Back in 2004 I was somewhat active in the arcade emulation scene. One day I stumbled upon a new MAME frontend called 3D Arcade.
Unlike traditional frontends that just showed you a list of ROMs and maybe some screenshots, 3D Arcade was something completely different. It was a fully skin-able and rotatable frontend that could launch just about anything. It had powerful, customizable search and filter functions, supported a huge range of media for skinning, and even experimented with playful menu styles — like shooting at sprites to select items.
But the real magic was in its virtual arcade interface. Instead of clicking through menus, you could literally walk around a 3D arcade of your own design, filled with cabinets, jukeboxes, and even movie screens. Walk up to a cabinet, press a button, and you’d be playing the emulated game. It was the first time I felt like emulation could feel like stepping into a digital world.
That idea fascinated me so much that I started designing my own arcade for the platform. I planned the layout, populated it with models of my favorite arcade and pinball machines, and created a whole collection of additional 3D props to bring it to life.
The result was the VoodooScience Lounge — an arcade / entertainment center that went far beyond just cabinets. It featured:
- A karaoke bar
- A bowling alley
- A bar with pool and soccer table
- A movie theater
- …and of course, plenty of classic arcade and pinball machines
I released the lounge for others to explore with 3D Arcade, and it became part of the community’s shared collection of custom spaces.
I recently rediscovered the project while sifting through old files after my server move, and I thought it would be fun to share it here again. It’s a little time capsule of both the early emulation community and my own 3D design experiments.
3D-Arcade Homepage | VoodooScience Lounge Gallery | VoodooScience Lounge Download