Mad inventor and artist Tim Hunkin's latest YouTube video is a fun walk through his process for creating a mechanical coin-op game. Hunkin is the long-time explainer of mechanisms in his "The Secret Life Of _____'" BBC series and one of the original creators featured in London's Cabaret Mechanical Theater. Although the beloved shop is gone, Hunkin's marvelous machines can still be found in his Under The Pier arcade on Southwold Pier in the English county of Suffolk.
Here he walks through the steps and the preliminary prototypes of making an electro-mechanical game: you're a distracted mom picking up your kids from school and trying to avoid the many comic road hazards while driving your 2-ton SUV.
But Hunkin's satirical comment on consumerism and giant, oversized vehicles gets lost. He realizes the original game's goal makes for a rather boring game, so instead he flips it over. Now, you as the driver must intentionally aim for and deliberately drive over moms with baby carriage, hit road workers, crash into other cars, etc, to "win" the game.
Hunkin's avuncular inventor persona is delightfully droll—just like funny machines.
Watch it here:
Previously: Interview with the inventor of the ribbed condom
