National Videogame Arcade opens in Nottingham

My home county of Nottinghamshire is primarily known for the legend of Robin Hood, as represented in countless movies, TV series and books over the decades and beyond. However, since 2006, Nottingham has been home to one of the UK's few gaming conventions, GameCity. And East Midlands as a whole has been home to many of the UK's greatest and most successful game developers, including Rare, Core Design, Free Radical Design and even one of Crytek's satellite studios. So it's no surprise that Nottingham was chosen to be the venue for the UK's first video game museum.

Called the National Videogame Arcade or NVA for short, the interactive museum has been created with the help of the GameCity organisation, various members of the UK industry and press, including Ian Livingstone, the founder of tabletop games manufacturer, Games Workshop, who are also based in Notts. It's an ambitious project, with games from every decade, ranging from modern console games to classic arcade machines (YES!) spread across five floors. But the NVA is trying to do more than let people play old games, it's hoping to elevate the industry and promote games as pieces of art, which can be good for head and body (under the right circumstances). With regular events, which include development workshops, this is exactly the kind of thing the industry needs.

You can check out YouTuber Xyphoe's look at the NVA's opening day here:

For more information, head over to http://gamecity.org/venue/national-videogame-arcade/