How was the NWPC founded?
NWPC was created by Seattle pinball enthusiast Chris Force in 2021. His long-time involvement in the Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show led him to wondering:
“What would a year-round pinball organization that fosters the same type of community as NWPAS look like?”
And so the Northwest Pinball Collective was born – to give pinball collectors a space to share their machines to the wider world and to give all pinball enthusiasts a shared space to play and learn and grow in their hobby.
What are the long-term plans for NWPC?
This question will largely be determined by the membership’s needs. While we are most focused on the success of this initial space, we envision growing to the point where we can move within 2 years to a larger space that can host more games and other amenities. Beyond that, we can dream… help us build what you want to see!
Who runs the NWPC?
Our all-volunteer board of directors is made up of pinball enthusiasts, collectors, tournament players and directors, operators, and technicians from a variety of personal and professional backgrounds. The board does not receive any pay or compensation for their time and effort.
President / Executive Director – Chris Force
Chris is the Founder of the Collective and has served as Board President since our inception in 2021.
“We have a huge pinball community in the Pacific Northwest, many of whom only crossed paths once a year at the Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show. I started the Northwest Pinball Collective to have that atmosphere be available year-round.
Treasurer – Dan Rosenstein
Dan’s been playing pinball since he was old enough to get his hands around the flippers. Growing up in Northeast Ohio, pinball was everywhere. While he likes video games, he always enjoyed the kinetic randomness of the silverball.
Dan begged his dad for a pinball machine since he was 10, and when he was 13 he bought his first machine, an F-14 tomcat, and his cousin and uncle bought a Space Station. Dan has both of these childhood machines in his collection today.
Dan has been actively collecting pinball since 2012, when he built out his collection and had his dad and uncle send out their machines. His first machine purchased as an adult was a Bally Gameshow that he bought and fixed up.
Dan got into pinball for the technology – to repair, restore and revitalize machines. Over the last few years he has gotten more into playing, but is pretty bad. Dan is most experienced working on System 11 and the cloned Data East systems. He prefers EMs and 80s SS and early 90s DMD Classic Bally, Williams.
Dan is excited about the NW Pinball Collective, being a board member and game donor because he loves sharing pinball with others, and his games get way more usage at the collective than they do at his house. He is very honored and humbled to be able to volunteer as the treasurer.
Dan has two daughters and one patient wife.
Facilities/Maintenance – Adam Calabrese
Adam first played pinball during his dad’s league bowling nights in the 1970s, enjoyed the lone machine at the student union in college, and always played when encountering a machine in the wild. He somehow only learned in 2018 that one could have pinball machines at home, and now has a small home collection and enjoys using his physics and engineering background to repair and maintain these wonderful machines.
Theme and mode-based play go a long way for Adam. Today his favorite games are Lord Of The Rings and Stern Star Wars, but we’ll ask again in a couple years.
“I love the chance to meet and get to know new people in the collective space, love teaching and learning about pinball machine repair, and of course enjoy playing the wide variety of games available at the collective.”
Membership Coordinator – Chenelle Roberts
Chenelle has been enjoying pinball as a non-competitive player since the 1990s. Her favorite machines from back in the day are Theatre of Magic and South Park. She is a local small business owner who manages a family practice clinic in Green Lake, and she finds that pinball provides a perfect escape from the daily grind of patient care.
Chenelle has two teenagers, one of whom is very active in robotics and introduced her to this pinball community. Currently, her favorite machines at The Sanctuary are Medieval Madness, LOR, Attack from Mars, and, of course, Theatre of Magic.
She is excited to support membership and help grow our wonderful and diverse community. Chenelle hopes to continue fostering connections among pinball enthusiasts from all backgrounds. Let’s flip some balls!
SysAdmin – John Garnett
John first played pinball way back in the electromechanical days (Harlem Globetrotters was his favorite). Then, pinball went away from his small town and he didn’t rediscover it again for thirty years!
“I joined NWPC because I believe it’s necessary to introduce pinball to new generations in order to keep pinball alive and well. Also, I think that NWPC’s membership model will help many players become better at pinball. Having unlimited play for one price makes a big difference.”
NWPC is a non-profit corporation, not a cooperative. As such, all decisions about the mission, activities, affairs, management, and direction of the NWPC are made by the board of directors. Additionally, the board is self-perpetuating, which means that the existing board votes on when to add or remove board members. Generally speaking, however, the board considers themselves representatives of the membership and member interests will be a primary factor in all board decisions.