National Videogame Arcade opens in Nottingham

[ToneCold]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-32067472

This has been in the works for about a year now, the venue was last used for the GameCity festival so this makes a lot of sense. I used to live right around the corner from this, now live further away but will definitely be visiting.

The UK's first national centre dedicated to the art and culture of videogames opens this weekend.

The £2.5m National Videogame Arcade (NVA), in Nottingham, celebrates the industry through interactive exhibits and vintage arcade machines.

The NVA follows the success of Game City, an annual videogame festival held in Nottingham since 2006.

Games entrepreneur Ian Livingstone said it was about time the country had a centre devoted to videogames.

He said: "We only have to see the evidence all around us, on public transport you see people playing games on smartphone devices, in the home, everywhere we go, it's pervasive.

"The games industry is worth $100bn alone.

"It's not just guys making games for guys, there's cultural and diverse content and also diversity in creation, which is more important."

The centre lies in the heart of Nottingham's creative quarter, in Hockley. It has five floors and boasts vintage arcade machines, interactive exhibits, a cinema, cafe and an education space.

Jonathan Smith, one of the centre's directors, said the building would be a "cathedral" for the art form and a unique visitor attraction.
The centre has an interactive exhibition titled A History of Games in 100 Objects

The industry has often come under fire for the content of a number of 18 certificated titles including Grand Theft Auto.

However, Mr Smith said criticism of gaming was unfair and he hoped the NVA would help change people's minds.

"Videogames are fantastic learning tools for children, they encourage creativity, experimentation and social play with others," he said.

"They are part of a healthy diet of different learning techniques and of different activities which of course includes going outside, running around and making things with your hands, but within that rich landscape I think [videogames] play a really important role."

The NVA is set to open on Saturday morning.


Why Nottingham?
It was a question asked by national media during the press day at the NVA and several reasons were given.

Ian Livingstone, who co-founded Games Workshop, which is based in Nottingham, said games had a "long legacy" in the city.

"Games and Nottingham sit hand and hand," he said.

However, the NVA has not emerged out of nothing. Game City, a festival celebrating videogames as cultural works, began in 2006 in partnership with Nottingham Trent University.

The event is still going strong after nine years and has always been backed by Nottingham City Council.

[Stoner]

That is beyond amazing.  I love it.

[Adam Wrong]

I went there today. £8.50 to get in felt a little pricey but 4 floors of the history of videogames and then free to play everything.

Mario, Sonic, Track and Field, Pac Man are just some of them along with new console gaming as well as classic console gaming along with future games in development available to play.

A thoroughly entertaining afternoon