Description:

Tākaro Pango began with a clear ambition, to reimagine the classic arcade cabinet, honouring its nostalgic legacy while elevating it with a refined, contemporary design. More than just a game console, the goal was to shift the arcade cabinet into the realm of art and cultural expression, an object as at home in a gallery as it is in someone’s whare. A key insight was recognising that arcade machines spend most of their time switched off. Even in this dormant state, they carry a charge, memories of battles fought and pixelated adventures. Tākaro Pango looks to utilise this quiet potential by inviting reflection and appreciation, even from non-gamers.

The cabinet was designed around minimalism and ergonomics. At its design core is a seamless, hand-bent acrylic front panel with flowing curves, replacing the angular joins of conventional arcade cabinet designs. This element isn’t just aesthetic, it forms a durable structure that houses the controls, protects the screen, and resists wear, with finishes applied inside the acrylic for longevity. The decision to make Tākaro Pango a wall-mounted cabinet, was to lean into the wall hung art aesthetic. As well as drastically reducing its footprint and removing any superfluous visual noise. This also has the practical benefit of making the height customisable, lower for tamariki, higher for adults, or accessible for wheelchair users.

The detailing illustrates a curiosity to merge culture and technology. Tākaro Pango replaces the bold vinyl decals of traditional arcade machines with whakairo-inspired carved sides that interacts with light and movement. The pattern, whakarare, symbolises interconnectedness, often framed within the context of whānau, hapū and iwi, reimagined here to reflect the whakawhanaungatanga (camaraderie) between arcade gamers of the 1990s. Hand-carved pounamu joystick tops fuse traditional material with modern function. The Tākaro tohu marquee glows only when switched on. Its bold forms are drawn from kōwhaiwhai and arcade-era graphic influences.

Together, these elements form a collaborative vision, a meeting of disciplines, histories, and materials. The cabinet becomes more than a piece of entertainment hardware, it’s a celebration of curiosity and a desire to bring Māori design traditions into dialogue with contemporary play.