Dirty Pool Podcast - Ep34 - Jason Knapp of Knapp Arcade
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Jason Knapp of Knapp Arcade joins Dirty Pool Podcast to talk about running one of the few dedicated pinball news sites still trying to keep track of the hobby in real time.
We get into pinball journalism, how stories are chosen, how much work goes into keeping information accurate,and what it’s like covering a small industry where the people, companies, rumors, and drama all exist. Also I eat a taco. It was pretty good.
We also talk about the Knapp Arcade redesign, what changed behind the scenes, how the site has grown, and the balance between building something useful for the community without getting dragged into every argument the hobby creates for itself.
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00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:01 - The charity dart tournament origin story
00:03:00 - Craigslist finds, Facebook groups, and starting his own page
00:05:01 - When Knapp Arcade became something people depended on
00:06:20 - Building a permanent archive outside Facebook
00:07:25 - The site redesign, dark mode, and son-powered web development
00:09:04 - How Jason handles rumors and confidence levels
00:11:27 - Writing the news he would want to read
00:12:25 - The Stern Indiana Jones rumor and being right until you are wrong
00:14:31 - Fact-checking, Deep Root, and reporting what can be verified
00:16:11 - Why AI is not a source
00:17:21 - IPDB, Pinside, and preserving pinball history
00:18:54 - OPDB and organizing a massive photo archive
00:19:31 - Live questions and the Resident Evil pricing mess
00:23:52 - American Pinball under new management
00:25:29 - Supporting smaller manufacturers without ignoring the risks
00:27:21 - Worlds commentary, Goonies, and dream pinball themes
00:30:54 - Balancing family, work, travel, and fast writing
00:32:50 - Automotive competitive intelligence and chasing information
00:34:13 - The moments that make running Knapp Arcade worth it
00:36:20 - Jealous people, pinball drama, and doing the work
00:39:04 - Paywalls, ads, and keeping the site sustainable
00:44:54 - Future tiers, rankings, and a larger photo library
00:45:43 - Favorite manufacturers and the pull of Insider Connected
00:47:08 - Jason compliments Winchester Mystery House
00:48:45 - What pinball journalism still has not covered
00:51:11 - Pinball magazines, archives, and historical ads
00:54:21 - Bringing younger fans into the hobby
00:56:34 - Location play, leagues, and keeping arcades alive
00:60:47 - The Knapp Arcade app and push notifications
00:63:20 - Daily game photos and collecting every machine
00:66:13 - Bucket list arcades, Next Level, and missing Banning
00:69:05 - The Knapp Arcade logo and the 9/12/15 date
00:71:02 - Making Knapp Arcade part of the morning routine
00:72:13 - Rock Fantasy, home games, and the Raven argument
00:73:29 - Raven, Hollywood Heat, and Predator Raven
00:75:20 - Praise the Great Pyramid
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- 0:00Intro
- 1:01The charity dart tournament origin story
- 3:00Craigslist finds, Facebook groups, and starting his own page
- 5:01When Knapp Arcade became something people depended on
- 6:20Building a permanent archive outside Facebook
- 7:25The site redesign, dark mode, and son-powered web development
- 9:04How Jason handles rumors and confidence levels
- 11:27Writing the news he would want to read
- 12:25The Stern Indiana Jones rumor and being right until you are wrong
- 14:31Fact-checking, Deep Root, and reporting what can be verified
- 16:11Why AI is not a source
- 17:21IPDB, Pinside, and preserving pinball history
- 18:54OPDB and organizing a massive photo archive
- 19:31Live questions and the Resident Evil pricing mess
- 23:52American Pinball under new management
- 25:29Supporting smaller manufacturers without ignoring the risks
- 27:21Worlds commentary, Goonies, and dream pinball themes
- 30:54Balancing family, work, travel, and fast writing
- 32:50Automotive competitive intelligence and chasing information
- 34:13The moments that make running Knapp Arcade worth it
- 36:20Jealous people, pinball drama, and doing the work
- 39:04Paywalls, ads, and keeping the site sustainable
- 44:54Future tiers, rankings, and a larger photo library
- 45:43Favorite manufacturers and the pull of Insider Connected
- 47:08Jason compliments Winchester Mystery House
- 48:45What pinball journalism still has not covered
- 51:11Pinball magazines, archives, and historical ads
- 54:21Bringing younger fans into the hobby
- 56:34Location play, leagues, and keeping arcades alive
- 1:00:47The Knapp Arcade app and push notifications
- 1:03:20Daily game photos and collecting every machine
- 1:06:13Bucket list arcades, Next Level, and missing Banning
- 1:09:05The Knapp Arcade logo and the 9/12/15 date
- 1:11:02Making Knapp Arcade part of the morning routine
- 1:12:13Rock Fantasy, home games, and the Raven argument
- 1:13:29Raven, Hollywood Heat, and Predator Raven
- 1:15:20Praise the Great Pyramid