Jason Miller

When my son turned eight, he asked for a room that “looked like an arcade.” I spent three weekends tracking down retro arcade themed bedding, neon signs, and pixel art accents that could survive a kid who treats his bed like a trampoline. That project turned into this guide. Retro arcade themed bedding and decor … Read more

I have spent the last three months hunting for the best display cases for arcade memorabilia, and I want to save you the trial and error. My game room holds a Pac-Man cabinet, three control panels, a stack of marquees, and a drawer full of rare game cartridges, and every one of those pieces has … Read more

I learned the hard way that slapping a can of household paint on an arcade cabinet is asking for trouble. After watching my first attempt peel off a Donkey Kong control deck within a month, I went down the rabbit hole of arcade restoration forums and talked to actual shop owners about what they use. … Read more

I still remember the day I pulled a faded Donkey Kong side art panel off a cabinet I rescued from a barn sale. The artwork had cracked, peeled, and bleached into a sad ghost of its former self. That moment sent me down the rabbit hole of finding side art reproduction decals for classic cabinets. … Read more

Vinyl wrap kits for arcade cabinets give home builders and hobbyists a fast, affordable way to refresh a tired cabinet without the mess of spray paint. After rebuilding three cabinets in my own game room and helping two friends upgrade their Arcade1Up units, I have learned that the right self-adhesive vinyl saves hours of sanding, … Read more

I still remember the first time I plugged in a tiny arcade cabinet on my desk. It was a My Arcade Micro Player, and the little yellow puck gobbling through a maze brought back every weekend I spent at the local pizza place in the late 80s. After comparing dozens of models over the past … Read more

Finding the best mini pinball machines for desktops can turn any boring work break into a quick arcade session. I set out to solve a problem I heard over and over again from readers: full-size pinball machines start at $7000 or more, but most people just want a fun, compact tabletop version for their desk, … Read more

I still remember the frustration of dropping a quarter into my 1962 Seeburg and watching the coin bounce right back out. The slug rejector was gummed up with fifty years of dust, and every mechanical attempt to fix it just made things worse. After that weekend, I started hunting for replacement jukebox coin mechanisms that … Read more

A 250-pound pinball machine on hardwood floors scares me every time I move one. I learned the hard way after seeing fresh gouges appear under a Stern LE cabinet I’d just finished restoring. That’s the day I started testing every pinball leg leveler and protector I could get my hands on. After eight weeks of … Read more

I learned the hard way why pinball machine covers matter. After six months of leaving my Stern Pro uncovered in a basement game room, dust had crept into every corner of the cabinet, and the once-vibrant side decals started fading from a sliver of afternoon sun through a nearby window. A quality cover would have … Read more