This will not appear to be a building, because it's not. It's not even a form of architecture. What it is, however, is an image that holds my thoughts and interpretations about a single place: the Memorial Union at ASU. The piece shows the progression of a single match of SVC: Chaos layered upon itself. Externally it portrays all the things that occur within the single space of the arcade cabinet screen, from the intro video, title screen, and character select, to the pre-game text, fighting action, and victory screen. The match is the CPU controlled Mr. Karate, and a secret character that requires a special input, my personal favorite, Dan Hibiki. Now what does this have to do with the MU besides location, you ask? Well, that's where the internal reason comes in. It appeals to me as a representation of the MU on a personal level, because, on average, I spend anywhere from 3-8 hours in the MU per day, and this game is often my sole scapegoat against boredom. One token worth 25 cents gives a player 16 credits, allowing ample playtime for even inexperienced players. The cabinet is old, with instructions written in spanish, off-axis joysticks, and randomly unresponsive buttons, but the game remains fun through all its disabilities. Not only is it a simple and enjoyable pastime for oneself, but can be a rewarding multiplayer experience as well. Most of my friends in the "dungeon" (arcade in lower level of MU) have played me, and probably beaten me since Dan is a joke character. Regardless, it comes down to the simple idea that when I think of the MU, I don't think of a building, I think of my home away from home, and that single arcade cabinet whose slit-jaws have devoured so many of my hard-earned quarters.
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