This looks like a vintage arcade machine. It’s actually made from recycled plastic.

Tākaro Mā by Arca Arcade takes that old-school arcade feeling a lot of us grew up with and gives it a new life.

Not as a throwback for the sake of nostalgia, but as something more considered. More crafted. More at home in a gallery, a public space, or a place where people actually stop, play, and connect.

Arca Arcade, founded by the bro Preston McNeil, has been building these wall-mounted arcade works here in Aotearoa, pulling together classic gaming culture, contemporary art, and visual language shaped by te ao Māori.

That’s what makes the whole thing feel so fresh. It’s playful, but it’s also thoughtful.

What you’re seeing here is one close-up from Tākaro Mā.

The vintage gaming arcade itself is fitted with 2x Kohu Cleanstone side panels, carved with detail that gives the machine real depth and presence that looks almost like whale bone.

The side profile matters on a piece like this. It’s not just there to hold the game together. It helps tell the story of the object. It helps turn the whole cabinet into something people want to walk up to, touch, and spend time with.

That’s the bit I love.

Preston built an experience around his retro arcades. And I think that’s what great artists do. They take something familiar and make you look at it again.

For us, it was a real privilege to be part of that. The side panels are made from Kohu Cleanstone, which is our panel made from 100% recycled soft plastic.

So you’ve got this object that feels nostalgic and crafted, but it’s also made from waste that would usually be written off. That contrast is pretty special.

I also think this project says something bigger about material choice.

A lot of people still see sustainable materials as something you compromise with. Like you choose them because they’re good for the planet, but you give something up in the design outcome.

This prove the opposite.

When the right designer gets hold of the right material, you can make work that feels richer, more memorable, and more meaningful.

That’s why I rate Arca Arcade so highly. They’re not just making retro machines. They’re making playable artworks. Their own site describes the cabinets as interactive art objects that combine the culture and mechanics of classic video games with contemporary art and storytelling.

That’s a bloody cool thing to be part of.

If you’re an architect, designer, artist, or brand working on a space that needs to feel distinct, this is the sort of thinking I reckon is worth chasing.

Not just what a material is. What it lets you make people feel.

Reach out on cleanstone.criticaldesign.nz if you're keen to colab!