The AUM Computer Science Club has officially received $1,000 in funding from SGA to construct and install the retro arcade station in Warhawk Alley. Construction is expected to begin next week. The arcade is expected to be operational by August.
The announcement for funding was delayed, for a number of weeks, but initial funds have been granted, and the project is in motion. Currently, the Computer Science Club is getting materials gathered and assigning duties for the construction of the arcade system.
The arcade will initially consist of one screen, two controllers and a console. In this case, the console is a Banana Pi, single-board computer that is about the size of a credit card. While it may not sound like much, this is fully functional computer, complete with USB, integrated video and audio and a wide range of flexibility.
“Given the flexibility of the platform, we may be able to emulate older hardware and program using their specific design kits or build our own engines and start from scratch […] said Jason Hammond, co-president of the Computer Science Club. We can do pretty much anything club members want to work on.”
Three teams have been formed to facilitate the creation of the arcade: a construction team, a software team and an artwork team. The construction team will be working on the housing for the arcade, which will consist of a mobile, wooden cabinet lined with vinyl artwork. The software team will be working on implementing emulators, games and front-end software, software meant for the final users, the students. The artwork team will be in charge of overall design of the arcade station and how the unit will look, including logos to be approved by the school.
By Nick Manoliu