (May/June timeframe) following European Pinball Championship; major milestone for Austrian pinball community
high · Alois: 'Next year Austria is really going to be on the map for pinball... there's the European Pinball Championship... and then of course the IFBA 20.' Confirmed hosting of dual major events.
?
technology_signal: North Star Pinball (Montreal) emerging as regional hub with active league play and well-maintained machines; part of broader Canadian pinball venue ecosystem

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.069

0:00

it's time for another pinball profile i'm your host jeff teels you can find everything on pinballprofile.com we're on twitter and instagram at pinball profile you can email pinball profile at gmail.com we've got a great facebook group as well and if you'd like to show your support Don't worry, the show will always be free, but there is patreon.com slash pinball profile. And thanks to great supporters like GME Law, Rodney C, Stefan R, Fox Cities Pinball, and more. Here at Yagpin, it's loud, it's fun, there's an arcade going on. It's a real good playroom here in Edmonton. And I'm joined by a couple of friends from Austria. It's a long way to come to Edmonton, but we've got Alois Kozar and Robert Glaswutner. Hello. That's Robert. How are you? I'm good, thank you. Wonderful pronunciation. Thank you. Well, that's all I could practice. It was a one take. And how about you, Alois? Thank you. I'm very well. Thank you for having us. And greetings to all the players all around the world. Now, Alois and I saw each other a couple of weeks ago at Jim Belcido's at IFPA 19 in California. And he did a wonderful video you can watch on Instagram at Pinball Crew. And video is kind of your thing because you're a camera assistant back in Austria. Exactly. but I'm not really doing the videos on Instagram. Mostly it's another friend of mine who is also a part of the collaboration pinball crew. So we are kind of a community based in Vienna and we are doing all sorts of stuff and everyone is trying to be part of this community and do what he's doing best. And some is making great movies, other one is making good pictures, is a photographer, the other one is a good pinball player. So, yeah, we're gathering together and doing what everyone can do best. Well, that's great. I mean, again, you can see it. It was shared on Pinball Profile. But go to Pinball Crew on Instagram. And a lot of people asked me and probably you, Alois, what it was like being at Jim Belsito's because he created that event specifically for the World Championships. Have you ever seen anything like that? No. To be honest, I've never seen anything. And if you know Jim, I get to know him. I'm pretty lucky and he's such a wonderful guy. Hosting this event is some of the, it's really a big issue to have so many people in his place. And yeah, I think he did a really good job. The machines were in a great condition and it was like playing in the living room, you know? It's not like here in a big hall or something. You feel so homey and I really want to thank Jim for hosting this great event. I think all 80 competitors will agree with you. It was something to see, absolutely. And probably we're going to see more events there in talking to Jim Balsito. But, of course, he does such a wonderful job with all of his operating around California and, of course, the lab. And we all love Indus, too. Indus is such a big event that will be happening again January next year, another major. So he's used to now really two majors. But here in Canada, at Jagdwin, this was new for you, Robert, getting to see this pinball playroom, if you will. There's a lot of arcades. We've actually got some pop-up shots right beside here, some skeet balls, some video games. It's a lot of fun for people here at Jagdwin. It's amazing. It's actually my first really big pinball thing for me. I've been into pinball for almost 15 years now, but playing mostly smaller to mid-sized tournaments. So this is an experience for sure. I wasn't in the novice division, but still I was in the playoffs. So it's okay. And Alois won the novice division, so we're kind of doing something here at least. Yeah, I was burying the lead there for a little bit. I wanted to get into that. So the nice thing here at Jägbin for Alois was you got to come two weeks later after IFK. After being in the world championships, you play in this big match play tournament, 240 players, and you wind up in the novice division and winning it all. So let's put that into perspective. You played for the World Championship with the 80 best players in the world and then come to Edmonton and win the Novice Championship. That's, first of all, not easy to do. Congratulations on winning a playoff. But it's kind of funny, like, hey, wait a minute, this guy was just playing for the World Championship and he's a novice? Yeah, thank you for your congratulations. Yeah, it's kind of a mixed thing for me. I mean, to be qualified for the World Championship is one thing. and I was like, oh my god, I'm going to the World Championship. Me, I'm starting playing pinball two years ago, thanks to Robert, who is sitting next to me. He's the reason I'm sitting here, actually, because he showed me Star Trek at his home. And yeah, that's why I'm sitting here. And I was very surprised to be a part of IFBA 19. And yeah, I had a big down spiral during the World Championship and Jagdpinn. I played a couple of tournaments two weeks ago, and I absolutely was not able to do anything good, and I played horrible. But then I came here, and I also played a little bit horrible. That's why I came to the novice division. So after that, I get to use all the machines and know all the people, and yeah, I could be better and better each game, and yeah, that's maybe why I won the novice. Don't take anything away from that. You just told me something I had no idea You started playing two years ago and you already represented Austria at the World Championships Now for those that don know two country members will get to go There's the person who's the champ. We always think of Marcus Dix, who couldn't come. But then there's another way to get in and it's winning a big country tournament. And I think that's how you got in. Yes, another one was also not able to come, Alexander Moore. He's hosting, he's one of the hosts next year in Austria for the World Championship. and they both didn't want to come to LA, what I didn't understand because it was a wonderful experience, but maybe they waited for next year that the World Championship is in front of their home. So yeah, they sent me and I was also very surprised, as you are, that I was being part of it.

