Christopher Jay
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s1ckh4nds.bsky.social
Christopher Jay
@s1ckh4nds.bsky.social
280 followers 220 following 650 posts
Retro game fanatic, rhythm gamer, & pinball wizard-in-training. Roller coaster enthusiast. Professional playlist curator. Arcade archivist, documentor, and YouTuber.

https://www.youtube.com/@S1ckH4ndsRBN
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s1ckh4nds.bsky.social
Made it to Virginia! Kings Dominion awaits!
Tumbili, Pantherian, and Dominator in the Kings Dominion skyline!
November 15, 2025 at 4:48 PM
s1ckh4nds.bsky.social
Really looking forward to driving down to Kings Dominion this weekend and suppressing the urge to look at the internet like AT ALL

(Rapterra better be good)
November 15, 2025 at 3:30 AM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
kineticist.com
just published, and signing the petition shortly www.kineticist.com/post/update-...
An Update on the IFPA and the OBX Fall Flippers Event | Kineticist
Providing more information and context around the handling of the harassment incident at the OBX Fall Flippers tournament.
www.kineticist.com
November 15, 2025 at 2:34 AM
s1ckh4nds.bsky.social
Well, that bit of "therapy" didn't last long.

Logged onto Discord to see the latest bit of IFPA discourse and ended up seeing that Adam Becker has completely shut the discussion down and is now threatening to time people out and/or ban them from the server.

What a spineless, fucking cowardly act.
Adam Becker on the IFPA Discord server: "We've received credible reports of doxxing about an hour ago that were verified and deleted afterwards. Swatting, threats, and doxxing will not be tolerated and will face an immediate permanent ban from the server. That account has been banned and due to safety concerns with the swatting /doxxing The conversation around the OBX 2025 event on this server is now closed. OBX 2025 results will not be unsanctioned, that decision is final. Anyone discussing this event in this server in any channel in any capacity will receive a 1 week timeout. A second offense will be a permanent ban. Attempt to skirt this policy at your own risk."
November 15, 2025 at 12:28 AM
s1ckh4nds.bsky.social
NYC therapy was fruitful. #pacman #arcade #barcade #gebhards #pinball
Free sticker sheet celebrating PAC-MAN's 45th anniversary at the popup arcade in Macy's Herald Square. Sharing a hug with my oldest, chompiest friend. From one 45-year-old to another, happy birthday, PAC-MAN! Any day I get to play the Zaccaria masterpiece Farfalla on location is a good day. At Gebhard's Beer Culture, NYC. Finished off the day with a relaxing trip to the Spa of the Future. Barcade Chelsea, NYC.
November 14, 2025 at 11:17 PM
s1ckh4nds.bsky.social
I continue to be utterly, completely disappointed by the lack in judgment and leadership on display over the past week at the very top level of the IFPA. The way they have handled the Flippers situation, and the fallout thereof, is sapping my love for competitive pinball.

1/
November 14, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
iast.bsky.social
Fuck it, we ball.

And I'm all out of fucks.

Have some goddamn integrity, IFPA.

