At the Top of Their Game

Inside the world of board and arcade games in Traverse City

By Brighid Driscoll | Sept. 2, 2023

Step into a world where phones, tablets, and TV screens take a back seat to a couple of well-loved throwbacks: board and arcade games. At The Coin Slot and Tabletop Underground, all the action happens in real time around a table or a pinball machine. Choose your player, stack your decks, and crack your thumbs. It’s game time.

The Coin Slot

Pinball began as a board game in the 18th century called “bagatelle” and involved rolling a ball across a slanted board filled with pins, trying to land it in scoring pockets. When pinball made its way to America a century later, coin-operated versions quickly emerged in bars and amusement parks. At the time, there were no flippers, and players often physically moved the board to shift the ball.

Back then, that kind of physical intervention would draw claims of cheating. Scott Pierson, owner of The Coin Slot, says that’s not the case today. “Moving the game and nudging the game is 100 percent part of becoming a good player,” Pierson says. “But when they pound or slam on the game because of frustration, I call that a pout slam and you’ll get a comment from me.”

The Coin Slot was born seven years ago from Pierson’s extensive personal collection of pinball machines. (There are now around 20 machines at the bar, and even more at home, with the Lord of Rings machine being his favorite.) Today, you’ll find plenty of pinball machines, skeeball, a variety of other vintage arcade games, a bar stocked with a wide variety of canned beverages, and food trucks in the parking lot of 346 E Front Street.

It’s easy to spend a date night or evening with friends here with only a handful of quarters and a sense of curiosity. The arcade is also kid friendly, at least until 9pm when the 21+ rules fall into place.

Though playing pinball is a solitary experience, that doesn’t mean there isn’t some competition to be had. “The International Flipper Pinball Association is where players all over the world can get a ranking. And the number of tournaments that the IFPA has certified has really blown up over the last few years. Competitive pinball is becoming a big thing,” Pierson says.

An IFPA certified women’s group called Belles and Chimes has chapters all over the world, including one in Traverse City. Head of the local chapter Maddie Harris encourages all to join.

“Belles and Chimes TC is open to all cis and trans women, as well as fellow nonbinary friends. We encourage all skill levels to join and pride ourselves on our supportive and very wholesome environment to get together and slap some pins.”

Group member Christal Frost Anderson tells us she’s glad she reached out to join up. “I love the camaraderie and support the group offers to players of all abilities. The unique thing about Belles is that we are all incredibly supportive of one another. Personally, I love pinball because it forces me to be focused and in the moment. It’s like mindfulness—only with bonus points and high scores!”

Every other week, the Belles and Chimes switch between meeting at The Coin Slot and meeting at Right Brain Brewery, another hotspot for pinball and arcade game fanatics.

Find The Coin Slot at 346 E Front Street in Traverse City. thecoinslottc.com

Tabletop Underground

Whether you’re a traveler, warrior, settler, or adventurer, you’ll find a worthy quest with Tabletop Underground. Owner Kyle Delgado has been a board game fan since childhood, bringing his passion to life in downtown Traverse City.

“As a kid I remember wanting to play board games, but my sister was six years older than me, and by the time she was in high school, probably didn’t want to be playing board games with her little brother,” he says with a laugh. “But when I was in my mid-twenties, a friend helped me rediscover boardgaming through a game called Bohnanza, and it’s so much fun.”

Delgado wanted to bring that excitement to others in the area, knowing full well that multiple players are often required to play any board game. He knew that building a community of players would ensure game play, new friends, and fun for all.

“[Tabletop Underground] started around 10 years ago as a social meet-up called the Traverse City Board Gamers. We’d meet at a brew pub once a week. I’d bring a curated selection of my games and so would the others, and it grew very large over the years.”

In fall 2019, Delgado opened the doors of Tabletop Underground. But this August, after more than three years in their basement location under The Coin Slot on E. Front Street, Delgado announced on Facebook that the board game emporium would be seeking a new home. A 30-percent-off sale helped pare down the shop’s impressive collection, and the game center is currently transitioning to a new location at the Commongrounds building on Eighth Street.

When that day comes, Delgado is excited to offer folks the chance to try out games they love and ones they’ve never played before. As it did in the old location, Tabletop Underground will continue to host game nights, tournaments, and tutorial nights. $10 gets you playing any games you’d like for the evening.

“I love being able to teach people how to play because it breaks down that barrier of learning rules, which is everyone’s least favorite part of playing. Once you get over that hurdle there’s a lot of benefits to playing,” Delgado explains.

Some of those benefits include memory building, stress reduction, and positive social interactions. As the group has grown, Delgado has gotten to witness those social interactions and the profound effect it has on giving people a sense of community.

For example, when Sara Murphy moved to Traverse City with her husband, they were looking for a way to make new friends. “Me and my husband just started going a couple months ago. We wanted to get involved with this group we were hearing about who play board games. We’ve really come to love Sunday game nights at Tabletop.”

Local Jim Muratzki has been playing with the group since its inception. “I’ve been interested in games for a long time. My wife and I actually published a game about nature inspired by Mackinac Island. So I kind of came into the group backwards, because I published a game and then started learning more about other games and wanted to play. I’m not the most social person, but tabletop games give you an opportunity to have a structured, social interaction with people. Part of it was I wanted to get out into the community more.”

These experiences are exactly what Delgado envisioned when he began the group.

Stay tuned on Tabletop Underground’s Facebook page, @Tabletopundergroundtc, for more information on the reopening.