Pinball, Purpose & Joy as Resistance with Brianna

In this episode of Ducking Realitea, Siobhan sits down with Brianna Devlin, a museum nerd and history lover who turned a lifelong fascination with Alameda’s Pinball Museum into a career, and a path to graduate school.

Brianna shares how growing up on the “storybook” island of Alameda shaped her love of community and culture, and how a late-night search for “museums near me” led her from front desk staffer to exhibit curator at the Pacific Pinball Museum. Together, they explore the surprisingly rebellious history of pinball — from moral panics and bans to its redemption as a skill-based game — and why interactive museums matter more than ever.

The conversation expands into women’s contributions to pinball, post-COVID community building, chosen family, and the belief that joy itself can be an act of resistance. At its core, this episode is about finding purpose through play, preserving history without pretension, and creating spaces where people can connect, learn, and belong.