A lot of my friends are at an age where they’re going to wine and clay nights or pottery sessions where they get a three-course meal alongside an oddly thrown pot that resembles E.T. after it’s been glazed. I get the appeal, but it’s all a little too fancy for me. I’m not ready to stop being a 90s kid and start being an adult, which is why I’ve got incredibly excited about this Game Boy refurbishing experience held by Craftsman Ave. The workshop is called Back to the Future and takes you and your friends through the process of bringing an old Game Boy DMG back to life!
Located at 117 11th Street, Brooklyn, this 4-hour beginner course in Game Boy modding requires no experience whatsoever. The short course gives you everything you need including a vintage Game Boy to bring back to life. You’ll be using a CNC machine, soldering iron, and all the equipment needed to clean and completely rewire a Game Boy as well as add a new screen, all while following guidance from experts in the field.
Writing on the Craftsman Ave website, the organisers say that you will ‘begin this class by stripping your donor Gameboy down to the sole of these handheld classics: the motherboard. A discussion on basic analog electronics, Ohm’s Law, and the use of multimeters will ensue as we work to get electrons following through these circuits once again’.
The video posted by Mike Schulte above shows all the individual tasks involved with the workshop required to spruce your old Game Boy up. Prices start at $375 for one person and go up depending on party size and if you want the ‘Date Night’ package with pizza and wine (I knew there would be wine in there somewhere – I told you we’re all getting towards that age!)
$375 might initially seem like a lot, but considering you’re getting a brand new Game Boy made by your own hands as well as all the equipment and parts needed to do it, expert guidance, and skills you can use again and again if you fancy getting into modding on a regular basis. Head to the Craftsman Ave website to find out availability, and who knows, maybe they’ll move onto other handhelds like the Game Gear or PSP once they’ve run out of Game Boys!
