Jump to content

Solarcade - Solar Power Arcade Game


Siamey
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone,

I wanted to give you all a heads up about a project my friend Mike is doing.

He has a degree in sustainable living and also loves video games, which led him to start a game project called "Solarcade"

The Solarcade concept is an arcade box with original games on it, which runs entirely off of its attached solar panels. Mike is making a series of oldschool style video games which also educate about solar energy and sustainability.

So far he has finished "Solarcade: PowerUp!" the first in the Solarcade game series. He has also entered it into the YoYo Games "Save the Planet" competition, in hopes that he will win 1st place, $1000 bucks! That will be a good chunk of change towards designing and building the Solarcade cabinet.

Mike is a really good artist, and he has developed a pixel-art style all his own; I think you will really enjoy the cut-scenes as well as the in game graphics.

Please check out his site http://solarcade.org/ or find his entry at the YoYo Games website and tell him what you think of it: http://www.yoyogames.com/games/show/64038

Thanks guys!

P.S. Mike and I both provided the music. Just wanted to put that out there so no one discovers it later and thinks that its the only reason I posted this.

Peace

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd agree about the gameplay but I think solar power is an issue which needs more light shed on it.

Oof. This pun is killing my sunny disposition.

Seriously, though, this is an awesome idea. I actually just thought of an idea to go along with it, based partially on one I've had for years. Make a combination arcade/restaurant/bar which specializes in sustainable living and natural alternatives. You could call it "Green Dream," an inside joke that only true nerds will get, feature Solarcade cabinets, offer vegan and vegetarian dishes, and fair trade ingredients. Sounds like it would appeal to a smallish niche, but hey it would probably work in Asheville or other famously vegetarian or green-friendly cities.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just out of curiosity, why do these go together so often? Livestock aren't "sustainable" or "natural", apparently?

The mass production methods of raising livestock are not natural. Most vegans/vegitarians I know feel it is unethical to support an industry that is not only inhumane but damaging to the environment (the massive amount of wastes produced on these farms contaminate nearby water sources and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The mass production methods of raising livestock are not natural.

This is just begging the question of what "natural" really is, but since this isn't PPR I'll let it slide.

Misses the point anyway. Mass production methods of raising crops aren't natural either, but there are "organic" alternatives to that which are apparently okay. Is there no such thing as "organic" meat? The question is why does "green living" apparently mean "herbivore", not why are vegitarians vegitarians.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is just begging the question of what "natural" really is, but since this isn't PPR I'll let it slide.

Yeah, it's been a while since I've argued seriously, much less in PPR, and I bet I agree with you on this point anyway.

Misses the point anyway. Mass production methods of raising crops aren't natural either, but there are "organic" alternatives to that which are apparently okay. Is there no such thing as "organic" meat? The question is why does "green living" apparently mean "herbivore", not why are vegitarians vegitarians.

Makai's response wasn't bad, actually, when you consider the fact that you asked why livestock weren't "sustainable." Believe it or not, CO2 effused from cattle and clearcutting to provide pastures for livestock is a principle contributor to our surplus of greenhouse gases. Most crops aren't organic, no, but even the weirdest supercorn produces some oxygen.

More to my point, though, from a business standpoint, usually the one lifestyle attracts the other. Not always, of course, but enough to maybe stake an enterprise on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Couple questions regarding the invention of a solar powered arcade box.. if there's a link that I'm not seeing somewhere that has the answers, just point me to the link or something and call me a dumbass :D.

1) Who still plays arcade games? (I don't even know of an arcade nearby outside of the one at Knott's Berry Farm..) My university has some standard arcade games, but they also have the entirely more popular Xbox 360 / PS3s titles set up.

2) What impact will making these arcade systems have on the environment? What materials will they be made out of?

3) And in the end, will the creation of this product really produce a heightened awareness? If not, will these arcade boxes contribute to waste, or will they be (mostly) recyclable?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hey! thanks for spreading the word heath!

the idea behind this project was to combine my desire to stand up and be the change i want to see in the world and to sit down and make little video games. this isnt a commercial endeavor. its not a mass production thing, more like an traveling, interactive art exhibit. the plan is to take the cabinet around to schools and festivals and other public events and let people play the games and then learn how solar energy was used to power it. i live in portland, and there are a lot of suitable events. i also want it to be a venue for all the amazing independent games that are being created these days.

i certainly still love arcade games, theres a retro arcade near where i live and i go there all the time.

the organs of the cabinet will most likely be a linux computer, custom designed for energy efficiency. a 5'x5' pv panel costs about $1000 and puts out about 200 watts, so its going to be an interesting challenge to get all the electrinics under that limit, but i think it possible. the pv array actually charges batteries that power the computer so i'll be able to offset some of the consumption by using more batteries. the rest of the cabinet will be made out of salvaged wood and materials whenever possible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, that sounds way better (and cooler, educationaler, interactiver, meaningfuller) than what I was thinking, lol. I guess that's why you're the one with this plan and I'm the one asking questions here :D

I do wish you the best of luck in this matter.

