Pinball Class with high school kids

jcasetnl

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Hey all. Just got back from the pinball class with the high school kids.

Here's some pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35597103@N08/sets/72157626064442227/

The kids did not really need to be "sold" on pinball, they were *very* much into it. They are even coming in during their lunch hour to play outside of the class itself, which is 3 hours on its own!

Most were new to pinball. A few played video pinball. One had played "real" pinball at a party (i.e. dad has some games, I assume).

It was pretty cool. The kids liked the strategy stuff. We took the glass off TAF and several volunteered to try some drop catches, bounce passes, etc. One kid, on a successful drop catch to center ramp shot, said, "Whoa! That's like... crazy..."

Then we kicked off a tournament. The vast majority of them played sports and were competitive. However, no one declined to participate. There weren't any fence-sitters I had to prod. They all wanted in.

Since they have the games for another week, I suggested a round-robin format, where everyone plays everyone one time each, with the winner racking up the most wins. We made out a score sheet and they were off and running.

Fun time. The experience got me thinking. If you have kids in high school, it's a great way to expose kids to the game. They just need a few tips to "get going" and they pretty much do the rest.
 
Sounds like it was a great time!


I have had similar experiences when I throw parties for the kids in my wife's cult. The first time they showed up they only played the joystick/button games. Mostly Macross (Raiden esque) and Marvel vs Capcom. However, once I showed them how to play the pins they were on them for the rest of the night...
 
Sounds like it was a great time!


I have had similar experiences when I throw parties for the kids in my wife's cult. The first time they showed up they only played the joystick/button games. Mostly Macross (Raiden esque) and Marvel vs Capcom. However, once I showed them how to play the pins they were on them for the rest of the night...

Well, I am sorry your wife is involved in a cult! :)
 
Alright so I'm not the only one who questioned that.


No need to question it. I knew about the situation before we started dating seriously. They are just your typical religious group - they know everything and everyone else is wrong. It is really no different than a Catholic or Baptist...
 
No need to question it. I knew about the situation before we started dating seriously. They are just your typical religious group - they know everything and everyone else is wrong. It is really no different than a Catholic or Baptist...



so they're not, like, a mainstream religious group? i'm genuinely curious.
 
so they're not, like, a mainstream religious group? i'm genuinely curious.


No, they are a Christian group but they are very adamant that they are not Catholic or any of the offshoots of Catholicism (protestants). Their beliefs vary slightly from mainstream Christianity, such as no belief in humans going to heaven.

It is part of a very large movement that spans the globe, actually. There are sister churches throughout the US as well as in most western nations and many middle eastern and persian nations. Sister churches do not dictate policy to one another and when one tries communication is cut to that church, a variation of exclusion.

Within each church the members are very much into one another's business and exclusion of members is fairly common. In fact, in the three years I have known the church they have excluded five different members (my step daughter was one of them), which is a fairly large number considering there are fewer than 40 members in the church presently.


I attend many of the meetings and challenge every unfounded assertion made. They have a basic belief that everything in the Bible is absolute truth, so I enjoy pointing out undeniable contradictions (two contradictory creation stories, two different genealogy trees for Joseph, etc.) and watching them squirm...
 
No, they are a Christian group but they are very adamant that they are not Catholic or any of the offshoots of Catholicism (protestants). Their beliefs vary slightly from mainstream Christianity, such as no belief in humans going to heaven.

It is part of a very large movement that spans the globe, actually. There are sister churches throughout the US as well as in most western nations and many middle eastern and persian nations. Sister churches do not dictate policy to one another and when one tries communication is cut to that church, a variation of exclusion.

Within each church the members are very much into one another's business and exclusion of members is fairly common. In fact, in the three years I have known the church they have excluded five different members (my step daughter was one of them), which is a fairly large number considering there are fewer than 40 members in the church presently.


I attend many of the meetings and challenge every unfounded assertion made. They have a basic belief that everything in the Bible is absolute truth, so I enjoy pointing out undeniable contradictions (two contradictory creation stories, two different genealogy trees for Joseph, etc.) and watching them squirm...




thanks.


and without turning this thread into a religious war, i'd say the bold is a pretty BIG sidestep from mainstream christianity. lol. :)

oh, and i like challenging those that take every word in the bible as absolute literal truth as well....one of my hobbies. ;)
 
No need to question it. I knew about the situation before we started dating seriously. They are just your typical religious group - they know everything and everyone else is wrong. It is really no different than a Catholic or Baptist...

No, a Catholic knows what's wrong but does it anyway. hahahahaha.

<--- former altar boy.
 
No, a Catholic knows what's wrong but does it anyway. hahahahaha.

<--- former altar boy.


To be honest, in my experience all mainstream religions with a "forgiving" god act the same way.


I was raised Catholic until I was seven and then I was thrown into a Southern Baptist lifestyle. With my engineer thinking I always ask why, couple that with my psychology/sociology training and I can't help but question God, worship, and prayer...




So, you think we derailed this thread enough?
 
thanks.


and without turning this thread into a religious war, i'd say the bold is a pretty BIG sidestep from mainstream christianity. lol. :)


Actually, their interpretation is very much in keeping with the Jewish beliefs and what is taught in the New Testament. "Heaven" as idealized by the revivalist revolution is not really very Biblical, but that is a discussion for another area of these forums.
 
glad you had fun with the students. its always great to share something you love and see others enjoying it.hopefully some of them will help to keep pinball going in some form for the next generation.
 
I've taken some games to my wife's school a few times. We've never worked it into lesson plans though, it has just been for a reward party for the students. It is great to see kids get a kick out of playing the games. Good on you for exposing more youth to the hobby!
 
I've taken some games to my wife's school a few times. We've never worked it into lesson plans though, it has just been for a reward party for the students. It is great to see kids get a kick out of playing the games. Good on you for exposing more youth to the hobby!

It's a lot of fun, definitely.

There's a lot of "edutainment" possibilities with pinball.

- The Depression
- organized crime
- legal side of it (ton of material on the bans and legal wranglings over the decades)
- gambling and bingo side of it
- pinball art reflecting popular culture of the day, etc.
- electronics

So if you know a teacher in your town you can chat him/her up and easily do something like this, I bet.
 
Actually, their interpretation is very much in keeping with the Jewish beliefs and what is taught in the New Testament. "Heaven" as idealized by the revivalist revolution is not really very Biblical, but that is a discussion for another area of these forums.

Translation: "Heaven" is a fiction made up by the Church well after the days of JC to keep the masses in line. But, nevermind. :)
 
Very cool. The kids looked like they had a great time. I wish they had classes like this around when I was in high school.
 
I have no issues with folks playing my games at parties, but I'd be hesitant to cart that sweet collection out to be manhandled. Looks like all had fun. You are braver than me.
 
What a great lineup of pins! Do you know who provided them?
 
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