#Pinball #IFPA
The ruling from IFPA today (referenced in comments below) re: the transphobia incident at Flippers Arcade/OBX Fall Pinball Tournament on Nov. 7 is, in no uncertain terms, one of the most nothingburger, ineffectual, "let bygones be bygones" conclusions they possibly could have reached. After all that's been accomplished in the last year with IFPA implementing their Gender Inclusion Policy, the bar to clear for doing the honorable and just thing was right there, an inch off the ground. All they have managed to accomplish today was to smack face-first into that bar and leave a black eye across the competitive pinball community. I've seen good friends of mine who were personally affected by the failures of OBX staff to address the concerns of trans players in attendance and/or who were planning to participate, on pins & needles all week while being left in the dark on what stance the IFPA ruling board will take. I've seen the trans pinball community at large wrestling with the possibility of reducing their participation in IFPA-sanctioned events, if participating at all, depending on IFPA's determination. I've seen discussions back and forth on OBX being subject to having their WPPRs devalued, if not decertified altogether. Not a baseless penalty to ledger, given IFPA's statements among their Frequently Asked Questions: "The IFPA only recognizes open divisions of play to be included in the World Pinball Player Rankings. ***If certain players are prohibited from playing based on age, gender, skill or personal reasons, those results will not be counted. This includes B-divisions, Novice divisions, Women’s divisions, etc.***" And after today, I've seen a complete and utter failing on IFPA to uphold those edicts. Put yourself in the shoes of a trans/nonbinary player. You've been given assurance by the governing body of your competitive hobby that they recognize the broad gender spectrum you're a part of, that they will have your back when push comes to solve, that they will throw you a life raft when your rights as a player and a human are being drowned out by hate. Instead, you're given a high-five by the governing body when your head is already underwater, they wipe their hands of the matter and move on to the next thing. You can contend that the one-year ban on Flippers hosting IFPA-sanctioned events is a worthy penalty. While that would be case under other circumstances, the fact that Flippers was already planning to move away from hosting pinball events prior to OBX taking place, takes a lot out of the sails of said "penalty". There is one more thing that I must add. If you are going to instate anything as to the effect of the IFPA Gender Inclusion Policy, then it must be carried out with the understanding that *when*, not *if*, there is a violation of that policy, whether through negligence or willful malice, there must be a clear and swift process to address the issue at hand and meaningfully affect those in the wrong. IFPA's ability to carry out such matters dutifully has fallen flat on its face.
November 14, 2025 at 2:01 AM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
canineconnie.bsky.social
To say the IFPA's statement is disappointing and insufficient is an understatement.

"We made an email address, problem solved."

One man choosing to override the unanimous position of the Women's Advisory Board manages to make this worse than no action by showing how little regard IFPA has for them
kineticist.com Kineticist @kineticist.com · 1d
An IFPA event became the center of a major controversy last weekend after a venue manager forcibly removed a trans woman from the women’s restroom and the TD allowed the event to proceed without interruption. The IFPA’s response has now created more controversy.

www.kineticist.com/post/ifpa-ob...
Developing: What’s Going on With the IFPA and the OBX Fall Flippers Event? | Kineticist
Tracking a developing story coming out of the recent OBX Fall Pinball Tournament.
www.kineticist.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
kineticist.com
An IFPA event became the center of a major controversy last weekend after a venue manager forcibly removed a trans woman from the women’s restroom and the TD allowed the event to proceed without interruption. The IFPA’s response has now created more controversy.