6:25

It was a very honorable thing for me to represent my home country and I hope I did well. A nice sense of pride. Robert, you've created a monster here because of your Star Trek games that you had. Look what you've done to Alois. You got him to the World Championship. I know. Alois is a quick study. I like that. And I also like that he's playing a little bit like me. I like to have a little bit of an elaborate body English when I play. Good stance is important. Alois does all of these things and much more. So, yeah. Actually, I'm a little bit proud that I brought such a wonderful pinball monster into the world, brought into the world, and now he's like ripping apart like in a very friendly way everyone that stands in his way now only for the novice but maybe next year in v and you never know what's coming up so you're kind of my mentor you could say thanks robert for giving me the opportunity to show me this beautiful thing called pinball it's maybe like when you're a parent and you can't really make it yourself you try to educate your kids i mean i wouldn't go that far maybe but like it's maybe the same basic idea if you know what i mean yeah i mean if you can't do it you want somebody a friend or a brother or a sister or somebody to do it yeah absolutely i get that absolutely so in two short years to be able to do that and to not only really just do well in tournaments but travel the world for pinball that is what i love about pinball so much and competitions usually are the reasons why but you get to see different parts of the world so you got to see california We talked about Jim's place. You're here briefly in Canada. Alois, what are your thoughts of being in different countries? Yes, and that's what I want to say to all of you guys. If you are encouraged, I want to encourage every person out there to, if you like something and if you're passionate about something, start doing it now and don't let anyone tell you otherwise you're not able to do it. You can be as good as you want if you practice a lot, if you like what you're doing and if you have fun with it. So keep on going, guys. Don't let anyone tell you you're not able to do it. Do it and you will see you will come a very long way. Robert, for you, win or lose, as long as you're having fun, is that all that matters? I have to admit I also want to win and I also want to compete. And I think pinball is a good way of centering yourself and coping with the fact that sometimes you're having a bad day, sometimes you're having a bad ball. you just have to accept it. Everyone can win against anyone. That's so true. This is one of the many things I love about pinball. And it really helps. You can grow as a person. It sounds a little bit like much to say something like that about pinball. But I think it's true in a way. You're right. When you just said anybody can win, nobody wins 100% of the time. So when you went to the World Championships, Alois, you must have had some nice success stories. Maybe it was just a game against such and such. What was the memory that comes to mind? There were two specific moments I really remember from my life. It was playing against Escher. Yes. And I lost the first two games against him. And I was like, okay, that's fine. But then this third game, we played on Godzilla from Sega. And he gave me some tips. And I was so grateful that he showed me the table because I was not able. I didn't know the rules on the table at all. And he gave me some tips. And on ball three, I beat his score. And I was like, okay, I beat the world champion. But that's what pinball is all about. Even if you're competitors, you give away tips and you help each other out. And that's what I like about this scene. And he was not even mad about it. He was like, good, Arlos, you made a good progress. I was like, wow, this is a very, that's what I will never forget. And the other story is I played with Keith Elwin on Lost in Space. And there is this hard shot where you start your multi-ball. It's one of the R or is it I from robot you have to hit. And this is the most difficult shot I've ever seen in Pimble history. And Keith Elwin tried this shot so many times, like 10 times. And he missed it all the time. And then he finally hit it. And after a game, I went to him and said, Keith Elwin, dare you that you ever design a table with a shot like that. And he laughed, and I was like, I finally saw Keith Elwin laughing. It's not that easy. Well, that's pretty cool, too. And here at Yankpin, I'm using this as an example, because there's a lot of different games here, and we talk about L1 designs, and we've got all the companies here. So have you been able to play in the free play area and see some of the games that you don't normally see in Austria? that's what we're trying to do some of the games we don even have in Austria like the new Sterns of course we have mostly But there are some rarities like Mountain Around for instance Arlo has played it at the World Championships I haven't played this game before at all. So it was my first time here. And actually, I really love about what I also love about pinball, all the different eras you have. At Jagdpin, with the match play and with the tournaments, you have to play all the machines. you have to play the electromechanical solid state dmd modern everything that's great and i love that and again uh when you come to such a big place you have the opportunity to try the machines out and that's what i want to do that's kind of the only way i like it too you know you have to go in a tournament even if it's the main event classics you know what you're getting you're gonna play ems you can play solid states but in the main events you're gonna play the brand new wonderful lcd games from all the companies you might go back to some dmd games from some 90s Valley Williams games or Sega, Godzilla, like you mentioned, and probably some solid states too. So you have to know all eras. Those are the tournaments I think are the best. And yeah, we definitely got that here. But I'm looking over there at Barrels of Fun, Labyrinth. I know in Austria you've got a wonderful distributor in Stefan Riedler with RS Pinball, so he gets everything.

