Second-year Electromechanical Engineering student Victoria Korhonen is making waves at Fanshawe College with her pursuit of a Guinness World Record for constructing the world’s smallest arcade machine. While the record has yet to be officially certified, preliminary measurements suggest that she may have achieved her goal.

On Dec. 10, 2024, the 26 year-old submitted her micro-sized arcade machine for official evaluation. Inspired by Atari’s iconic Pong game, the fully functional device features a bright yellow finish with wooden side panels. Korhonen designed and built the one-player arcade machine as her capstone project for Fanshawe’s Electromechanical Engineering program. The project took six months to complete and involved numerous rounds of trial and error as she worked to perfect the design.

The evaluation occurred in the Alumni Lecture Theatre at Fanshawe College’s London Campus, where 175 elementary and high school students from the Thames Valley District School Board gathered to witness the momentous occasion. A professor of civil engineering at Fanshawe College, Matt Carson, meticulously measured the tiny arcade machine in front of the young audience.

Carson shared his experience of being part of the event.

“I was approached at the very end of the process when everything was complete, and they were looking for somebody with the qualifications to measure the arcade machine concerning the Guinness World Records specifications,” he said. “I’m very grateful that I was included in her attempt. It’s great to see students taking what they’ve learned in their program and being recognized worldwide or internationally. It’s pretty amazing to see.”

Carson also remarked on the ingenuity of Korhonen’s project.

“I was watching Victoria at the event, and it was very interesting to see such a small screen with the game and her being able to use the controls on the arcade machine.”

Shortly after 10:30 a.m., Carson’s unofficial results confirmed that Korhonen’s machine measures 63.5 mm x 30.03 mm x 27.9 mm, narrowly surpassing the current world record of 66.5 mm x 33.56 mm x 29.93 mm. While these measurements indicate that Korhonen has successfully built the world’s smallest arcade machine, the record will not be official until Guinness World Records completes its certification process. This involves reviewing a detailed report from Carson and an additional report from Korhonen outlining her creation’s design and electrical components.

Carson explained the next steps in the verification process.

“Once the report is finalized, she can submit her report along with my serving statement to Guinness World Records. From my understanding, verifying the results can take three to six months,” he said. “We took preliminary measurements at the public event, which will be included in the report. However, we’ll also take additional measurements to ensure we have enough data to satisfy Guinness World Records.”

If certified, this achievement will mark Korhonen’s second Guinness World Record. As a high school student, she contributed to a successful attempt to build the world’s longest selfie stick. That record-breaking creation, made from hang glider parts, measured an impressive 36 feet and dethroned actor Ben Stiller’s previous record of 28 feet, which he set during the premiere of Zoolander in 2016.