As one of the UK’s biggest and most popular subcultures, gaming has truly carved out its space in Birmingham’s entertainment industry. With a plethora of gaming venues available, Birmingham has established itself as a gaming hotspot that takes part in the ongoing gaming trend. From retro arcade bars, relaxed board game cafés, and classic games, to innovative experiences in virtual realms, Birmingham offers a large variety of gaming locations to keep up with the growing gaming culture.
Arcade bars
The NQ64 arcade bar combines a typical bar experience with retro games in the heart of Birmingham. The gaming bar splattered in neon colours has enjoyed tremendous popularity ever since opening its doors in 2020. Named after Manchester’s Northern Quarter, the arcade bar located in The Custard Factory focuses on retro gaming with a large portion of nostalgia. From retro arcade games and classic gaming consoles to board and ball games, as well as a large variety of gaming-themed drinks and meals, the arcade bar offers a new take on the bar experience that jumps on the growing gaming trend.
Another spot offering retro arcade entertainment is Tilt. Boasting a total of 20 pinball machines located over three floors and a large drinks and speciality coffee menu, it has proven a popular spot for gamers looking for gaming nostalgia in Birmingham. With the games costing £1 per game, including many based on popular hits such as Godzilla, Marvel, Jurassic Park and music bands, Tilt makes its gaming offerings easily accessible to locals and visitors alike.
Board games and classics
To bring traditional gaming offers to Birmingham, the board game café Chance & Counters has opened its doors in The Custard Factory. Boasting an extensive library with over 500 games, including board games, card games, tabletop games, and more, in a large space of 2,500 square feet, the café celebrates analogue gaming. Both new, innovative games and popular, classic titles are on display and ready to be played. As digital gaming grows in popularity, Birmingham continues to keep analogue gaming alive until now to speak to a wide audience of game enthusiasts.
Another location that celebrates popular gaming classics is the Grosvenor Casino Birmingham. It offers a large variety of traditional casino games, including popular table games such as roulette and blackjack, in an elegant atmosphere. They also have a broad selection of slot machines, which have seen a growth in popularity in recent years, as the classic pastime has made its way into the modern era both through offline venues and online offers. A lot of gaming platforms offering online slots real money that have been reviewed and rated by experts have emerged on the web, bringing traditional games into the digital realm and making them more easily accessible than ever before. The Grosvenor Casino lets visitors experience the classics in Birmingham.
Virtual reality and esports
To offer the gaming community a vast variety of options and establish itself as innovative and future-driven, Birmingham also boasts ultra-high-tech experiences that take players to another dimension. Otherworld is one of the most premium venues available, which offers an immersive experience in VR unlike any other. It takes advantage of individual immersion pods equipped with a VR headset as well as the needed technology to create haptic experiences such as heat and wind to allow a deep level of immersion. Via their VR headsets, players travel to a virtual world in VR and play a large variety of VR games and VR experiences. As VR continues to grow in the gaming industry, tech enthusiasts and gamers in Birmingham have the opportunity to give this innovative technology a try before buying.
Similarly, esports has seen tremendous growth in recent years as competitive tournaments in video games have become a global billion-dollar industry. To take part in this trend, the esports and gaming centre Belong has opened its doors in Birmingham. Boasting gaming arenas equipped with the latest gaming hardware and esports-quality peripherals, professional esports athletes and anyone interested in the field is welcome. Belong organises its own grassroots esports tournaments and helps teams develop their skills, showcasing how Birmingham has jumped on the esports bandwagon.
With the vast number of gaming experiences available, Birmingham has showcased how it’s on top of its game and part of the ongoing gaming trend. From analogue classics to high-tech virtual experiences, the city is a true gaming hotspot.
