Business
16 April, 2024
Pinball quickly gathers pace
PINBALL is fast gaining popularity in Cairns as fans from across the region recently came together in the CBD as part of Empire Alternacade and Entertainment’s second-ever pinball tournament.
Founded in 2019 after the success of their Townsville counterpart, Empire Alternacade and Entertainment is an alternative venue built on the passion of retro social recreation.
Empire has built a hub for the local Cairns board gaming, console, retro arcade gaming, and most recently pinball tournament community.
Following the success of the first-ever tournament hosted, Empire Alternacade has decided to host tournaments every fourth Monday of the month, currently charging $20 for normal entry, and $10 for first timers.
As the events are officially recognised, participants have a chance to receive international ranking quotient, with the top three receiving entry into national and international-level tournaments.
Empire manager Ronan Wolfe said that the tournament was a great success, with even numbers of both men and women. “We had 19 entrants, of which around half were women,” he said.
“Our events are IFPA approved which means every player receives world ranking points.
“The top three also receive a ticket to the Queensland Invitational held in Brisbane each year.”
Mr Wolfe also said that competitive pinball was growing exponentially in North Queensland.
“Tournament growth pinball in north Queensland is growing rapidly,” he said.
“We expect our numbers to continue to increase as we build and grow the local scene.”
