'Pinhead' spreading Vancouver pinball culture to northern B.C. with a high-score challenge

When Marli Bodhi got a job that transplanted her from Vancouver to the small village of Telkwa, in northern B.C., one item she knew she had to bring with her was a Metallica Pro Pinball Machine.

Now she's started a new business aimed at bringing new pinball players into the fold by placing machines in bars and coffee shops throughout the province's northern interior.

"I feel like sometimes people discount smaller towns or cities in northern B.C. as not being able to have these types of cool things, but I think they can," Bodhi told CBC Daybreak North host Carolina de Ryk.

Bodhi said she fell in love with pinball after moving from Prince George to Vancouver and discovering machines at coffee shops and bars throughout the city.

Then one day someone saw her playing and asked if she'd be interested in joining a league.

"I was like, 'That's a thing?'" she said.

Inclusive community of 'pinheads'

Before long, Bodhi was headed to tournaments throughout the Lower Mainland, meeting a diverse range of 'pinheads,' as pinball fans call themselves.

"The group of people that I played pinball with, they transcended age, race and gender," she said, noting that her circle of players in Vancouver included everyone from teenagers to retirees.

By day, Bodhi is a land-use planner, so when an opportunity to move back north opened up she was excited — but worried she wouldn't have anyone to share her passion for pinball with in a small village of just over 1,000 people.

So she reached out to the Telkwa Pub to ask if they'd be interested in hosting a pinball competition over the month of December, so long as she supplied the machine.

Manager Michelle Finch said the request came at the perfect time, as she was already on the hunt for a new activity to keep her patrons occupied. 

Ever since the machine was set up, Finch said, there's been a steady stream of players trying to beat the high score set by Bodhi.

"They play for hours trying to do it," Finch said. "It's a great addition."

As an added incentive, Bodhi has offered up $300 for the first person to reach  300 million points, beating her high score of 299,420,100, and $100 to the first person to hit 100 million points.

Bodhi said the money's worth it if it introduces her to a fellow traveller in the world of pinball.

"If someone can beat me, I'd love to meet them," she said.

Eventually, Bodhi hopes to have a series of machines rotating through venues from Prince George to Terrace along Highway 16.

She's already eyeing up a Walking Dead-themed machine, and has had interest from pub and coffee shop owners in other municipalities.

"I really want to create a community," Bodhi said. "So far it's been really great, and people are really excited, and I just want to keep that rolling."

Subscribe to Daybreak North on CBC Listen or your favourite podcast app, and connect with CBC Northern British Columbia on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.