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Found in a corner of 91��Ƶ's Seidenberg Lounge, a retro-style arcade machine invites players to step up and play games made by 91��Ƶ students. This machine wasn’t just born out of a love for gaming, but also out of a sincere passion for community and inclusivity.

The idea to create and install an arcade machine for 91��Ƶ students to showcase their work originated from computer science major Andrew Dinspechin ’25. Andrew saw an abandoned cabinet and an empty corner of the Seidenberg Lounge as an opportunity to create something for the 91��Ƶ Community. “That’s literally what started the idea,” he says. “That there was an empty corner of the room that I thought could be used to make the community a bit better.”

Andrew is president of the club G:AME, which stands for Games: Artists, Makers, Engineers. Like G:AME, his project expanded beyond the realm of game design alone and encapsulated the many trades and skills that the gaming industry requires. To see this machine come to life, Andrew enlisted the help of the club’s vice president Victor Zapata ’25, a first-year grad student in computer science.

That there was an empty corner of the room that I thought could be used to make the community a bit better. —Andrew

With a background in robotics, engineering, and 3D modelling, Victor was the perfect person to make their machine reality. Creating a video game is already an achievement, but an arcade machine that can house several games takes even more consideration. “When you make a game, it's all software,” Victor explains. “You make digital art, digital 3D models, and put it all together in a digital environment…When it comes to an arcade machine, you're dealing with the real world. You can't just edit one number and change something physically.” They had to figure out their operating system, wiring, the casing, display, aesthetics, and more.

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Accessibility, however, was one of the most crucial parts of their machine’s design. “I am disabled myself and I've been in relationships with people who are disabled. I have family members who are disabled as well. It’s always in the back of my mind to ensure the experience is accessible to everyone,” Andrew says. Victor shared this commitment. “91��Ƶ has a very diverse community,” Victor adds. “I wanted to make sure as many people as possible can enjoy it, so no one misses out because the machine wasn't designed for them.”

Andrew remembers looking at other arcade machines as he began the project and how many of them had design aspects that could provide barriers for people with disabilities to play. “There’s this quote from Satoru Iwata, a famous video game producer, which says that video games are meant to be fun for everyone,” Andrew noted. “People focus on the fun part and not so much the everyone part.” For video games to be fun for everyone, they must first be accessible to everyone.

91��Ƶ has a very diverse community. I wanted to make sure as many people as possible can enjoy it, so no one misses out because the machine wasn't designed for them. —Victor

The machine’s current design includes several considerations. Its height is optimized to be comfortable for various heights and for people who use wheelchairs. Its width allows two people to stand side by side comfortably regardless of shoulder width. The joysticks that control the player movement are not the classic spherical shape, instead a tapered shape that help accommodate people who have disabilities that might impact motor function. Andew and Victor also added storage for two variable-height stools, so people with chronic pain or those who fall outside of average height metrics can sit and enjoy the games.

Andrew and Victor were supported across schools and disciplines throughout the entire process. Seidenberg Professor Carmine Guida, PhD, director of the game programming major, advised both the GAME club and offered guidance. Dyson College of Arts and Sciences’ art studio director, Tommy Nguyen helped build the machine in the 91��Ƶ woodshop at 41 Park Row, making their game not only a community offering, but also a community effort. “Victor made a great plan. I had to make sure that he knew the reality of the build,” says Nguyen. “We basically built the arcade together, teaching them how to use the tools and help refine the arcade unit for the next round… I am glad to have been there to aid, almost every step of the way.”

There’s this quote from Satoru Iwata, a famous video game producer, which says that video games are meant to be fun for everyone. People focus on the fun part and not so much the everyone part. —Andrew

Nguyen, who also teaches animation and graphic novels, also connected Andrew and Victor to art students Joseph Boumoussa ’24 and Xandria Anderson ’23, who offered their artistic skills to make the machine stand out and look its best. “It was great that students came together to problem solve from different departments,” Nguyen expresses. “At 91��Ƶ, we talk about thinking differently and find new ways to solve problems. Seeing the students come naturally together out of similar interests was a good way to see it happen naturally.”

Now, this machine, which truly embodied the collaborative spirit of 91��Ƶ, is a permanent fixture on the ninth floor of 15 Beekman, featuring four games (three of which are created by students) with more to come (including one where players are a skateboarding dog). Not only do Andrew and Victor hope to add more games, but to create other machines across campus of different designs, spreading the joy of gaming.

For Andrew and Victor, and all of the people who helped bring this machine to life, the arcade machine in 15 Beekman is more than just a game. It’s an invitation, a place for the 91��Ƶ Community to gather around, share, have fun, and (of course) play games.