The World's Smallest Arcade

In 2006, Mark Slevinsky fixed a Tron arcade game that a friend had left for trash. The work inspired similar gaming projects, ultimately leading him to a nerdy world record this year.

While surfing the Web, Slevinsky saw printed-paper models of Arcade parts, each about the size of a Game Boy. Since he had already created an operating system for small microcontroller computers, he wondered: Why not build a functional mini arcade? He started by adapting the software to play classics such as Tetris, Space Invaders, and Breakout. Next, he needed power. Two 1.5-volt AAA batteries could support 13 hours of game play yet lacked the juice to run a tiny, five-volt LED screen. Retail power supply circuits couldn't handle the voltage conversion—they all blew up—so he eventually made his own.

Slevinsky tucked the components into a wooden case and outfitted it with a joystick and button. He named it the Markade, and Guinness World Records deemed it the smallest device of its kind this year. Slevinsky's friends typically play five minutes, which he says lasts “a round of each game, or until they develop hand cramps”—on par with old-school arcade consoles.

Bored by beer pong, Kevin Kittle turned Battleship into a booze-infused board game. He built Battleshots' playing surface out of wood, steel, and acrylic and applied a grid using fluorescent paint that glows under a blacklight. Then Kittle drilled holes in wooden ships to hold neon shot glasses. As in the real game, a player tries to guess the locations of his opponent's ships. If someone's vessel takes a hit, he must do a shot. Kittle suggests using tonic-infused concoctions, because quinine glows in ultraviolet light. Sink responsibly.

To build office camaraderie at SinnerSchrader, a Hamburg-based technology company, a team of developers designed a Foosball table that sends scores and standings to the Web in real time. Players log in to a mobile application with their Twitter handles. Photo sensors in the table's chutes register goals and relay the data to a Wi-Fi–enabled Arduino microcontroller. The device updates players' Twitter accounts while pushing game stats to their phones. At first, the company worried that publicizing games would discourage play, but two of the project's developers—Thomas Jacob and Uli Schumacher—say it has created more foosball fanatics than ever before.

This year, you should really try to come up with something for your dad besides a new tie. He has enough ties to last a lifetime. If you really want to see him smile this Father's Day, consider giving him a little taste of his youth.

Of course, we're not talking about building a time machine (although that would be pretty cool!). We're talking about giving him a custom gaming machine from Dream Arcades. Dream Arcades makes arcade machines for the home. The company includes the actual games that you remember from your childhood, not fake reproductions.

One of these machines is better than your Xbox, PS3, and the Wii combined. Just one Dream Arcades machine packs in over 145 classic games.

And dad's money is no good here. In fact, no quarters are needed to play one of these custom machines.

Arcade units can be ordered directly from the Dream Arcades website or by calling the company. For a limited time, Dream Arcades is also running a special promotion, which will add multiple add-ons at no additional cost. This includes a DVD-ROM upgrade and multiple gaming packs with dozens of extra games.

If you like to do all your gaming standing up, the Cabaret Dreamcade 2.0 is the same type of stand-up machine that you remember from those many hours spent at the mall arcade. It also has a 19-inch monitor with tempered glass and over 145 games, as well as pinball flippers on the side for video pinball games. This model is also available now, with an MSRP of $1899.

Dream Arcades also offers a variety of game packs with classics from Atari, Digital Leisure, Midway, and Namco Museum. Depending on the package, these options allow you to add in games such as Asteroids, Centipede, Dragon's Lair, Joust, Paperboy, and Pac-Man. Dream Arcades also makes 60 Atari 2600 games available at no additional charge.