What to Know
- Three Thursdays from 4 to 5 p.m. via Zoom
- Jan. 21, 28, and Feb. 4, 2021
- $35 (your materials, included in the fee, will be delivered)
So many Angelenos, kids and adults alike, were inspired by Caine's Arcade, the imaginative wonderland created by 9-year-old Caine Monroy.
A 2012 documentary gave many people their first look at the handmade, cardboard-cool arcade, which was located next to the East Los Angeles auto parts store owned by Caine's father.
Soon visitors from all over were stopping by to play Caine's beautifully designed games and, just maybe, find inspiration to also create something as whimsical, meaningful, and full of joy.
Cardboard challenges, game workshops, and other DIY meet-ups have continued to flower in the years since the uplifting attraction shuttered, giving local builders and makers the chance to try their hand at constructing their own arcade games.
If you or your child count yourself as devoted gamers, and you've been seeking a creative project you can hop into from home, the Center for the Arts Eagle Rock may have just the class you seek.
What will the online class series offer to aspiring game designers?
You'll "... (t)urn upcycled materials into your own unique marble game in this hands-on exploration of design, logic, momentum, and creative play."
"Arcade Design: Build a Marble Game" is a three-session course, all happening virtually, and, you bet: Your sign-up fee includes the materials you'll need to build your game.
And those materials will be delivered to your home, too.
Twelve spaces are available for the three-part class, which is $35. Jan. 21, 28, and Feb. 4 are the dates you'll want to circle.
While this Center for the Arts Eagle Rock class isn't affiliated with Caine's Arcade or the later cardboard-based building challenges that found inspiration in Caine's dream, it does possess a funky DIY spirit and the understanding that great games can spring from all sorts of everyday materials.
If you're a believer in that can-do gamer's outlook, that fun can be found in so many places, sign up soon and create your own marble-marvelous diversion.
