The silver ball rockets across the playfield, bounces off bumpers and lands perfectly on the flipper.
“Yes!” Jessie Carduner cheers. “When I am playing I feel so happy, it’s like I want to keep doing it forever.”
Thursday nights at Station 300 Akron in North Hill are about more than pinball. During this weekly gathering amid two dozen machines, players share competition, laughter and connection, forming friendships that make the league more than just a game.
At the center of it all is 63-year-old Carduner, moderator of Station 300’s Thursday night league (the venue was formerly known as Stonehedge Entertainment). She has loved pinball since her youth, when she was introduced to the game by a friend.
She owns 13 machines at home, mostly from the 1990s. “When I started buying them, machines cost $200 to $300,” she said. “Today, newer machines run $7,500 to $8,500, and premium versions can reach $15,000.”
Carduner usually arrives around 5:30 p.m. to warm up. As players trickle in around 7:20 p.m. — there are usually between 14 and 20 — she checks names on the Match Play app, which tracks scores and machine assignments. The software automatically assigns players to machines, sometimes in groups of three, sometimes individually.
“The main thing is being patient,” Carduner said. “You stop your ball on your flipper and look around and see what you need to hit. After a while, if you know the game, you know certain sounds.”
🗓️ New events calendar! From block parties to concerts and kids’ activities, find fun around Akron and Summit County all year long. Dive into the calendar and start planning.
The community behind the machines
For Sam Paterson, 43, pinball has been a lifelong passion. He was introduced to the game by his father and, as a child, spent Friday nights in Kent watching his dad and friends play.
He joined Station 300’s league in 2017, but his level of involvement rose following the COVID-19 epidemic. “After the pandemic, I got more into hardcore competition. I watched tournaments online, and it changed my whole relationship with the game,” he said.
On Thursday nights, he warms up by rubbing his hands, testing the ball and working the flippers to get a feel for each machine’s rhythm. He compares pinball to playing the piano: “The ball is like a hammer and the shots are like the strings.”
Ken Swamy, a retired programmer, has loved pinball since he was a teenager and learned to fix machines in high school. “I always imagined pinball to be much more solo,” he said. “But I always enjoyed it more when my friends played with me.”
Before tournaments, Swamy focuses on balance, hydration and concentration. “You must focus on the machine, and if you have the patience, you can make your shot,” he said. “If you flip crazy, you lose your ball a lot of times.”
At 33, Kelsey Mersinas sees pinball as an offshoot of gaming, but one that pulls her out of the house and into a room full of people.
“I come and have a good time,” Mersinas said. “And if I did good, then that’s great.”
Mersinas also competes at other venues across Northeast Ohio, including the KidForce Women’s Pinball League in Berea, where she ranked No. 11 in June of 2025, according to the International Flipper Pinball Association.
While Station 300 is a single league, it’s part of a slightly larger pinball scene in Northeast Ohio. In Cleveland, the Cleveland Pinball League runs weekly seasons at venues such as Superelectric, while in Girard, near Youngstown, Past Times Arcade hosts leagues with open and women’s divisions.
Information about pinball leagues is available through Pinball Map, a crowd-sourced website that tracks pinball machines and leagues across the U.S. Players use it to locate machines, find nearby leagues and tournaments and learn where games are being played.
Follow the blinking lights
Thursday nights at Station 300 became a weekly ritual for Brett Gilliland after he joined the league around 2021.
Players range from casual regulars to collectors with machines at home, a mix that keeps league nights unpredictable.
For newcomers, Gilliland’s advice is simple: show up and play. “Find a spot. Try it out for yourself. And shoot for the blinking lights.”