The National Media Museum in Bradford’s Games Lounge is a brand new attraction where corporate event guests can plug into the history of videogaming, play classic, groundbreaking games in their original arcade or console formats and discover the story behind a global phenomenon.

Asteroids, Manic Miner, Frogger and Street Fighter 2 – once the height of new gaming technology – were the forerunners of today’s multi-billion pound industry of Playstations, Xboxes and Wiis. Located in the Museum’s main foyer, behind the stunning glazed frontage, the Games Lounge includes these seminal games, and more, many of them in authentic arcade cabinets.

For evening corporate events including canapé receptions and bowl food parties for up to 300, or seated dinners for up to 150; guests will be able to play their way through the titles that helped videogaming become one of the most successful entertainment industries in the world; from the sensational Pong (1972) to celebrated releases from the 1990s such as Super Mario Kart and 007 Golden Eye.

Rachel Fox-Crewes, Events Manager – North said: “The Games Lounge is a superb enhancement to our main events gallery. 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. Our Christmas party packages for 2010 will utilise the Games Lounge for themed interactive event options to suit every budget.”

Guests will be able to track the history of videogames through a giant timeline as well as view the early computers and games consoles that turned a nation on to a new pastime.

Featuring 15 titles, the Games Lounge is also the first public gallery that draws on the collection and knowledge of the National Videogame Archive (NVA). Launched in 2008 as a partnership between the National Media Museum and Nottingham Trent University, the NVA records the vital role videogames play within the national heritage and the place they now hold in modern culture.

For media information please contact Alicia Dickinson (Communications Manager – NMSI Events) on 0207 942 4308 or email Alicia.dickinson@nmsi.ac.uk

Games Lounge*
The full list of games available to play in the games lounge is:

Arcade classics: Asteroids, Donkey Kong, Pac Man, Defender, Space Invaders, Frogger, Centipede, Street Fighter 2, Gauntlet, Galaxian.

Home favourites: Pong, Super Mario Kart, Manic Miner, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Golden Eye 007.

Coin-operated arcade cabinets accept the same payment as required at the time they were first in use.

National Media Museum
The National Media Museum in Bradford, West Yorkshire, opened as the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television in Bradford in 1983, with a remit to explore the art and science of the image and image-making, and has since become one of the most visited UK museums outside London.

The Museum is devoted to film, photography, television, radio and the web and looks after the National Photography, Photographic Technology and Cinematography Collections. Its Television Collection incorporates an unrivalled collection of objects relating to the history and development of television, including John Logie Baird’s 1923 experimental apparatus.

As an award-winning venue for events, the Museum offers five floors of spectacular galleries, two auditoria, in-house TV studios, state-of-the-art conference suite and the IMAX experience – all housed behind a magnificent glazed façade. This versatile venue can accommodate conferences, product launches, teambuilding, festivals, premieres and dinners.

For more information visit www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/corporate