Kings in the Making: Architects of the Arcade

An intergenerational game-design hackathon bridging Ancestral Intelligence, retro gaming, and AI. Join us for Kings in the Making: Architects of the Arcade, an intergenerational game-design hackathon celebrating Black youth digital agency as part of Oakland Tech Week. Young creators (ages 5–18) will team up with community mentors to design, build, and publish retro 8-bit video games from scratch—all in a single morning. What to Expect: • Analogue-to-AI Pipeline: Youth turn physical paper drawings and story blueprints into playable digital games using generative AI (Gemini, Suno) and no-code tools (Microsoft MakeCode Arcade). • Intergenerational Tribes: K–12 youth, high school leads, and Opportunity Age mentors work side-by-side on collaborative build squads. • Interactive Arcade Showcase: Test-play student creations during our live gallery exhibition and judging ceremony from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. • Food & Community: Grab-and-go lunch provided for participants and attendees. Schedule: • 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Arrival, Breakfast & Hackathon Kickoff • 10:00 AM – 10:55 AM: Intergenerational Game Build Sprints • 10:55 AM – 11:30 AM: Testing, Code Polish & Station Setup • 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch, Live Arcade Showcase & Awards Ceremony Free and open to the community.