Nottingham to open 'cultural' centre for videogames

The National Videogame Arcade will include items from the national archive

A new centre dedicated to the heritage and culture of gaming in the UK is to open its doors next year.

The £2.5m National Videogame Arcade will open to the public in Nottingham in March and will include an exhibition of old consoles and controllers.

The centre, set over five floors, will include galleries with themed and interactive exhibitions and a games-making education area.

The museum's developer GameCity said it would celebrate gaming history.

Director Iain Simons said: "We believe that games should be played by everyone, and that games should be made by everyone."

A set of prototype controllers for the game Rock Band, donated by developers Harmonix, will go on display in the centre

There will be a permanent exhibition of some archive items which are currently held by the National Science Museum.

The collection includes prototype controllers from Rock Band and EYE-Toy, the original Star Wars cockpit cabinet and the original Magnavox Odyssey - the first home console.

Visitors to this year's GameCity Festival in Nottingham have been given a preview of what would be on offer at the site in the city's Creative Quarter.

GameCity adviser Ian Livingstone said: "For the millions of people who love them, it's only natural that videogames should have their own, permanent cultural home.

"Just as fine art enjoys the National Gallery, performance has the National Theatre, and film and music have many permanent spaces that celebrate them."

GameCity Festival visitors have had a chance to see what the centre would offer