Bandai Namco Amusement America recently announced that Anna Marcus has joined the company in the role of Creative Design Assistant. A recent DePaul University graduate, Marcus has a dual degree in Game Design and Japanese Studies and has dreamed about working in the game industry since she was young. She will be assisting in overseeing the development of new games, designing graphics and keeping the Bandai Namco marketing team up to date. She can be reached at [email protected].
Author: Matt Harding
Montana Axe Throwing Co. has itself a new home in the city of Butte. Its owner, Kayla Lambrecht, has been running a nearby fashion store for nine years and told KXLF that she tried axe throwing with her family and fell in love with it and decided to bring it to Butte. “I’m really competitive, especially with my family, so when we were out throwing, I had so much fun I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I need to bring this sport to Butte. Butte needs this,’” Lambrecht said. The business will serve beer, wine and homemade pizza, and will also…
A new pinball arcade has opened in East Rochester, N.Y. Rochester Pinball Collective is owned by pinball aficionado Bruce Nightingale and features 45 different pinball machines, ranging from the 1950s to today. According to Spectrum News 1, Nightingale ranks 979 out of 77,000 ranked pinball players globally. “I have been doing pinball for over 36 or 37 years of my life,” he said. “It is just part of me. Anyone can just walk up to a pinball machine and hit a start button and play. That is the great thing about it. The oldest game we have is from 1955…
Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood will soon be home to an axe throwing venue. Detroit Axe will open its third facility there on Oct. 15. It already has two locations in nearby suburbs. According to the Detroit Free Press, the 8,000-sq.-ft. space (also known as The Yard at Corktown) will feature 12 axe throwing lanes, along with indoor and outdoor space for other games like pinball and shuffleboard. They’ll also have more than 500 board games. “We’re excited to be the first dedicated axe throwing facility in downtown Detroit,” Brian Siegel with The Yard at Corktown and Detroit Axe said in a…
Dubbed “the world’s largest outdoor escape game,” Pirates Treasure Hunt brought the fun to San Antonio for a special one-day event held Oct. 2. The game was organized by City Scavenger. According to the San Antonio Current, it was a family-friendly event designed for teams of 2-6 people, who met virtual pirates, solved challenges and collected clues to ultimately find the location of the “hidden booty.” At the end of the game, the highest scoring team took home a real prize – $300. Learn more about the event at www.thecityscavenger.com.
Jennifer Halpern, the general manager of Aloma Bowl in Winter Park, Fla., has been selected by the Bowling Centers Assn. of Florida as its Manager of the Year. According to BCA-Florida, Halpern has been with Aloma Bowling Centers for eight years and has been GM of the Aloma Bowl facility for about five years. She worked her way through the ranks as youth leagues director and league coordinator, among other leadership positions. “To be selected among so many amazing candidates by the Bowling Centers Association of Florida is a true honor,” Halpern said. “This wouldn’t have been possible without the…
IAAPA Expo in Orlando is just over a month away and Party Center Software has some free tickets to give away. Their raffle runs through Oct. 14 at 9 a.m. Eastern time. To enter, visit their blog and click on the post titled Win A Free Ticket to IAAPA Expo 2021. (Or, simply click here.) Then click the link to the ticket raffle, fill out the form and hit submit! IAAPA Expo will be held from Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center. Stop by PCS’s Booth #4571 or visit them online at www.partycentersoftware.com.
AMOA’s annual Hesch Scholarship fundraising program is transitioning to a new online format this year and will be held from Oct. 11-25. Set up your bidder profile at www.charityauction.bid/hesch. (Previously, they held the auction on the Amusement Expo floor, but have transitioned to this new format, holding it in the fall, following the formation of the joint AMOA/AAMA AEI Charity Fund.) “We’ve worked hard to provide a diverse listing of items so there is something for everyone,” the association said. “All items listed have been donated by generous industry friends to help us raise the funds we need to award…
Ten Pin Fun Center, located in Turlock, California, recently launched its new immersive haunted house for the Halloween season. According to the Modesto Bee, the two-story, 5,000-sq.-ft. haunted house will be open Friday through Sunday throughout the month of October – 6-11 p.m. on Fridays and 3-8 p.m. on the weekend days. It is located in their laser tag space. Tickets are $15 per guest. The experience is 20-30 minutes long. Guests will end up inside a circus ballroom with a bar where they can purchase specialty cocktails. And, of course, there’s also bowling and arcade games for those who…
Jersey Jack Pinball recently announced on their Facebook page that Mark Seiden has joined the company’s design team. JJP said Mark is well-known in the pinball homebrew community for his skillful and creative designs. “I am super excited to be at Jersey Jack Pinball and to be working with this very talented design team,” Seiden said. More information about the company – and its latest game Guns ‘N Roses – is available at www.jerseyjackpinball.com.