A seminar by Alex Coetzee and Ben Ehrlich

A seminar by Alex Coetzee and Ben Ehrlich

Build Your Own Arcade Machine: The History and Howto

In this seminar, you will learn:

• History of arcade games

• Basic understanding of arcade-wiring

• Theoretical application of power tools

• How to build an arcade machine!

Tennis for Two

In 1958, William Higinbotham created the first videogame, Tennis for Two. It was never commercially distributed, and nothing was patented.

Space War!

In 1962, Steve Russel and a team of engineers created ‘Space War!’, a thrilling space game. Though it was a technological breakthrough, it was seen as a novelty, and spent years in

the basement of MIT.

Which Came First?

Which came first,

A: Arcades

B: Home-Consoles

Answer:

Ralph Baer.

Ralph Baer

Ralph Baer is today considered the father of video games.

• ‘Oddysey’

• Channel 3

1972: A Big Year for Arcades

• Pong released to masses

• Release of Ralph Baer’s Oddysey

Pong - 1972

• A game of ‘tennis’

• Lawsuit with William Higinbotham

Tank - 1973

“We started a football game called Xs and Os, but then we thought a game with tanks would be more fun, so we made that instead.” –Steve Bristow

Night Driver -1973

• Arcade ‘dark ages’

Breakout - 1976

• Still extremely popular today

• Marked beginning of ‘interchangeable paddle games’

SPACE INVADERS -1978

• First videogame blockbuster

• Lead to the creation of the arcade token

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL GOLDEN AGE OF ARCADES!

1978 marks the official beginning of the first Arcade Golden Age

Asteroids - 1979

• Another space game

• Legal action with the creators of Space War

Star Castle - 1980

• First Cinematronics game

• Featured first* colored arcade graphics

• Stars in background pornography

WELCOME TO THE REAL GOLDEN AGE OF ARCADES!

Though it is not widely accepted, it is debated that 1980 marks the actual beginning of the Golden Age.

Crazy Climber - 1980

• What?

Missile Command - 1980

• Created in heat of cold war

• One of first trackball games

Pac-Man - 1980

• Do I even have to talk about Pac-Man?

Interesting Fact!

In the mid 1980s, Atari invested in a new branch called Pizza time theatre.

Centipede - 1981

• Scroller-shooter

Donkey Kong - 1981

• Shigeru Miyamoto

• Made up for losses

• King-Kong lawsuit

Frogger - 1981

• Never before was America so in love with an amphibian

Galaga - 1981

• Best arcade game ever made (Fact)

• Ben Ehrlich is a beast at Galaga (Also Fact)

• Ben Ehrlich smokes chumps like you at Galaga (Very Fact)

Interesting Fact

A KillScreen is a level in a game in which the game can not handle increasing the difficulty by any increment, resulting in internal confusion.

Arcade Game Movies

The following arcade games were made into movies:

• Mrs. Pac Man

• Mario Bros

• Donkey Kong Junior

Mrs. Pac Man - 1981

• First decent arcade sequel

• Featured more than one level

Tempest -1981

• Astounding vector graphics

Joust - 1982

• Flying ostriches!

» Nuff said.

Pole Position - 1982

• Started arcade racing

• Faked 3D graphics

Q-Bert -1982

• Massive release issues

• Caused ‘distributor freeze’

DRAGON’S LAIR

• First Lazerdisc (precursor to DVD) game

• Featured animated graphics

Mario Bros - 1983

• Quintessential arcade platformer

• Set presidents for future games

Star Wars - 1983

• First game to make use of flight yoke

And Then:

Nothing interesting happened for 11 years.

The History: Conclusion

• Arcades, and game’s in general have gone over HUGE leaps and bounds over the last 30 years.

• Galaga is a really good game.

Building an Arcade Machine

What Makes an Arcade Machine Tick?

• What is a PCB?

• Can a regular computer run an arcade machine?

• How do joysticks and buttons get incorporated?

• Why is all this beef in my

fridge? I don’t even like

beef!

PCBs

• PCB: Printed Circuit Board

• Primary storage medium

• Created a standard

Can a Regular Computer Run an Arcade Machine?

• Yes, and they often do.

What Do These Machines Have in Common?

They’re All Run By Computers

• Computers are VERY popular in arcades today

MAME - 1999

• In 1999 Nicola Salmoria programmed the groundwork for MAME

• The arcade emulator

Building An Arcade Machine: The Game(s)

So you have two choices: A PCB, which can run one game but is specialized, or MAME, which can run multiple games, but requires a dedicated computer.

How Does MAME Work?

Frontends

• Seeing Microsoft Windows is a buzzkill

Options:– Premade– Custom

Wood Working

An arcade machine is basically a wooden cabinet. None the less, construction can be difficult. Here’s a guide:

The Right Tool For The Right Job

Here are some tools you should use:

• Circular Saw

• Jigsaw

• Drill/Screw Gun

• Clamps

Building an Arcade Machine: The Plan

Arcade machines come in many different varieties. The most popular is the upright.

Construction

Marquee

Coin-Slot

Controls/Wiring

Diagram

Arcade Wiring

The Computer/PCB

Coin-Slot

Extra Time?

• Steve Wiebe Sets World Record For Donkey Kong

• The History of Twin Galaxies - As Told By Walter Day

• An Arcade PCB

Works Cited

Steve Wiebe Sets World Record

BACK

The History of Twin Galaxies

BACK

Arcade PCB

BACK

Sources• Demaria, Russel. High Score! The Illustrated History of Video

Games. Print.

• "The History of Video Games." Lecture. GameSpot Presents: The History of Video Games. Game Spot Presents. GameSpot. Web.

• <http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/hov/>.

• The King of Kong: A Fistfull of Quarters. Dir. Seth Gordon. DVD.

• Sellers, John. Arcade Fever. 6th ed. Vol. 1. Print.

• Bio, John. "Build a Home Arcade Machine." Home Arcade Project. Web. 23 May 2010. <http://www.homearcadeproject.co.nr>.