200 watts? If I had to guess, is it the monitor that will provide the greatest difficulty as far as consumption goes?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very cool idea. Looking forward to your progress and updates.

Just out of curiosity, why do these go together so often? Livestock aren't "sustainable" or "natural", apparently?

Sorry to derail a bit further, but I think a big part of it is that you lose about 90% efficiency when you raise livestock for the purpose of food consumption, rather than farmland.

In other words, you could feed 100 people with planted crops. But feed those crops (or grazing, I guess) to the cattle, and you end up feeding 10 people with the same amount of resources.

It's much more efficient/environmentally friendly to go vegetarian in that sense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's much more efficient/environmentally friendly to go vegetarian in that sense.

Yes yes, I've studied that concept/theory in biology.

However, in losing 90% of the energy, we gain 40412% new tastes lol.

Still, I don't agree with the methods most "civilized" countries use in the raising and slaughter of animals... I eat meat very, very rarely as such.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tossing it out there: what about pinball machines?

While it'd require rather different construction than an arcade cabinet (and not offer the same ease of switching games), I'd expect pinball machines to consume a lot less energy: only a few moving parts, one LED screen, and most of the action is powered by gravity and momentum.

'Course my ulterior motive is that pinball machines were always my favorite part of an arcade, and arcades rarely have them anymore. KF

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i think pinball is a genius idea! i'll definitely have to make one of those too! i plan to have a cafe someday, and a pinball machine would fit in so nicely.

on energy: i actually foresee the audio system consuming the most. but i havent researched it at all. the monitor i found uses about 40 watts, its just a dell 22" flatscreen

theres a new AMD Athlon 64 2000 processor that uses only 8 w, and then theres the intel atom which uses slightly more. so the computer + monitor is going to come in at about 60 watts, leaving 140 for the sound system.

if anyone has any suggestions of what hardware to use, id love to hear your ideas!

and about the the food issue. its true that only about 10% of the nutrients created by primary producers (plants) are assimilated by the primary consumers (cows) and only 10% of that amount is assimilated by us. also, due to perverted agricultural practices, it takes the average cattle ranch 10 pounds of topsoil to produce 1 pound of beef. and unless something is done (possible, but usually isnt done) to replace the topsoil, it will take hundreds of uninterrupted years to naturally restore all that topsoil. in places where food and resources are very scare, meat production isnt a very good idea.

but animals are still really important, useful, and feasible parts of agriculture. they just shouldnt be our primary source of nutrition.

im pretty much vegetarian, partly because i dont like how animals are 'produced', but mostly because if find most meat dishes pretty bland. its a huge misconception that being vegetarian means having to eat boring, bland food. theres more to not eating meat than tofu eggplants and mushrooms :D anyway, i appreciate all the interest in my project, i'll keep you guys updated on my progress!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yea I think its a neat idea too.

"The gameplay is simple and the cut scenes are hippy propaganda, what else is there to say?" quoth SA forums.

I'd agree about the gameplay but I think solar power is an issue which needs more light shed on it.

Oh ho ho ho, I see what you did there.

An inspired idea, but solar panels may not necessarily be the best option. Has your friend considered CSP (Concentrated Solar Plant) as an alternative? Good ol' Stirling cycle engines and the like?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

its true that a photovoltaic cell is relatively poor and producing energy even in ideal conditions. this is acceptable because of the small size of the cell (there can be many in a small area) and mostly the shear abundance of an ample intensity of sunlight. sterling engines, while they have a higher possible potential, require more strict conditions to function in, they need really intense sunlight to create high temperature differences. at least this is my understanding. theyre also rather large and heavy(it would require a large parabola to compliment it) and ive only seen about 4 in my life so i wouldnt know where to buy a used one. anyway, its not that im trying to squash your idea, i dont want to brush the idea off. i think csp's are really awesome and i hope that we start seeing more of them

im also toying with the idea of a bike powered arcade cabinet, which i feel could have some really awesome emergent game mechanics that could tie into the bike with like leaning and stearing and cool button arangements on the handle bars and of course, peddling. that would be much more complicated though. someday!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

its true that a photovoltaic cell is relatively poor and producing energy even in ideal conditions. this is acceptable because of the small size of the cell (there can be many in a small area) and mostly the shear abundance of an ample intensity of sunlight. sterling engines, while they have a higher possible potential, require more strict conditions to function in, they need really intense sunlight to create high temperature differences. at least this is my understanding. theyre also rather large and heavy(it would require a large parabola to compliment it) and ive only seen about 4 in my life so i wouldnt know where to buy a used one. anyway, its not that im trying to squash your idea, i dont want to brush the idea off. i think csp's are really awesome and i hope that we start seeing more of them

I understand mate - all of what you've said is true. I would add further that my thoughts on using a CSP would be it doesn't power a single unit, but a collection of units

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...