Escher Lefkoff is a pinball prodigy.
He has been playing the retro arcade game longer than he can remember.
“[My dad] would hold me up as a baby and I would just drool all over the playfield glass, just watching the ball roll around,” Escher said.
“When I was about two and a half, I could actually reach the buttons and I fell in love with it from there.”
Pinball is attracting players of all ages. (ABC News: Baz Ruddick)
Escher attended his first major championship when he was four years old.
His family’s home in the Colorado city of Longmont had a barn filled with dozens of pinball machines.
Now 21, he’s the top-ranked pinball player in the world.
“I’ve probably played 30,000 hours of pinball in my life, but I’ve probably thought about it for hundreds of thousands of hours,” he laughed.
Escher has moved from the United States to Australia. (ABC News: Baz Ruddick)
A few months ago, Escher moved to Australia, where pinball is finding a new legion of fans.
James Angliss, also known as Jimmy Nails, has been running pinball tournaments since 2013 and is Australia’s representative at the International Flipper Pinball Association.
While pinball experienced its heyday decades ago, James said the retro hobby was booming again.
Pinball fanatic James Angliss has been running competitions for more than a decade. (ABC News: Baz Ruddick)
“I would describe it as the fastest-growing sport in Australia,” he said.
“[There are] lots of young players coming through, teenagers, people in their early 20s, lots of new female players.
“It’s a good bit of escapism — when your head’s over the ball, there’s nothing else in the world.“
Australia’s top players have flocked to Townsville this weekend for the National Pinball Championships.
Competition is taking place across more than 70 machines, with some dating back to the 1960s.
Players have flocked to Townsville for the National Pinball Championships. (ABC News: Baz Ruddick)
Escher is one-half of a pinball power couple.
His girlfriend, Emily Cosson, is Australia’s reigning female champion.
Emily Cosson is Australia’s top female pinball player. (ABC News: Baz Ruddick)
“When I first started, I was probably the only woman that consistently played, which was funny because I was also the youngest player,” she said.
“The past five years, it’s definitely grown a lot, and it’s really great to see just how much bigger and bigger it’s getting in the women’s scene.”
Meg Hamilton is part of that growth, after discovering pinball 18 months ago.
She has fallen in love with the inclusive community and the thrill of honing a new skill.
Meg Hamilton only took up pinball recently but has become one of Australia’s best female competitors. (ABC News: Baz Ruddick)
“I think we need to change the idea of what pinball and arcade is,” she said.
“I think there’s a bit of a misconception that it’s just like the pokies or gambling machines, and it’s just not that at all.
“There’s skill, there’s story, and it’s a great group of people who are just coming together from all different walks of life for the joy of gaming.”
Pinball is experiencing a resurgence in Australia and internationally. (ABC News: Baz Ruddick)
Pinball’s future in Australia is in safe hands with young fanatics like Lewis Milla.
The 14-year-old from Townsville is already Australia’s top-ranked junior.
Lewis Milla, 14, from Townsville has been playing pinball since before he started school. (ABC News: Baz Ruddick)
He hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father, who is a previous national champion.
“[I love] the social side — hanging out with people, teaching people, and winning is fun as well,” Lewis said.
“It would be very cool if I could do it for the rest of my life.”
