Game Over café and arcade launches in Old Portsmouth
Internet café and retro arcade Game Over launches to the public on Saturday 24th October 2015.
Game Over is the business brainchild of Steve Lowe, a Portsmouth resident who has the largest collection of retro video games and consoles in the UK.
He has made his collection available to play, giving visitors the chance to play anything from the likes of Pong and Pacman on their original platforms right up to more contemporary titles on the Xbox 360, the most modern console he owns.
Originally, Steve planned to present the collection, which spans 25 years, in a museum, but decided to put them to use for the entertainment of gamers instead.
Speaking to Team Locals, Steve explained: “One of the main pros of playing somewhere like Game Over is that it brings back the social side of gaming which has been lost in recent years. People don’t need to be in the same room to play games together anymore.”
After a preview morning in early October, he added: “It’s brilliant seeing everyone reminisce about the games they played when they were younger, including games they’d forgotten.”
The site of the café is a converted cellar in High Street, Old Portsmouth. The interior is bright and colourful, with the arched ceiling covered from end to end with rubbery tiles depicting pixelart renditions of iconic video game characters.
Each station has its own neon-coloured spinny chair and PC monitor, and the larger screens at the back of the building are surrounded by sofas and beanbags.
There are also standalone arcade games, shelves stacked with snacks and drinks, and game-inspired decorations, including a glowing Blinky ornament and a spinning DNA lamp.
Two-hour sessions are £5.00, and there’s a 15-minute break in between each session to give time for pack-down and set-up of consoles. If more than one session is booked, the 15-minute break comes free.
Sessions bookable from Saturday 24th October:
- 11:30am — 1:30pm
- 1:45pm — 3:45pm
- 4:00pm — 6:00pm
- 6:15pm — 8:15pm
Book online through the Game Over website »
Stay in the know about updates from Game Over on the café and arcade’s Facebook page »