I'm not a massive gamer (probably just because I suck at them) but Dwayne is and so a few weekends ago we visited The Heart of Gaming. Dwayne had come across it whilst researching some of the best arcades in London & so he thought "might as well give it a try".
The Heart Of Gaming is tucked away in an industrial park in North Acton, London which was about a 20 minute drive from my house in Muswell Hill. We did have a bit of difficulty finding the place at first but rest assured it is there!
This arcade was different from all the ones we had visited in the past. Firstly, all the games are set to free play; as a sort of 'entrance fee' is paid on entry which entitles you to unlimited gaming up until closing time. We paid £10 each on the Saturday that we visited which I believe is the most expensive rate for the week. Okay, here is where my total lack of gaming knowledge and age might show so I apologise in advance :). Secondly, the games were what I'd call retro, it was like taking a leap back in time to authentically play some of the biggest arcade games of the past.
The Heart of Gaming has a few different rooms & we explored them all. Immediately upon entering we were presented with a room containing a variety of games such as Pac Man, Time Crisis 2, Killer Instinct & Metal Slug. We was also able to play head to head on Street Fighter using the Japanese style arcade cabs. This was fun as you can't see each other but you can hear your opponent crashing down on their buttons trying to defeat you on the other side.
After playing a few shooting games of which I'm still unable to aim accurately, Dance Dance, a driving game and a few others we proceeded to explore further and came across rooms which were set up with many consoles and accompanying TV screens. Ranging from the old school Sega Mega Drive to a more up to date Wii U of which were also free to play with a variety of games being available from the front desk.
With all the games being free play the burden of 'wasting' your money on a game you'd never played before was eliminated and playing all the games didn't burn a massive hole in our pockets. On the flip side the novelty of some games, we felt, decreased a little as it didn't matter if you lost all of your lives as playing on was as easy as pressing a button rather than adding another pound coin.
We didn't say for too long as we had other commitments on the day but for the time I spent there I definitely felt a sense of community. A place were people who enjoyed gaming could come and hang out and meet with others who did also. Little things such as being able to order takeaway directly to the front desk and the staff also being avid gamers all added to the sense of community in the environment. After leaving I had a little flick through their Facebook page and also found that the Heart Of Gaming also host tournaments.
If gaming is something your into I would definitely recommend you visit this place even if its just once in your lifetime, who knows you might just meet some really cool people. On the other hand if gaming doesn't interest you well just keep this place in mind and recommend it to someone you know who does.
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