There are folks out there who devote themselves to pastimes most would regard as relics, like vintage typewriters in a world of laptops, records when there's Spotify or pinball instead of iPhone games. Commitment to these bygone eras, in the face of all this sparkly, convenient newness, is something to be admired.

"I never really liked video games, one of the things which killed the pinball market," Menzel says.

"With pinball, every game is different, unlike programmed video games with level after level. And I think it's that element that keeps people playing."

The 53-year-old's pinball obsession began when he was a kid who frequented the 20-cents-per-turn pinball machine at the Yarralumla milk bar. His mum asked him not to play it all the time, which of course endeared pinball to him even more.

He's now a public servant by day, but in 2012 he went to the United States to represent Australia in the world championships. After that, he decided Canberra needed a championship tournament of its own.

He started the ACT Pinball Championship, an annual event where Australia's best players come together to flip for pinball supremacy.

Through his connection with a group of local enthusiasts, the Vice City Players, he asked Canberrans to donate their pinball machines, "their hard earned treasures", for the weekend. While The Basement in Belconnen has seven machines, as the event grows in popularity they're always seeking more.

Now in its fourth year, 35 people are set to compete in Sunday's tournament.

"The profile of pinball in Canberra has picked up over the last few years," Menzel says.

"We are continuously getting more and more people. We get kids from eight years old to people in their sixties.

"It's still quite male-orientated, but we're getting more and more women. Of the 70 competitors last year, we had eight to 10 women."

His girlfriend is one of those women. Together, they frequently tour, playing in tournaments across Australia and abroad. Their last event was a championship in New Zealand where 15 of the 60 competitors were women.

But the couple didn't originally meet on the pinball circuit... their shared interest just happened to be a bonus.

"My girlfriend used to work in an arcade in Canberra when she was young, and that's how she came to love games like Pacman and Tetris. So it was just a coincidence when we met 20 years later, and she liked that I like pinball," Menzel says.

"Without her, I wouldn't be able to run this event. It's a lot of work. So we're a dream team in that sense."

The 2018 ACT Pinball Championship is on at The Basement, Belconnen, on Sunday from 9am to 11pm. More info via ACT Pinball's Facebook page.