Schacherer works to master the silver ball
1/3/2024
“The message I would like to spread is that this is a fun way to get out of the house, have some fun, play games and meet a great group of people,” said Brian Schacherer.
Arcades and arcade games have become more of a memory, met with feelings of nostalgia, than an activity nowadays. With video games becoming more accessible than ever, the need to venture out to get your brightly lit, out-of-home gaming fix has dwindled, but not for Brian Schacherer.
Schacherer has lived in Ankeny since 2007. In 2011, he became a father. With his work-from-home job allowing him to become a stay-at-home dad, he needed something that would get him out of the house.
“As a lifelong fan of retro games and pinball, I started spending my Thursday evenings at UpDown in the East Village,” said Schacherer.
The barcade’s large selection of arcade games made it easy for Schacherer to find fellow pinballers and a growing community.
“Over time, I became friends with a group of other pinball players and learned there were actually competitive tournaments. Back then, we would be lucky to get 10 players participating in our tournaments,” said Schacherer.
The group of pinball players has no age limit and no prerequisites. Schacherer says those who participate in the group’s tournaments range from young to old and beginner to expert. Players also have slingshot themselves from all over the Midwest to compete.
“We often have visiting players from other states. Just recently, we had a tournament where people traveled from Wisconsin, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska,” said Schacherer.
These tournaments and meet-ups get scheduled through the group’s Facebook page, “Des Moines Pinball Group.”
While there are several formats for tournaments, the most common is match play. Players are randomly assigned into groups of four. In a similar way, a random machine to play is assigned. All of the players are then shuffled around and continue to be mixed and matched until the end of the allotted play time. The group has seen its share of success over the years.
“Over the year, you earn IFPA (International Flipper Pinball Association) points for all the events you participate in. The top 16 players are invited to play in the yearly state tournament. The winner of that moves on to the national tournament to compete against the top players from across the U.S. Every year, we have sent a player to perform at the national tournament,” said Schacherer.
Schacherer tries to personally organize an event each month. The Des Moines Pinball group has hosted events at the West Des Moines and Ankeny Operating Room locations, UpDown in the East Village where Schacherer originally began perfecting his craft, and Time Out, located in Ames. He also noted that tournaments are hosted regularly throughout other cities in Iowa. These events are listed at www.ifpapinball.com.
While he doesn’t own any machines himself, his goal is to change that.
“I do not own any pinball machines. That is a dream to eventually have an arcade in my basement. Pinball seems to be having a resurgence over the last few years with multiple new machines coming out every year,” said Schacherer.
If that dream were to come true, he lists some of his favorite newer machines as “Godzilla,” “Stranger Things” and “Deadpool.”
“As for classic games, you just can’t beat “Attack From Mars,” “Medieval Madness” or “Twilight Zone,” says Schacherer.
Schacherer considers himself an average player with a major victory just slipping away from him thus far. His best finish was second place in the Iowa State Championship in 2019.
“Unfortunately, the big win has eluded me, but I have been playing in tournaments once per month and know I’ll get there someday. Even without a first-place finish to my name, I still enjoy playing and socializing with the community,” says Schacherer. ♦
