Video gaming returns to Nottingham with two-day expo

Video game shops, themed bars and museums have all disappeared in Nottingham, but this December video gaming is coming back for a new video games expo.

Nottingham has seen its fair share of video game shops, cafes and museums disappear over the years, but this December that is all about to change as two YouTubers are joining forces to put Nottingham back on the gaming map with the Nottingham Video Games Expo.

James and Alex, friends who met online during the coronavirus pandemic, have been going to gaming events for years, but have now decided to give it a try themselves.

Their formula for the Nottingham Video Games Expo is to put together all of their favourite parts of those previous events and wrap it all together just in time for Christmas with their own video games event.

The city centre of Nottingham has seen internet cafés like Combat Strike close, as well as much-loved video game stores like Play Time.

On a larger scale, The National Video Game Museum – which was once located in Hockley – and the ALT Gaming Lounge have both vanished, too.

A Retro Games Fair was previously held in Nottingham, with sold-out crowds and excited visitors wanting more, which is where the Nottingham Video Games Expo comes in.

James and Alex want to ensure that, wherever possible, their expo will focus on the local community, and so reached out to small and large gaming businesses and groups.

Both James and Alex have been part of their fair share of conventions and events over the years and know exactly what works and what doesn’t.

The event takes place at The Richard Herrod Centre, Foxhill Road, Carlton, on December 17 and 18.

The Richard Herrod Centre ticks all the right boxes when considering the needs of traders/groups and the general public.

With free parking, an easily accessible bus route from the city centre plus a large hall and a stage area, it has everything they need for their very first event.

The Nottingham Video Games Expo is sponsored by Sega Powered – segapowered.com – an independent print magazine made up of a team with decades of experience in publishing, video games and Sega.

Fun activities taking place across the weekend include:

Mario Kart Tournaments hosted by Nintendo Nottingham;

Game programming workshops by The Centre for Computing History;

The Retro Hour podcast will be running live panels with stars of the games industry;

Pick-up-and-play games from various groups in the Gaming Area;

Developers showcasing exclusive games in the Dev Area;

Traders/Sellers will be on hand with all-things gaming and other treats.

Tickets, priced £10 for adults and £5 for children per day are available from NottsVGE.eventbrite.com

For further information, see nottsvge.com or fb.com/NottsVGE