Brian Jones, features editor

On August 24, Hackberry Lab unveiled its ‘80s-style gaming arcade, which is open to students and faculty. The system features many retro characteristics, while also shedding new light on why the creative technologies major and Hackberry are vital to the Berry community.

Many systems and games rack the arcade shelf, including Super Nintendo Entertainment Systems and several vintage Xboxes and PlayStations. Examples of games include Tetris, Super Mario World and Donkey Kong.

The system, located in the front of Hackberry’s design studio, was spearheaded by Associate Professor of Creative Technologies Zane Cochran and Lab Manager Mariah
Kelly (20C).

The arcade itself is made up of a huge screen and a plethora of controllers at the ready. The sitting area rests in front of the system, which used to serve as the front half of a functioning car. Positioned next to the studio’s front door, it draws the eye almost instantly.

In addition to his professorship, Cochran has been the director of Hackberry Lab ever since the program’s advent 15 years ago. He worked alongside former Dean of the Campell School of Business John Grout with starting the creative technologies major. Cochran said that the packed creative technologies buildings seen today started as a singular classroom.

“[Creative technologies] began over in McAllister 128,” Cochran said. “It was just this 300 to 400 square foot space that had not really been used for many years.”

Cochran said the single-room gig didn’t last long as more students and faculty latched onto this innovative idea.

“As the major grew, our needs for space grew, and so we very quickly moved out of Room 128,” Cochran said. “We moved into our modular buildings that are next to this building. We later outgrew that, so we’ve got this building right here [the design studio].”

Though this arcade is brand new, this isn’t the first time Hackberry has had an arcade system. Years ago, Hackberry unleashed an older arcade which started as a Hackathon project, which Cochran collaborated on.

“[The project] was an emulator that played these old classic games, Tetris being included.” Kelly said. 

The arcade was an epicenter of community, holding frequent competitive matches.

“Tetris competitions between Zane — the reigning champ — and students that were able to step up to his skill became these huge events in the lab,” Kelly said.

As the program continued to expand in the summer of 2020, there were bittersweet compromises attached.

“As we were bursting at the seams in that building, [the arcade] had to go away just for the sake of space because our priority is still classes and learning,” Kelly said. “We did have to say goodbye to that arcade and move on.”

Over spring break, Kelly, along with Cochran, Grout and Lecturer of Creative Technology Chris Whitmire (17C), took a trip up to CU Boulder where Kelly got her master’s degree to make connections and get insight into their creative tech program.

The idea of reestablishing an arcade started to enter their minds as they were inspired by CU Boulder.

“When we came back, we were like, ‘we have to build one,’” Kelly said. “And so, we took it upon ourselves that summer [of this year] to make that happen.”

Cochran provided an inside look into the uniqueness of the new arcade, or perhaps, its drivability. He made use of his old Scion xB to give the project extra pizzazz.

“The half cut of the car, it used to be the car that I drove every day to school,” Cochran said. “But as just a fun experiment, we cut it in half. We made the front half actually drive around campus for a little while, because all the important parts were in the front.” 

The arcade’s seat coming from an actual car gives the otherwise regular gaming system a unique “Hackberry twist,” making the project stick out.

Already, the arcade has gotten a lot of buzz among creative technology students, including senior
Asiel Castillo.

Castillo serves as a student lab director for Hackberry. Throughout his day, Castillo oversees lab assistants, repairs machines and makes everyone feel welcomed. He has played at the arcade many times since its opening. 

“I love to just come hang out and go through a few rounds of Tetris,” Castillo said. “Other students, they’re like* ‘Hey, let’s see if we can beat a few levels in Super Mario Bros.’ I use it, as well as a lot of others.” 

Castillo said that the built-in car component was a great finishing touch.

“It’s always a nice talking point when people come in,” Castillo said. “They’re like, ‘What? It’s a car we cut in half, and now it’s a nice little arcade with a bunch of retro games? That is so cool.’”

On the surface, this new arcade adds a fresh, singular look to the Hackberry design studio. Fundamentally, the positive reception it’s getting creates a powerful commentary on the next generation of creators.

Though this arcade is popular mostly among creative technology students, Kelly believes Hackberry’s values and services can reach a wider populus of Berry students.

“It’s an environment where it is okay to be wrong, it’s okay to fail,” Kelly said. “It keeps people’s minds open to new things. It lets them know that it’s never too late to learn something new.”

Freshman Eli Webb, a brand-new creative technologies student, said that the community cultivated in Hackberry is suitable for everyone.

“It’s the perfect place if you want to create anything,” Webb said. “You don’t have to have a reason. You can just go for fun.”

Cochran believes that this generation of creators could change the world, saying the strong support Hackberry provides is the vehicle for that change.

“I think any student can benefit from being in an environment where you are surrounded by people that are going to cheer you on,” Cochran said. “[They] encourage you to pursue your passions and try to contribute something new to it. Each person that comes into this space has their own unique perspective about how the world could be. That’s valuable regardless of what major you are.”

This arcade serves as a fresh glimpse into what Hackberry stands for: changing the world and having fun while doing it.

“It’s something that most people can come together on for us seeing that [the arcade] has both a pedagogical value to helping our students invent new technologies, but also a social and cultural value,” Cochran said.

Cochran said he trusts in the power of looking at the past to see what’s possible in the future.

“This gives us a strong vision of what we need to be focusing on with inventing,” Cochran said. “Despite the fact that it’s got a lot of retro games, it really does give our students a strong foundational point of where these technologies have come from, and where they can go.”