Pinball is also a spectator sport.
Put in the quarters, the oversized ball bearing shoots into the “ball launch” trough, pull back the launch lever and the ball rolls into action while the scores ring up on the backdrop digital screen, or a manual number roll in the older models.
Fast forward in the pinball world and it may take a credit card but the bells and bumpers provide the soundtrack with good pinball players performing the “death save,” as long as the tilt meter is set right.
All this is happening at the local pinball spot called the “Continues Arcade,” in Old Town, Alexandria.
"We’ve got a few folk who come and rock some games - and we’re starting our own regular tournaments and exploring the possibility of an in-house league," said Allen Brooks, the owner at Continues.
They have 10 pinball machines, consisting of four newer models made by pinball giant "Stern," a company that created "Uncanny X-men," "Godzilla," "Foo Fighters" and “Dungeons and Dragons the Tyrant’s Eye" machines They have six older models too including "Big Guns," "Dr. Who," "Simpsons Pinball Party," "Family Guy," “Star Trek the Next Generation," and "Medieval Madness." Sounds like a trip through the local theme park.
Brooks said that "X-men and Star Trek are the ones with the biggest lines usually," and their oldest game is Big Guns dating back to 1987. He describes it as "a weird space-kingdom themed game with a cool backglass feature that is like a mini game unto itself." The place has a niche following, and there are two couples that want to get married in the arcade in 2026.
Pinball Popularity
Pinball is as big as it ever was,and in mid January the International Flipper Pinball Association held their championships to recognize the world’s best pinball players. Locally that turned out to be Julian Carlucci, a professional player in Virginia. There were 49 different IFPA State Championship finals (plus Washington DC) along with 8 different Province finals in Canada. There were 1200 finalists competing for their share of nearly $170,000 in cash, a State or Provincial title, and a spot in the IFPA North American Pinball Championship.
The next day, the IFPA Women’s North American Championship Series were held with 896 finalists competing for their share of over $16,000 in cash, a State or Provincial title, and a spot in the IFPA Women’s North American Pinball Championship.
Pinball has a player of the year, and for 2025, that was Arvid Flygare of Lund, Sweden. At 17, Arvid is the fourth ranked player in the world.
In Virginia, Kevin Stone from McLean ranked high in 2025. In the world rankings, the U.S. has the first and second place ranking followed by New Zealand and Finland.
The IFPA has an official IFPA Conduct Code and surprisingly, "tilting" isn’t listed as a rule. “Abusive handling of machines beyond normal play (e.g., slamming, death saves, intentional damage) is one of the descriptive rules but Brooks hasn’t experienced any rowdy players yet. “People mostly respect our games as the works of art that they are,” he said.
Pinball even has a song, "Pinball Wizard," by The Who originally, and then Elton John when he was in the movie "Tommy,” back in the 1970s.
Where:
Continues Arcade
1050 N. Fayette Street, Alexandria
703-217-5408