AP Computer Science Class Goes Retro to Build Working Video Game Arcade Cabinet

Dubbed “Drakari,” (a mash-up of DHS teacher Drake Reinert’s name and Atari), the full-size video game arcade cabinet created by the 2023-2024 AP Computer Class gives totally 80’s vibes. The fully functional console is the brainchild of DHS Instructional Coach Beau Kimmey and DHS Teacher Drake Reinert, and was completely designed and built by DHS students.

After seeing a similar project at another school, Mr. Kimmey asked Mr. Reinert if he would be open to trying it at Dexter. Reinert, who is always looking for ways to get kids excited about computer programming, jumped at the chance. His students began the planning process in February 2024, using a Taiga Project Development Board to track action items across all aspects of the project. 

The build team was tasked with researching how to build a cabinet and finding the required materials. Composed primarily of Dreadbots robotics team members who were immersed in both state and world competitions, the team decided to save time and order a cabinet kit online, making assembly a breeze.

After constructing the cabinet, build team students collaborated with Roger Sprau and Krickett Chamberlain’s art classes for the artistic design. Art students submitted designs and the build team planned to select their favorite for the console, but ran out of time when the school year ended. However, they were able to partner with Graph-X to print out a custom marquee which consists of game cover art for each of the games developed.

The development team researched the appropriate operating system and front end software needed to play the games, finally deciding on Linux and Emulation Station, respectively. Emulation Station is a front end for browsing and launching games from a multi-platform collection. It is fully customizable, but requires a lot of student manipulation to run their games, which are coded from different sources. 

Students coded their games using code.org, Godot, or Unity. Godot and Unity are gaming-specific software programs that have many helpful libraries to maximize what a programmer can develop with their code. Several software obstacles needed to be solved, including how to run games written in multiple languages including Java, Javascript, Godot’s GDScript, and Unity's C#. Students also had to create a universal mapping configuration for the console’s button configuration so it worked with each game system. But they persevered, and the multi-game retro arcade cabinet was ready to launch! At the eighth grade Move-Up Day last spring, eighth graders had a chance to play the games when visiting Dexter High School. 

Mr. Reinert hopes to have his AP Computer Class collaborate with the Launch Team at the Dexter Early Elementary Complex (DEEC) on a similar, but smaller scale, project this coming school year. Programming for the console will also remain a post-AP test activity for his AP Computer Science classes, and students in both AP Computer Science and AP Computer Science Principles will get to create games for the cabinet. In addition, Mr. Kimmey and Mr. Reinert collaborated to start a Special Topics class this year for Game Development, and Reinert plans to submit a new course proposal for a class with the same name. 

Achievement unlocked!