www.kineticist.com/post/ifpa-ob...
Developing: What’s Going on With the IFPA and the OBX Fall Flippers Event? | Kineticist
Tracking a developing story coming out of the recent OBX Fall Pinball Tournament.
www.kineticist.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
scoutpilgrim.bsky.social
"doing better" is not banning a victim from the IFPA Discord discussion around their own hate crime.
November 13, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
scoutpilgrim.bsky.social
No quarter for hate. The International Flipper Pinball Association needs to do better.
I would like to first state that I am glad to see that the IFPA has finally responded to the incident that occurred last weekend at the OBX Fall Flippers Classic. Pinball is for everyone, and Flippers Arcade and Laundromat having a minimum 1-year ban from running events sanctioned from the IFPA shows that there is at least some sense that the organization is trying to stay adherent to it’s own policies. The IFPA did not acknowledge that they were even investigating this event until 5 days and 14 hours later, and that only occurred because I called them out in their Discord – up to that point, nothing had been mentioned in this space about anything that occurred. Yet, two deafening and glaring flaws in the statement made by the “IFPA Organization” still persist, and both the lack thereof of statements and the statements that came out to fill in those blanks show that the IFPA is not living up to it’s expectations for itself, nor it’s perception of being an arbiter of equality/equity to the community. Before I go on, I would like to say that this year would have been my third OBX Fall Flippers. In the two years prior, I have seen trans and queer competitors take at least one top 4 spot (2019 and 2024). First, nothing in any official IFPA statement mentioned anything about what will happen to the event where this incident occurred in the first place. An official statement from the Women’s Board in response to the “IFPA Organization” statement was made as follows: “The IFPA Women’s Advisory Board unanimously recommended that the IFPA revoke sanctioning for the OBX events, and we vehemently disagree with IFPA Leadership’s decision not to do so. We did not contribute to the announced statement or the new process for incident reporting and we oppose the decision-making process used by IFPA Leadership.” Further statements showed that the IFPA also misrepresented some of the events that were witnessed first hand by Sammie Bacon, a member of the IFPA Women’s Advisory Board. Other than the originally affected party, she was the person most knowledgeable about the events that transpired, and was the person who Becky (the Flippers manager) waved an iPad in their face to justify her hate crimes with bogus bathroom bills. As it has come out, Adam Becker was responsible for this decision as the lead. I may respect you for the work you have done for the community, but I am ashamed to see how you have decided to ignore your Women’s Advisory board in a decision as well as misrepresent them both in including them in your statement when they did not agree to it as well as directly altering first-hand accounts witnessed by a Women’s Board member. Josh Sharpe, Zach Sharpe, Andy Bagwell, Germain Mariolle, Michael Trepp, and Brian Woodard – I am also saddened to hear that you did not step in to ensure that the matter was being treated with the utmost care and concern that a matter of trans and queer exclusion in an Open event should warrant. As one of the trans people who was eager to play in OBX Fall Flippers event, it also saddens me to see that their own statements mean nothing in practice. “The IFPA only recognizes open division of play to be included in the World Pinball Player Rankings. If certain players are prohibited from playing based on age, gender, skill or personal reasons, those results will not be counted.” By the IFPA’s own admission, this was an act of discrimination. Even further, this was sexual harassment and a hate crime. How can WPPRs be awarded to an event that breaks the IFPA’s own statements? Why are cis and/or hetero players being rewarded because at least 15 phenomenal trans/queer players had to avoid the event because they needed to prioritize their safety? By itself, this is damning – and as a prominent trans pinball player, makes me feel like the IFPA will not have my back at events. If results from this event are posted, I will be suppressing myself from IFPA events as it has been made clear that the IFPA’s statements about “standing in solidarity” with me are just words on a screen and hold no meaning or value. While I understand that part of this involves Kevin Stone, I also believe that his statement and apology are genuine. I would like there to be resources available to Tournament Directors, potentially as part of the IFPA website, that can provide resources to assist in what to do if situations of discrimination or hate show up at your event – as well as fostering a culture where pinball is safe for everyone. No quarter for hate.
November 13, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
peaceegg.bsky.social
I might as well post the message I sent to the IFPA regarding this matter, asking that the pinball tournaments at OBX Flippers have heavily penalized or zero ranking points (which would make everyone reconsider the event and their actions).

