Things got started early at the Mesa Convention Center. Doors opened to the general public at 10 a.m.

There was someone on every game within an hour, but the venue was so spacious that it never felt too crowded.

People said they especially appreciated the great job the organizers did with the layout of the machines.

Look, there’s the Firebird Pinball booth!

Leslie staffing the booth.

It was great to catch up with old friends, like Stuart and Sherrie. They were checking out our mini Galaga cabinet.

Overhead shot of our games for sale.

Tucson’s D&D Pinball brought up a truckload of games for the convention. Thanks, Robert and Constance!

When do kids stop being camera-shy? Bob and Angela took a break from tournament competition to smile for us.

Rachel got to sit down for a minute, but only if she soldered boards while she rested.

Here are some of the other great competitors in this year’s tournaments.

This was the kids’ tournament champion. She played all day, and came back for more on Sunday.

We had a great time watching everyone fill up the ballot box. Make sure to check out the winners of Firebird Pinball’s Best of ZapCon. There were some great machines here this year!

There also were some grassroots campaigns by enthusiastic owners. Tim made posters to share the reviews/warnings about Zarzon! We’ll put up more about our Honorable Mention games asap.