Digital Fabrication for Arcade Cabinet Design

The New Arcade

Instructor: Mark Kleback
mark@kleebtronics.com
School: NYU/ITP
Hours: Thursday 12:10pm - 2:40pm
Office Hours: Tuesday 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Github Repo (Coming Soon)

Students

Course Description

With platforms like Steam and Itch.io making independent games more accessible to the public, we’re starting to see a movement toward physical installations of indie games as well. The New Arcade pays tribute to arcade cabinet designs of the 80’s and 90’s, but infuses them with new interfaces, LED lighting, and digitally fabricated components.

In this class, students will learn how to use the Unity game engine to design a simple arcade game. They’ll learn about aspects that separate an arcade game from other types of games, and interface their game with different kinds of hardware using microcontrollers.

In the second half of the class, they will construct a new arcade experience using digital fabrication tools like laser cutters, 3D printers, and CNC machines. The class will culminate in a physical installation that showcases their game in a public gallery.

Syllabus 2015
Syllabus 2016

Objectives

Grading

Class Participation 20%
Blog and Documentation 20%
Midterm 30%
Final 30%

Resources

Buy a Teensy 3.2 and USB Micro cable
Download a free (watermarked) version of
Unity 3D
Download a free student version of Fusion 360
How to Build an Indie Arcade Cabinet

Syllabus

Week 1 (January 30)
Week 2 (February 6)
Week 3 (February 13)
Week 4 (February 20)
Week 5 (February 27)
Week 6 (March 5)
Week 7 (March 12)
Week 8 (March 26)
Week 9 (April 2)
Week 10 (April 9)
Week 11 (April 16)
Week 12 (April 23)
Week 13 (April 30)
Week 14 (May 7)

Week 1: Introduction to Unity

Resources

Homework

Week 2: Scripting in Unity

Week 3: Alt.Ctrl Games

Week 4: Sprites & Animations

Week 5: UI and Menus

Week 6: Fire the Laser

Week 7: Midterm Presentations

Spring Break - No Class

Week 8: Intro to Autodesk Fusion360

Week 9: Intro to CNC Machine and MasterCAM

Week 10: CNC Joinery

Week 11: Sound Effects and Music

Week 12: Installation and Finishing

Week 13: GAME JAM

Week 14: Presentation of Final Project

Futher Resources

TBD (May 11th?): Public Arcade Showcase Party at Wonderville

Students

Gilad Dor
Douglas Goldstein
Nicholas Gregg
Nok Jangkamolkulchai
Melissa Margaret Powers
Maya Ling Pruitt
Tina Rungsawang
Patrick C Warren
Nianqi Zhang
Emily Zhao
Heru Zhao