Frederick Richardson, currently ranked as the No. 108 player in the world on the International Flipper Pinball Assn. charts, has opened up his own Bang Back Pinball Lounge in Columbia, S.C., the “pinball capital of the world.”
“What we’re trying to do here is create a great environment to really celebrate pinball,” he told Free Times. “We celebrate the art and entertainment of pinball.” His diverse set of mostly classic machines are arranged so that onlookers can see gameplay and admire the art on the sides of machines.
“We talk about the language of pinball … orbits, loops, rollovers, pop bumpers, out lanes, return lane, slingshots,” he added. “We teach how to speak pinball.” That’s an important aspect of the venue for the pinballer, who topped out at a No. 13 rank on IFPA’s list in 1994.
The pinball lounge also has a full bar and restaurant. It’s mostly open now, but should be fully ready to go by next week.
