Our visit to the National Videogame Museum, Sheffield

By Henry Wilkinson, BA (Hons) Public Relations and Media (third year) & Christian Hassell, MA Digital Media Management.

The UK’s only video game museum has moved from Nottingham to Sheffield. Lucky for us, what is inside is a definite worthwhile trip; whether you are on your own or with mates. Whether you are into the retro games or modern classics; this museum is for you. There is plenty of choice for you to roam around and play on. We were able to go to the opening day and get some first-hand experience

Henry: Personally, I am into my games and I have been from a very early age this is down to my Dad having so many different consoles (old and new) for me to play with. In my older years at school my favourite games were the Halo series games on the Xbox360, from FIFA 13 onwards and Grand Theft Auto 5.

Christian: Video games have been a huge part of my childhood. I have spent most of my life travelling country to country and remember vividly having an NES AND THE PLAYSTATION 1. I’m not a big fan of online gaming and enjoy classic singles; Ayer or co-op games that really made my childhood fun and memorable, from games like Smash Bros to Timesplitters.

Our first impressions

Henry: I thoroughly enjoyed the opening day of the museum, being a gamer through my childhood years (and university years) this museum was full of nostalgia for me and I am sure it will be for many other gaming fans. The only downside to the museum was the noise issue. As it is so open you can’t hear the game you are playing on and sound is vitally important to gamers!

Christian: I was surprised at how big the venue is, it’s riddled with a huge variety of games and even some room for a small café which I wish was like a private Internet café. This way I could do work here while watching people play games like Mario in the background. This would be a great atmospheric place to work, but unfortunately it’s quite open so the noice is quite intense. Instead the venue holds more as a day experience, but with more planned in the coming months, the NVM is going to be a number one place to escape to during those stressful days.

Favourite moments from the day

Henry: Personal highlights for me had to be playing Rockband on the PlayStation 4 with CJ – we had a big crowd behind us watching us fail epically! Playing on the old arcade machines were also fun as it was something I hadn’t played on in years! I enjoyed playing on the older consoles like the SEGA Meagdirve and the NES. It was something different to play on and it was interesting to see how games, the graphics and the style of game have changed through the years.

Christian: It was so much fun! The place oozes nostalgia. There are cabinets with old retro games like Goldeneye which hasn’t aged well but to some gamers will really bring out those good old days of simpler gaming. There was a huge variety of games which were sign posted by variety. Specifically I enjoyed the arcade area where you could play two player in a good old vs on Street Fighter (which per the norm, turned into smashing the buttons and hoping you won!) There was also an amazing 8 player snowball game and I can unfortunately say Henry and I were beaten by some primary school kids in, by significant margin (it would seem we aren’t as good we thought!)

Would we recommend going?

Henry: I thought the pricing was reasonable considering you can come and leave as much as you want throughout the day, but I do think families of four or five will turn around if they have to pay quite a substantial amount for what is on offer.

Christian: It was quite costly to go especially as a student. I paid for two tickets and went with my girlfriend and even though there is a student discount, it is currently not substantial enough to say it is worth a visit this early on. After speaking with the creators, there are going to be new sections added within a a few months and that alone should balance the true value and price of entry.

Our final thoughts and games recommendations

Christian: At this time of the year this is going to be a very popular place to go and can’t wait to see what they add. For the moment there is so much variety that there isn’t really a specific game. The snowball game is great for groups and the touch typing game is oddly enjoyable.

What a day it was! Think it will be visited again by us this year and in the future. I can’t recommend it enough for students and families. Hope you enjoyed reading our blog. Thanks for now.