Pair spend thousands creating nostalgic arcade

Sophi Parkes and her business partner Dean Gray invested thousands of pounds into the arcade

A couple has spent thousands of pounds opening a retro gaming arcade at a Norfolk seafront resort.

Dean Gray and Sophi Parkes opened the attraction at the Merrivale Model Village in Great Yarmouth this week.

They purchased a job lot of games from a business in Bristol that closed down and Mr Gray said it was a throwback to his childhood in the early 1990s.

Gaming podcaster Chris Berrow, from Essex, also said a “retro revival” was attracting people back to arcades.

Mr Gray said the 30 arcade machines he purchased ranged in price from £1,000 to £5,000 and featured classic games such as Pacman and Mortal Kombat.

The Retro Room features alongside modern amusement games and Victorian machines in the Penny Arcade

“It takes me back to the early ’90s when I was a little boy and I used to play them in my dad’s arcade,” said Mr Gray, 34.

His business partner, Ms Parkes, 45, added: “I definitely feel old playing these again but I think the kids [of today] will enjoy it.”

‘Retro revival’

Mr Berrow, who co-hosts the Naked Gaming podcast, said the Covid-19 lockdowns attracted more people to the world of gaming.

He said some players found playing solo to be “a lonely experience” and there was a desire to play alongside other people.

The machines, which date from the 1980s and 1990s, were purchased from a closed-down business

“If you’re under the age of 35, you probably haven’t been to a classic arcade where you took your coins and put them in the machine and had that experience,” said Mr Berrow.

“If you love playing modern games and you like playing some of these remasters, you might actually want to go to an arcade just to find out what all the fuss is about.”

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