If I had a Bitcoin for every quarter I dropped into an arcade machine back in the 1980s, I would have been on the top of Forbes’ list of wealthiest people. Alas, my coins are long gone, pumped into the bellies of Dig Dug, BattleZone, and Tempest machines. If you have a fond place in your heart for classic arcade machines like I do, check out these sweet LEGO arcade cabinets.
BuildBetterBricks makes these teensy, minimal arcade cabinets that are perfectly scaled for your minifigs. Despite their minimal use of bricks, they do a great job capturing the spirit of the classics, like Q*Bert (Q*Brick), Centipede (Brickpede), and Frogger (Froggy). Each one comes in kit form, complete with cabinet artwork and screen graphics decals.
Best of all, these tiny machines are just $7 each, so you can build out a complete arcade for your minifigs to hang out at without a whole lot of spare change. They also have a miniature claw machine and a miniature football table so you can complete your mini arcade. Drop by the BuildBetterBricks Etsy shop to check out the complete collection.
Gamers, here’s a sweet accent light for your gameroom, living room, bedroom, or any other room that could use a splash of color. This LED cube lantern is covered with images of classic video games, and is sure to be a great addition to any space.
The lamp comes decorated with cutouts of famous games and game characters including Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Mario, Sonic, and Tetris. Etsy shop My Home Art Decor makes these sweet lamps by laser cutting wood panels, which are assembled around a diffused LED light source. The LED inside can change colors using the included remote control.
You can check out a demonstration of one of their other LED lanterns in action in the video below:
Be sure to check out their shop for lots of other cool laser-cut designs, including this sweet Game of Thrones inspired lamp, covered with house sigils. Prices start at just $49, so they’re a great gift idea too.
A few years back, an artist created a sculpture of what Pac-Man might look like in the real world. The image was simultaneously adorable and disturbing, and made me wonder what the yellow dot-gobbler’s insides might look like. Well, now we know, courtesy of artist SHOK-1.
Yes, what you’re looking like is Pac-Man’s skull, as viewed under an X-ray machine. If you think the still image is weird, get a load of the skull chomping down on power pills…
Now that we know how Pac-Man’s jaws move, it only opens up more queries about its anatomy – like where is its stomach, and how exactly does it poop? Just add those to life’s many unanswered questions for now, I suppose. Oh, and in case you were wondering what the ghosts looked like inside…
[via Reddit]
ZZ Top had it right. You’re looking at the perfect suit for those who have to dress up for a company function, but don’t want to wear a boring blue blazer. After all, nowhere in the dress code does it say you can’t have Pac-Man on your suit and tie.
OppoSuits’ officially-licensed Pac-Man suit is single breasted and fitted, so you’ll look quite dapper in it. It comes with a matching tie, jacket, and slacks. The pants are said to be cut longer than normal suit pants so they work well with sneakers.
The suit is 100% polyester and is hand wash and dry clean only. The suit comes in sizes 38 to 48, and sells for $119.99(USD).
Looking for a truly unique piece of videogame art to hang on your wall? Artist Enriqve Aranacci has got you covered with these awesome handmade lights which incorporate traditional lighted signmaking techniques. While he makes all kinds of awesome designs, these two Pac-Man inspired ones are my personal favorites.
The Union Pier, Michigan artist creates each of his illuminated signs using wood, bent metal, and tons of individual light bulbs. They have a great vintage look, and I’d be happy to have either of them hanging on the wall in my home arcade.
Since there’s a ton of work that goes into making each piece, they’re not exactly cheap though. The larger image with Pac-Man, the cherries, and all four ghosts is going for $3,000. The smaller one with Blinky and Pac-Man only is $800. You can check out these and all of Aranacci’s awesome handmade designs over at his Etsy shop.
Hey gamer girls! Do you want to look stylish and gorgeous while showing off your love of video games? Well, I’ve got the list for you! As a fellow gamer, not only do I love video games, but I have a huge interest in fashion as well, and I want to share with you some of the cutest video game dresses I could find.
For years, I was afraid of showing my geeky side. I didn’t want anyone to know because I thought people wouldn’t like me. Crazy right? These days, I wear my geekiness with pride, and I’d love to own all of these dresses. Don’t be afraid of showing off who you are, it turns out, people really will like you if they know you’ve spent a thousand hours playing Skyrim.
This first dress is absolutely adorable, of course I could say that about every dress on this list, but there’s something about all the cute little characters on this one that stands out to me. Look at that angry Goomba, isn’t he just the best? You just can’t go wrong with a Mario dress. Everyone loves Mario.
Sexy. That’s the best word to describe this Mass Effect dress. Anyone who’s played Mass Effect knows all about the steamy romances that can go on, (also the not so steamy) and I think if your Commander Shepard were to wear this dress, she’d be the talk of the town. You’ll win any alien’s heart in this little number.
Okay, I’ll admit something. I’ve never played through an entire Pac-Man game. It just isn’t my thing. It’s definitely a classic and deserves all its praise, but arcade games and I don’t have the best relationship. Anyway, regardless of whether or not you’ve played a Pac-Man game, this dress is awesome. It looks exactly like the game. Maybe if I wear this I’ll be motivated to play it.
Adorbs. Totes adorbs. Pikachu is everybody’s favorite little (what creature is he supposed to be?) uh, thing. He looks very cute plastered all over this dress and no one will ask you what he’s from when you’re wearing it. Don’t you just hate it when nobody recognizes what fandom you’re wearing?
First of all, I cannot recommend Portal enough. It’s a fantastic video game, one of the most unique I’ve ever played. If you haven’t yet played it, do yourself a favor and buy it! It’s always available for a tiny price and it’s worth every cent. This dress oozes adorableness and the Companion Cube is one of the best parts of the game and the dress of course.