Some names and details obscured or edited, just in case.
An email to the IFPA from November 10th, 11:55 AM that reads: Hello, I'm Trace Evans, player ID #101240, and I wanted to send along my thoughts regarding three OBX Flippers tournaments, #98531, #98531, and #101247. While I've read comments and calls to action from others who were at the event, this message is not at anyone else's request. That said, I'd like you to consider heavily penalizing or removing IFPA ranking points from these tournaments due to violations of player safety and gender inclusion. I've heard that the IFPA, its board, and its directors are already aware of this issue, so hopefully you already understand that this concerns an incident where a transgender woman, at the beginning of main qualifying, was chased out of a bathroom and threatened by an employee of Flippers. Hopefully you've also heard that this employee was not forced to leave and, instead, continued to work until 3 PM, with no meaningful attempt made by tournament director Kevin Stone or Flippers ownership to remove her or suspend qualifying until the situation was resolved. I was fortunate enough not to be at Flippers when the initial incident occurred, due to my group (myself and [intentionally blurred group names]) running behind on our morning routine. We discovered what happened when we received text messages from people on-site warning us that it was potentially unsafe at Flippers and that it would be best to stay away. About 30 minutes later, we received follow-up messages saying that it was safe enough for us to head to Flippers, and our presence would be helpful for resolving the issue, especially given the affected player from the initial incident was still in the midst of a panic attack outside the venue and in need of assistance. Upon arriving, it was clear that the tournament was mostly continuing as if nothing had happened, while about a dozen women and LGBT players remained just outside Flippers demanding further action. Kevin Stone thrust responsibility for resolving the issue onto women like Sammie Bacon and Kaylee Campbell, rather than taking action to resolve the matter himself. This made any attempt to find a safe resolution extremely difficult, especially when we learned the employee who was refusing to leave had continued harassing other players based on their appearance, including cisgender women. The offers given -- extra qualifying time "for those affected," and refunds for anyone who no longer wanted to participate -- were woefully inadequate. Despite the fact I was not directly threatened as a straight cisgender male, I could not, in good conscience, enter and participate in these tournaments. I would not have been able to enjoy myself, much less focus on playing competitively, while having to keep an eye on my LGBT friends and ensuring their safety. Given the employee in question had not been removed or banned from the premises, I was concerned she would attempt to return to the venue to harass and threaten players further. I especially wasn't willing to support Kevin Stone or Flippers at this point, neither of which seemed the least bit interested in taking any action to protect or even defend the players threatened. That lack of action or willingness to stand up for the players concerns me the most. There is a chance, if we had arrived right before the start of the event as intended, that [name intentionally blurred] would have been the one chased out of the women's bathroom. Would the response have been any different if it had been her, someone more known in the community who was far more willing to stand up for herself? What if Kaylee Campbell had been the one threatened by this employee? What if it had been Sammie Bacon, and this employee had attempted to follow through on her threats to call the cops? These scenarios all pose the same concerning safety issues, and the affected player shouldn't matter. This is clearly an uncomfortable incident and situation not only for this tournament, but for the pinball community in general. However, it's also the best time to send a message that this behavior is not OK per IFPA rules and its gender inclusion policy. A mere statement or a promise not to let this happen going forward won't erase the damage this incident caused any more than "thoughts and prayers," and hoping that folks will simply not attend based on word of mouth is essentially choosing to erase LGBT participation from a major event and nothing more. Heavily penalizing or excluding these tournaments from IFPA rankings would send a strong message that it is on tournament directors to ensure their events are safe for everyone, while also reminding players who turned a blind eye and continued to participate that it is just as much on them to make sure the community stays safe and that supporting each other is necessary if competitive pinball is to prosper. I hope you'll give serious consideration to taking actions against these tournaments, for the sake of everyone affected. Thank you very much for taking your time to read this and your consideration. -Trace Evans
November 13, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
alsheimer.me
IFPA issued a statement, but in tracking the live convo around it in the IFPA official discord, it seems that the Women's Advisory Board was not sufficiently involved in the decision-making process and 5/6 members advocated for a different outcome.

www.ifpapinball.com/ifpa-stateme...
November 13, 2025 at 7:27 PM
s1ckh4nds.bsky.social
The IFPA makes tons of mistakes. Not listening to the Women's Advisory Board on this is quite possibly the biggest one they could have made.

Fucking hell.
November 13, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
scoutpilgrim.bsky.social
A response has been made. I hope this brings closure sooner than later, though.
Thanks for your message, we have been investigating this issue since Monday morning and are still actively trying to reach a consensus on a path forward, we hope to have this sorted out soon and will be posting an announcement in discord as soon as it is. We appreciate your patience on this issue, but given the sensitive nature we want to ensure we give this the time that it deserves to be handled correctly. Adam Becker, IFPA Staff
November 13, 2025 at 7:34 AM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
scoutpilgrim.bsky.social
I'm also shocked there has been zero discussion, official or unofficial, or any accountability by the IFPA to even *let folks know* that they are investigating this.

I'm posting this in their Discord, so there's no longer any doubt.
Hello, It is now 5 and a half days since a discriminatory and transphobic incident occurred at OBX Fall Flippers at Flippers Arcade in Grandy, NC. Multiple people have contacted the IFPA about this incident with their accounts of the event, including many through formal emails. Given the severity and nature of the incident, where the IFPA is currently awaiting the results of a tournament shown to have inequitable treatment towards queer and trans folks to the point where 15+ people felt that their safety could not be guaranteed, I am disappointed that there has been zero official statements from the IFPA, even to just say that there is an investigation underway. That is, assuming there is one. If there is, I would like it to be put on the record by someone not affiliated with the Women's Board, as this is concerning an Open event and should be handled by the Open committee. At least 15 pinball players - tournament directors, beloved community members, and competitors themselves - are waiting for any sort of closure so we can fully move forward from experiencing a hate crime at an IFPA event. I look forward to hearing back from you, as does a sizable portion of your community.
November 13, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
chiitan.love
If you can't come out right now, please don't hate yourself.
One day, the meaning of labels will disappear.