12:43

And it's nice to be able to see different games. A lot of times it has to be at a distributor or at a big, big show like this. What are some of the unique ones for you? For me, the most impressive thing is that I see machines. In Austria, we have a lot of machines. From old to new, we have a big museum, which is one of the biggest pinball and jukebox gatherings. How do you say it? Sammlung? A collection. A collection all over the world. So this is great. So I know almost every machine which stands here, but there are a few which I've never seen before, like Total Nuclear Alilation. Yeah, although Stefan Riedler has one, but I haven't played it yet. But also the 90s and the old era, there are so many Piml machines I've never seen. We are also very rare of LEs and premiums. We mostly have pros. So that's also a thing I really enjoyed being here, playing all those machines in a different edition. I know you're close to Germany in Austria. And when I was in Germany, I noticed, boy, there were a lot of playfield protectors. Is that also common for Austria? It is. I'm not that much into playfield protectors, toppers, mods. So I'm not the right person to talk to when it comes to that. But I have another interesting, hopefully interesting story about Austrian pinball community. There is a guy in Lower Austria, he's actually from Switzerland originally, and he moved here, he's a mechanic, and he specializes in Gottlieb machines. He has all the parts. I think he bought it off some person who had... Even the spinners? I think so. He really has everything. He only collects Gottlieb machines. Fortunately, at least one or two times a year we can visit him and play on all his strange, wonderfully strange Gottlieb tables. Oh, I like that. While you're here in Canada, I know you're going to be spending some time in Montreal. You'll love that city. I do. I try to speak a little bit of French and to improve on it, and also because Montreal is such a melting pot of cultures. People are very cool. And actually, shout out to North Star Pinball. Yeah. Adam Kiesler and his friends and partners. Amazing place. So if you ever go to Montreal, please see North Star Pinball. It's a pinball bar. well-maintained machines, very great community, and actually I'm proud to be in the finals for our league today. Next year Austria is really going to be on the map for pinball across the world because there's the European Pinball Championship, Stefan Riebler of RS Pinball will be looking after a lot of things there, and then of course the IFBA 20. Whether you're playing or whether you're watching, I know JDL Pinball probably will be streaming that wonderful tournament or tournaments it's going to be something and you've got to be feel proud that wow the world's coming to austria and it's gonna be exciting to see all these legendary players battle it out in your country what do you think um i'm thinking this is a great opportunity to show austria that uh they has a lot to uh to tell about uh pinball and uh then we can finally show that we're internationally uh have great tables that we have great machines uh people are very passionate about it and even I started hosting the biggest tournament in Vienna last year and it was I think a huge success. People started to notice that Vienna is also a big factor when it comes to playing pinball in Austria. So we try everything to show everyone that pinball is a thing in Vienna and in Austria especially. And yeah, I'm really so excited to get to know and to see all the people I saw two weeks ago again next year and hope we can show that, yeah, pinball is big in Austria. Yeah, showing pinball to the public. This is the thing I like most, to really get people interested that are not pinheads, that don't really understand what pinball is about, and getting them to be interested. It's not always easy, but we always try, and I think enthusiasm is the key word here. when you show people that you're really enthusiastic about something, then they get interested, and this is what we try to do all the time Robert you and I have something in common I just celebrated my 30th year in broadcasting and you a veteran too You been doing it for what 22 years Yeah I think actually if you start out being a radio reporter you don want to look back You just want to do it. And I enjoy it very much. I'm actually a video game reporter, and I also try to sneak in some pinball from time to time, if my editor lets me. And most of the time, he lets me do it. And, by the way, I recently started a pinball culture newsletter. It's called The Ball is Wild. Nice. So check it out. I try to cover things that's not hardcore pinball, not hardcore collecting, not competing, but the other stuff. Everything is great about pinball. Where can we find this The Ball is Wild? That's interesting. It's theballiswild.net and the newsletter is at buttondown.email slash theballiswild. You can also find it on Instagram. Okay. I've never been to Austria. I'm looking forward to going to Austria. I might not make the world championships. I still will come because there's the European pinball championships. And I really want to go to Austria. My wife and I have talked about it for years now. It'll be kind of May, June-ish when this happens. There'll still be maybe a little bit of skiing. Certainly some snow on the tops. But even though there isn't skiing, there's other wonderful things to do. What do I know about Austria? I know, of course, about Mozart because we're both born on January 27th.