ARCADE WATCH
Keeping an eye on the coin-op gaming scene
A slight change of pace this month, with all eyes on the UK for a change. The NVM first opened its doors in Nottingham in 2015, but was forced to close last June after finding it increasingly difficult to operate in the listed building it called home (regulations restrict, and often ban outright, what kinds of alterations occupants can make to the interiors of historic buildings, which isn’t much use for a museum).
No matter: the museum has moved 40 miles up the M1 to Sheffield, and a city-centre venue where it hopes to stick around a little longer – and early signs are certainly positive, with the opening weekend a sellout. As in its original home, there’s an arcade space filled to bursting with such coin-op classics as After Burner, Space Invaders and PacMan. Yet there’s plenty going on besides, including a schools initiative that tailors field trips to key-stage curriculums, as well as coding and design workshops. And there’s a local element to proceedings, too, with part of the museum given over to a celebration of Sheffield’s gamedevelopment scene, from Gremlin’s pioneering role in the 1980s to present-day flag-flyers Sumo Digital and Gang Beasts developer Boneloaf. The team behind the museum will keep close links to Nottingham – they’re also behind the annual GameCity festival, which has been running there since 2006. We wish them all the best in their new home.