Players square off in Victoria pinball league championship

Steve Webb has long been a fan of video games but in recent years, he's gained an appreciation for the more tactile appeal of pinball. 

"It's like a very finely-tuned piece of machinery that someone's put a lot of effort and energy into building and tuning up, and then you let a steel ball, just unleash it inside and do as much damage as possible," said Webb, the co-owner of Quazar's Arcade in Victoria, B.C. 

"There's something just so chaotic about it."

That sense of chaos will be unleashed at the Vancouver Island Pinball Championship, which is set to take place at the Powerhouse Pinball Club, also in Victoria. The venue that has become home to a pinball league that grew during the pandemic.

According to its website, the top 24 players based on event results from the year 2020-21 are qualified for the tournament. Matches will take place at any time at Quazar's Arcade, before the grand finals at the Powerhouse on Sunday, May 1.

Webb had moved some of his pinball machines from the arcade to the Powerhouse building on Store Street, so people could play at a safe distance, he said.

Do you have what it takes to be a pinball wizard? <br><br>CBC's <a href="https://twitter.com/lizziepetra?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lizziepetra</a> took a trip to a pinball arcade in Victoria, where she spoke with an expert who showed her some tips and tricks. <a href="https://t.co/yV4fKmxKtq">pic.twitter.com/yV4fKmxKtq</a>

Dan Bitterlich says he likes the social aspect of the league.

"The competitive nature of it isn't really that strong," he said. "We try to keep it much more about fun than about competition."

Like Webb, Bitterlich says pinball has an appeal that can't be found in the digital world.

"Part of it is that it's tactile," he said.