PRINTOn the job with a pinball wizard
James Maritz
Adam McKinnie is a pinball fanatic, but his obsession has never interfered with his life. He almost had to make a tough decision once, though. He thought that his sister was getting married the day of an important tournament. He lucked out and never had to choose.
July 24, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
By day, 32-year-old Adam McKinnie works as an economist for the Missouri Public Service Commission. But by night, he’s a pinball player extraordinaire. To revive the scene in Columbia, McKinnie founded the Columbia Pinball Revolution. He also travels across the U.S. for tournaments. Vox talks to the national competitor about his game, player name and long-term goals.
Vox: How’d you get interested in pinball?
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Adam McKinnie: When I was young, about 8 years old, I’d go to 7-Eleven, and I could play video games or pinball. I discovered that even if you play well at video games (at 7-Eleven), you still have to pay more to play. Versus pinball, you play well, and you get to play longer. I guess that’s the economist in me; it started out just about saving money.
Vox: How long has Columbia Pinball Revolution been around?
AM: It’ll be a year this fall. Our main success this year has been our league this spring. The team (also) went to Chicago last October for a pinball tournament.
Vox: What was your first tournament like?
AM: It was scary. We went to a four-player team competition in Chicago. We played a team from the Netherlands that had T-shirts that said they were the Dutch national team. We got our butts kicked by the Dutch, and to this day when I play Guns N’ Roses pinball, I think of that.
Vox: How’d you get your pinball player name, Zed?
AM: A bad poem I wrote in ninth-grade English class. I also thought just using initials was passé, and there’s a lot of other people out there with my initials, so I wanted something different.
Vox: What pinball machine do you have at home?
AM: Andromeda. I bought it last September.
Vox: How much was it?
AM: About $500.
Vox: How often do you play your pinball machine at home?
AM: For the first two or three weeks, I did play it every day. Now, I’m in training for a tournament, so I play about five or six nights a week at home. I’m trying to teach myself to play not just for fun — I’m in training.
Vox: What skills would someone need to play pinball well?
AM: It’s definitely an endurance effort to play well. You have to play quite awhile to get a good score, and you have to stay focused for a long time. The key is to learn to value each ball.
Vox: What do you hope to see for your future in pinball?
AM: My goal is to finish in the top four in the world pinball tournament before 40. My best so far is eighth in the world. On Sunday of the tournament, they have eliminations. It starts with 16 people. I want to be in the final four. Every year it seems like there’s someone who doesn’t quite belong (in the final four), and I want to be that mistake one year.