Wait, Star Wars is a movie, not a video game right? Wrong! Star Wars is in everything, it’s on your TV screen, it’s on your soup can, cereal box, and it’s spawned tons of video games. I have not so fond memories of attempting the Return of the Jedi video game and dying over and over again. Anyway, because Star Wars is such a cultural icon, there are many dresses to choose from, and it was difficult deciding which ones I wanted to include. I went with Darth Vader because he’s the coolest villain ever, and sometimes the Dark Side needs some love.
This is actually my favorite dress on the list. I’m in love with how simple, yet cute it is. I like that it has sleeves, so I can wear it to my parent’s house without them freaking out. (They’re very conservative.) R2-D2 is an immediately recognizable character, and I guarantee everyone will like your dress.
Zelda is my favorite video game series. Much of my childhood consisted of traversing through dungeons, fighting bosses, and saving Princess Zelda. I hold this series so close to my heart that of course I’d want to share my love of it through clothing. I picked this dress because it’s something you can wear anywhere and still be recognized as a Zelda fan, rather than the many cosplay-like options available.
I hope you found a dress you fell in love with! I know I fell in love with all of these dresses!
If you are in Tokyo over the holidays there is something very cool that you will want to ride. It’s one of those rickshaws you sit in and the dude with massive leg muscles runs you around the city. Only this rickshaw isn’t a basket that you sit in, it looks like Pac-Man.
You sit inside his mouth and I assume you can make the wakka-wakka-wakka sound effects all you want. The ride starts around the Komagata Bridge and takes passengers around Asakusa to see the sights.
Apparently, if you happen to see the Pac-Shaw riding around at night and capture a long-exposure photo from the side, you’ll get a cool surprise too:
If you want to take a ride in Pac-Man’s mouth, you need to follow the directions over on the Namco Bandai website. Only a limited number of riders can go each day, exactly how many that is we don’t know. If too many people want to ride, they will hold a lottery to see who can go. Now they need some ghost rickshaws to chase this one around Tokyo.
[via Kotaku]
Whether you’re ready or not, the holiday season is fast approaching.
Chances are, if you’ve been to the store lately, you’ve already seen all the Christmas decorations and gifts on display. I really wish Thanksgiving wasn’t so overlooked, I mean, food is great, but since making a list of Thanksgiving sweaters might be a little too difficult, I’m going to go ahead and give you a list of the coolest Christmas sweaters around.
Not just your typical ugly sweaters with jingle bells and cotton balls, but sweaters that will show off your love of Christmas and your love of video games. Even though Thanksgiving food is great, no one can deny that Christmas and video games combined might just be the best thing ever.
This Legend of Zelda sweater, featuring Link, is truly a holiday treat. You may not get the Triforce for Christmas, but this could be just as satisfying. Skip the evil Black Friday villains this year and order this sweater online in the comfort of your pajamas. (Or be like Link and go on an adventure to the mall. It’s up to you.)
Pokemon Go is all the rage this year, and no doubt there will be lots of Pokemon gifts exchanged. Opt for this unique, yet adorable, Pikachu sweater. It’ll melt the heart of anyone who wears it. Pika-aww <3
So maybe the classic, “ugly,” Christmas sweater isn’t your thing. No fear, this awesome Mario hoodie is here to make you look cool, geeky, and festive all at the same time! Jump for joy like the jumping man himself. Fun fact: Did you know Mario was originally named Jumpman, before he became the Italian plumber we all know and love?
Turtles in Time is one of the best SNES games created and if there’s one thing I love other than that game, it’s pizza. If there’s one thing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles love, it’s also pizza. If you’re a TMNT fan and a pizza fan, show off your love by wearing this sweater at your next holiday party. Maybe there will be pizza. Anyone hungry?
I never beat the original Jurassic Park video game, but it’s part of a classic franchise of successful movies that spawned many games, sequels, and all kinds of merchandise. The latest entry, Jurassic World broke all sorts of records upon its release. Prepare for the inevitable sequels by picking up one of these fantastic sweaters! Look how cute that Santa hat is on the T-Rex!
This is actually the first of two Star Wars sweaters I’ve decided to include. The graphic print, rather than the traditional knit look sets it apart from many other Christmas sweaters, and the bow tie element is just the cutest thing. You simply can’t go wrong with Star Wars; it’s perfect for almost any geek out there.
Are you the dragonborn? No matter, this sweater suits any Elder Scrolls or Bethesda fan. You’ll feel warm and cozy wearing this sweater while picking the pockets of townspeople and slaying dragons in the desolate, freezing land of Skyrim.
With its simple, immediately recognizable design and logo, this Fallout ‘Happy Holidays’ is the sweater to wear if you’re the type who doesn’t like explaining what video game or movie your clothes came from. Fallout also has the advantage of being one of the most popular series right now, with Fallout 4 released just last year.
The second Star Wars sweater that I couldn’t resist including. “Silent Night, Jedi Night,” get it? “Silent night, holy night? Jedi knight?” Yeah, you probably got it. Anyway, look at that Santa Yoda. I’d love the jolly green jedi to bring me gifts. “A merry christmas, I wish you.”
Colorful, festive, and very 80s esque, this retro blast from the past is great for the nostalgic video game fan. Or the hipster who refuses to play anything besides Atari and NES.
Hopefully, you found some great choices for the gamers in your life. Whether it’s for a holiday party, a Christmas gift, or just a sweater you want to wear yourself all winter long, I think these sweaters are all awesome choices. Have a happy holiday season and keep being a geek!
