Where is the Gaming Mecca?
When I was younger, traveling to London was a huge event. It was so big, so lively. My Dad would have to grasp on to me for dear life, lest I float away in a sea of Tube passengers. It was nothing short of magical.
However, for me, and many others of my age, London truly meant one thing.
Now a shadow of its former self, the Trocadero haunted the dreams of many children in the UK, a focal point of all that was young and vibrant. Huge flashing neon lights created a technicolour firework display in the mind's eye. And it housed Sega World.
Sega World was an arcade on a massive scale, including vertigo-inducing elevators between levels. The "largest indoor theme park in the world" (circa 1996) housed row upon row of cabinets, all set to Free Play. I could have lost weeks of my life in there. Of course, Dad would always have other ideas of what needed to be done in London, but Virtua Racing would always be my top priority.
Now that I am older, more travelled and in possession of a bit more disposable income, I would have expected to have found somewhere that could at least have matched this Gaming Mecca. With the death of the arcade (which took Sega World down with it), there has been nothing since, at least in the UK. Does one have to travel all the way to Japan to find somewhere that treats gaming with such pomp and ceremony?
Gaming is a transient, ethereal hobby. It exists for as long as our tiny consoles or computers are turned on. Once powered down, it disappears. It has no place. It's not in the parks where a football is kicked. It's not in the cinema where the movies are screened. It's not in the museums where we investigate our history. There is no where we can go to experience gaming, except the comfort of our sofas. And this is a tragic shame.
Sega World was a figurehead, just as much as any mascot or any game designer. It was something we could show others, proudly say that this is the House That Gaming Built, and surround ourselves with like-minded people.
The gaming community need these places. The success of PAX has shown that we desperately want somewhere like this. But it's not supposed to be just an arcade. Wembley isn't just a place where football is played. It's a stage, where all sorts of football-related events occur. Our place would be where new games are announced, with salty buffet food. It would be the place where betas of unreleased games could be tried. It would chronicle the history of gaming (see Game On for an excellent template). It would be gaming made solid.
For generations to come, it would be their Sega World.
Comments
Perhaps Japan and a few other asian countries are the only haven left for arcades.
However, I was surprised that you didn't mention Omega Sektor in Birmingham. It's the closest you'll get to a gaming Mecca right about now.