Please love yourself as you are.
The one who can cherish yourself the most is yourself.
Because that is your strength and beauty.
Chiitan loves you
October 11, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
scoutpilgrim.bsky.social
I spent my birthday playing in a @lymanstaverndc.bsky.social monthly 2 years ago and it, along with every time I've been there, has been a great experience.

It warms my heart to see them standing alongside us. They're seriously good people, check them out.
To the DC pinball community: It has come to our attention that a recent tournament held in OBX created a hostile environment for trans pinball players that resulted in their exclusion from the tournament. We call on the IFPA to immediately nullify this tournament and remove all WPPR points associated with it. We also unequivocally reaffirm to all the DC trans pinball players that you are an integral part of this community and we reject transphobia in the strongest terms. DC pinball will not tolerate any transphobia or other hateful ideology from our players or our tournament directors, and we expect our members to intervene and call out transphobia when they see it. -Lyman's Tavern, DC Pinball League, & PinDyke
November 12, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
arborelia.net
since way more people are linking to it than I expected, I put my statement to the IFPA on my blog instead of on a temporary html page.

posts.arborelia.net/trans-exclus...
Trans exclusion at OBX
My statement to the IFPA on what happened at the OBX pinball tournament.
posts.arborelia.net
November 11, 2025 at 8:32 AM
s1ckh4nds.bsky.social
I swear I was just talking about need a Nicktoons Nitro reboot the other day.

In the words of Drew McIntyre, "I prayed for this and it happened".

More details at Arcade Heroes; arcadeheroes.com/2025/11/10/a...
Promotional image of Andamiro's upcoming arcade racing game "Nickelodeon Kart Racers Arcade" (original source: Arcade Heroes), with what appears to feature 24 characters from Nicktoons & associated properties. Lineup seems to include 4 characters from SpongeBob SquarePants, the 4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Lincoln and Lucy Loud from The Loud House, Aang and Toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Chuckie and Reptar from Rugrats, Rocko from Rocko's Modern Life, Zim and Gir from Invader Zim, and many more.
November 10, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
arborelia.net
No compromise. Take away all the points from people who played. Maybe some of them will care next time
November 10, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
arborelia.net
Anti-trans hate at a pinball tournament should be everyone's problem. The cis people shouldn't get to play on while it's happening. And they shouldn't expect women who are preparing to direct a different tournament to clean up after it while the man in charge does nothing.
November 10, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
arborelia.net
I gave the IFPA my view of the trans-exclusionary OBX pinball tournament. I reject the notion that it's the responsibility of trans people to compromise with transphobia, and also reject that it's just a "women's issue".

arborelia.net/ifpa-obx.html
ifpa-obx
obsidian - ifpa-obx
arborelia.net
November 10, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
queenslime.bsky.social
Is it #RandomGameSaturday or Silver Ball Saturday?
Attack from Mars, 1998, Tiger (yes, THAT Tiger!)
This game deserves way more attention.
It uses actual digitized sound effects, multiple modes, decent controls, a pull back plunger, LCD wiggle Martians, and a solid table layout.
It's great o'clock.
Attack from Mars handheld game. Shaped kind of like an isosceles trapezoid. It is taller than wide, top is 2.7in (6.858cm), 5.7in on either side (14.478cm), and 3.7in (9.398cm) on the bottom. The top of the casing is black, and royal blue for the rest. There is a bezel that surrounds the 1.6in (4.064cm) across and 1.8in (4.572cm) down screen, that is situated in the upper half of the game. The bezel has a sticker with the art from the Attack From Mars pinball table with the Attack From Mars logo in red at the top. The screen has an isometric view of the AFM table, with the score to 100 millions at the top middle, GAME OVER to the top left, and SCORE in the top right. There are two silver flipper buttons just below the middle of the game. There is a yellow pull down plunger on the bottom right side. The bottom middle is silver plastic with a round bump in the middle because art. Page 73 of the spiral bound 1999 Tiger Electronics trade show catalog. The page is yellow orange with pictures of Pin.Bot and Attack from Mars.
November 8, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Reposted by Christopher Jay
arborelia.net
I feel like the OBX transphobia incident has like a 50% chance of being swept under the rug with a suggestion that trans women "vote with their feet" -- that is, not show up next year.

we won't. but if the resolution doesn't affect the cis people who played, then the inclusion policy means nothing.
November 8, 2025 at 9:45 PM