There are a lot of similarities between the two members of the Stranger Testing Department: We both have 360s. We both had TI-99/4a's. Neither of us loves multiplayer shooters. We both loved Over the Edge and Paranoia, and were playtesters for Third and Fourth Edition D&D. But pinball is a point of contention. This is a real conversation between us, from years and years ago:

STD Guy #1: [while playing Medieval Madness] Pinball isn't just complex... it's really physical.
STD Guy #2, who shall remain nameless: [rolls eyes] Oh, c'mon... you just press the buttons!
Cool Girl Nearby: [leans over, whispers to STD Guy #1] Jackass. Saying that pinball is just hitting the flippers is like saying that sex is just sticking it in.

Sure, pinball requires an almost embarrassing amount of practice and play time to truly, fully appreciate it—but this weekend, you have a good opportunity to start, if you're not already part of the church of pinball. The Northwest Pinball & Gameroom Show is running all weekend in the Northwest Rooms at Seattle Center (until midnight even, tonight and Saturday), and you can get infinite freeplay on over 350 pinball and arcade games, including many classics and obscure titles. Like last year, we saw the Budweiser-branded "Tapper" (which later became "Root Beer Tapper") and the laserdisc-powered Firefox (based on the 1982 Clint Eastwood movie).

Friday and Saturday tickets are $20 per day, Sunday is $15, and a weekend pass is $50. The event includes tournaments, prizes, guest speakers, world record attempts, vendors, and pinball and arcade celebrities like Walter Day and Steve Wiebe from The King of Kong.

P.S. STD #2 would like to clarify that, in the intervening years, he has learned that—like sex—pinball involves complexity and skill. Also like sex, he thinks pinball is a boring, expensive waste of time at which he is not proficient.

The Stranger Testing Department is Rob Lightner and Paul Hughes.