Over the summers of 2023 and 2024, I embarked on a mission to build the ultimate retro gaming table — the kind where you and a friend could battle it out in Mario bros. while pizza and soda fueled the competition. What started as a fun idea quickly turned into a twosummer adventure. I learned to master woodworking techniques, from routing and cutting tricky angles to freehand jigsaw work. I also tackled wiring and Linux system setup, bringing the table to life with human interface devices that made the games feel authentic to their 80s roots. By the end, it wasn’t just a table — it taught me woodworking, electronics, and problem-solving, all wrapped up in a slice of nostalgia.