Play it again at new arcade game lounge

THEY were the backdrop to the childhood years of many a middle-aged man – as well as a few women. Now they are back and on show in Yorkshire.

The National Media Museum has launched a games lounge where corporate event guests can plug into the history of videogaming, play classic games in their original arcade or console formats and learn the history of the hobby.

Asteroids, Street Fighter 2 and Pong are among 15 titles on show in the museum's main foyer in Bradford in authentic arcade cabinets.

Rachel Fox-Crewes, events manager – north, said: "With the dramatic backdrop of the museum's architecture and the interactive nature of this attraction, we can now combine a contemporary events space with nostalgic trip down memory lane to engage guests."

The games lounge is the first public gallery that draws on the

collection and knowledge of the National Videogame Archive, which was launched in 2008 as a partnership between the museum and Nottingham Trent University.