In April of 2012 I build the prototype Arcade Cabinet at TechShop San José. Using modified plans and a CNC router, the first cabinet has a rustic and unfinished aesthetic. Over the summer of 2012 we constructed five more cabinets for the Cooperative Gaming Coop with 2012 Zero1 Biennial: Seeking Silicon Valley.
Since then the cabinets have been to Maker Faire, SubZero, Silicon Valley Comic Con, Rockage, Kaleid Gallery and used in numerous student shows to showcase student designed games from the Art & Computer Science Departments and the Game Developers Club at SJSU.
It has been gratifying to see how people respond to the nostalgic interface of a life-sized piece furniture, there is none of the reluctance that one sees when a computer is put into a gallery space. Many people remember the form from the musty arcades of the past and the sturdy construction means that the cabinets have long outlived their initial life expectancy.
Since then the cabinets have been to Maker Faire, SubZero, Silicon Valley Comic Con, Rockage, Kaleid Gallery and used in numerous student shows to showcase student designed games from the Art & Computer Science Departments and the Game Developers Club at SJSU.
It has been gratifying to see how people respond to the nostalgic interface of a life-sized piece furniture, there is none of the reluctance that one sees when a computer is put into a gallery space. Many people remember the form from the musty arcades of the past and the sturdy construction means that the cabinets have long outlived their initial life expectancy.
