Pinball players rejoice in the game's surging popularity at provincial championship in London, Ont.

The top 16 women pinball players from across Ontario gathered at London's Forked River Brewing Company on Sunday to compete in the provincial women's championship tournament.

Along with vying for the title of the highest ranking player in the province, they also celebrated an increasing number of women participating in competitive pinball, with the goal of continuing to grow local leagues to allow more people to learn and enjoy the game. 

"Pinball is growing all over the world," said Julie Dorssers, a pinball tournament director in London. "It seems to be growing in popularity, there are younger people who are playing."

Dorssers organizes regular pinball tournaments at the brewery in an effort to encourage more women and gender-diverse people to take part in the game and build community. 

"It's a very fun group of people and the idea is to come out and have a good time together and to promote women's pinball because there are less women that compete than men," Dorssers said. 

"Pinball is more kinetic and random. It's more fun to compete with people and has a lot more of a camaraderie to it than sitting in your basement playing a video game."

The provincial match is a leg of the International Flipper Pinball Association, which is the game's international ranking body that sets competition standards and its points system. Sixteen Ontario women qualified for this year's championship, with eight from a women's-only tournament, and the other half from an open tournament, including both men and women. 

Players took to a variety of pinball machines at the brewery and faced off in a single elimination bracket, where whichever player who wins four games moves onto the next round and competes with another player. 

For Ottawa resident Gabi Antaya, the game's inclusive and supportive atmosphere is what makes it so special. Antaya is co-founder of Pinball Women Ottawa, that started a decade ago, and has seen its membership steadily increase from a handful to dozens of people in recent years. 

"We've always been super inclusive and for us, women's pinball is providing a supportive environment for people of marginalized genders," said Antaya, who hosted last year's championships in Ottawa. 

"When I first started playing pinball, I'd walk into a room, it would be 30 dudes and maybe two or three women and now when you go to tournaments in Ontario, it's almost 50-50."

It's important for women and non-binary people who are new to competitive pinball to have a space where they can learn at their own pace and feel encouraged, Antaya said. Travelling to different competitions has allowed her to meet other pinball players from around the world and make new friendships, she added.

Polly Jean-Vernon, a tournament director from Toronto, said she was drawn to pinball for its "beautiful combination of art and physics." Pinball was also how she was able to find a community of like-minded enthusiasts when she newly moved to the city before the COVID pandemic. 

Playing on pinball machines has also helped Vernon develop focus and improve her overall concentration, she said. 

"I've always had trouble focusing and one of the things about pinball is it trains you to help you focus," said Vernon. "You walk up to the machine and no matter what else is happening in your life or in the world, for a few minutes it's just you, the machine and the ball. It's very exciting."

Pinball enthusiasts in London are working to revive a local league that was shuttered during the pandemic and with more bars and game cafes purchasing pinball machines, the game's momentum will continue to build, Dorssers said. 

Sunday's winner will represent Ontario against the winners from seven other Canadian provinces and several U.S. states at the North American Women's Pinball Championships in Portsmouth, N.H., in March.