Last week Musopians had the pleasure of visiting a pinball hall in Helsinki. We interviewed Arsi, the event host, about the fun get-together.
Arsi, You hosted a Musopia Pinball Tournament in your co-owned “Pinball Cave” called Flipperikellari.
It is such a treat to be able to play pinball without any limitations, just for fun 🙂
Even though it was “just for fun” , the fight was fierce. Everyone played the first individual games with six pre-chosen machines. The Grand Final was played between four finalists, JP, Topi, Frans, and Saku with the Iron Maiden pinball. Hard rock and hard playing, that is the least I can tell. JP was leading the final until the last ball when Saku made his phenomenal performance and gained a huge amount of points to reach a clear win at the end.
Arsi, the Pinball tournament was amazing – thank you for inviting us!
Could you tell how Musopians ended up gaming for the Rockaali Championship with your machines?
We have some great get-together events at Musopia during the year. I thought that visiting Flipperikellari and having an event mid in the endless waiting-for-summer season would be fun for colleagues. And not to forget our Rockaali series of company wide activities, which are always fun not too serious competitions. Let’s see if we make a tradition out of having a pinball location visit now and then.
How did you come to establish this place?
Pinball is my long-term hobby. About three and a half years ago we found a place to locate our pinball machines with a few friends and Flipperikellari was born.
How many pinball machines do you have?
Currently, we have some 70 pinball machines at Flipperikellari, pinballs are such funny machines that they do not feel comfy in small amounts…
What is the beauty of pinball machines?
The beauty of pinballs and playing pinball is that it is a social hobby, whether you are playing just for fun or at a competitive level. Also, the variety of the machines is enormous, the machines span several decades, and have a variety of artwork and craftsmanship not to forget the playing itself. “One more game” is the saying always around. You may develop your skills and knowledge endlessly. I have been playing pinball for over 40 years and expect another 40 to come. It is a hobby and activity for everyone.
You have some music-themed pinball machines too, tell a little bit about them.
We have Iron Maiden mentioned above, AC/DC, Metallica, and Guns n’ Roses. They are modern pinball machines and popular among our visitors. Such modern machines typically have a deep set of rules and achieving a great score needs in-depth knowledge from a player. Some collectors even have a full set of rock-themed pinballs – 15 or even more produced. Check your local pinball arcades nearby!
What is in your opinion the best song to celebrate a pinball championship win?
Pinball Wizard by The Who, naturally!
What is your “real job”, a.k.a your role at Musopia?
I’m the head of Finance at Musopia and a fairly new Musopian – since the beginning of 2024. I’m responsible for handling our rocking finance and more.
Flipperikellari is located in Käpylä, Helsinki, and hosts a weekly game night open to visitors on Thursdays from 5pm to 10pm. Occasionally open tournaments are also played at Flipperikellari. More information www.flipperikellari.fi