Nottingham's National Videogame Arcade could be the best museum ever
Nottingham's probably best known for its infamous sheriff, but next year it'll have another claim to fame when a museum dedicated to gaming opens in the city. The National Videogame Arcade, said to be "the world's first cultural centre for gaming," will become the new permanent home to over 12,000 pieces from the National Videogame Archive -- a collection of hardware, software and all manner of other gaming paraphernalia established by the Science Museum and Nottingham Trent University in 2007. Spread over five floors, the museum is being set up to "promote the cultural, economic, educational and social benefits of gaming" by GameCity, an organisation that runs an annual festival and other events that celebrate video games.
And when it opens in March 2015, it won't simply be another glass-walled storeroom. Temporary exhibitions will complement permanent galleries, and one floor will be devoted to an interactive space that teaches visitors about the game creation process. Best of all, you'll actually be able to play some of the greatest games ever made, instead of just reading about their history and impact. It is an "arcade," after all.