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Dad of the Year Builds Custom Arcade Cabinet for Daughter

Posted by Nadia Oxford

One of the most remarkable things about this generation of gaming is that we're breeding. Yes, it's remarkable that we're finding mates with which to reproduce even after spending the Friday nights of our high school years with Final Fantasy IV, but that's not just it. We grew up with a strong appreciation for game culture, and we're passing that on to our kids.

Oh sure, my father played Pong while high, but once he had children and the fun was over, his gaming hobby fell over dead, and he didn't take much away from the experience.

Today, we still game and talk about games even while our kids wipe their runny noses on our skirts and pants. That's because our generation is more interesting than our parents' generation, obviously. Really, though, I think that because we grew up with narrative-heavy games (in comparison to our parents), we formed attachments to characters that are not easily dissolved.

And that's why we get awesome fathers like “James,” who introduce their daughter to gaming by building a customised game cabinet that's small enough to fit in a (very pink) bedroom.

If you're interested in reading about what went into the making of “Bella's Arcade”, or if you just want to stare jealously at the awesome pictures, visit James' blog.

Related Links:

The Post-Apocalyptic Arcade Image Gallery
A Perfectly Cromulent Beat-Em-Up
Penny Arcade Sums Up E3

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Posted Mar 04 2009, 07:58 PM

Filed under: arcade, nadia oxford, pong, dads, bella's arcade, girls and gaming

Comments

corky said:

John, PLEASE don't blame me and Dad for not being even close to this awesome.

March 5, 2009 6:47 AM

video game cabinets said:

well done, this is best bonding for a daddy and daughter relationship!

March 23, 2009 3:35 PM

about the blogger

John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Nerve, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.

Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines. Based in Toronto, Nadia prizes the certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.

Bob Mackey is a grad student, writer, and cyborg, who uses the powerful girl-repelling nanomachines mad science grafted onto his body to allocate time towards interests of the nerd persuasion. He believes that complaining about things on the Internet is akin to the fine art of wine tasting, but with more spitting into buckets.

Joe Keiser has a programming degree from Johns Hopkins University, a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and a fake toy guitar built in the hollowed-out shell of a real guitar. He writes about games and technology for a variety of outlets. One day he will stop doing this. The day after that, police will find his body under a collapsed pile of (formerly neatly alphabetized) collector's edition tchotchkes.

Cole Stryker is an American freelance writer living in York, England, where he resides with his archeologist wife. He writes for a travel company by day and argues about pop culture on the internet by night. Find him writing regularly here and here.

Peter Smith is like the lead character of Irwin Shaw's The 80-Yard Run, except less athletic. He considers himself very lucky to have this job. But it's a little premature to take "jack-off of all trades" off his resume. Besides writing, travelling, and painting houses, Pete plays guitar in a rock trio called The Aye-Ayes. He calls them a 'power pop' band, but they generally sound more like Motorhead on a drinking binge.