If I think back 2 1/2 years, there was no retro gaming in my life.

If I think back 2 1/2 years, there was no retro gaming in my life. 
It was a thing of the past. 
The arcades of the 80's were a distant memory. Fast forward to the present and I have 5 pinball machines, 6 video arcade machines and I'm organising the North East's first ever retro gaming event  www.northeastretrogaming.com - NERG!

I was born in 1969 and my first experience of a video game was a Space Invaders machine at the local youth club when I was about 11. From then on, it was gaming all the way! The first video console I had was an Atari 2600 and that's addiction started. Awww man, I loved that console.


From there the progression started. Upgrading every few years.

I used to go on day trips to Blackpool in the late 80's. Dare I say there were just too many arcades? I used to envy kids who lived in seaside resorts. All the money I earned being pumped into machines without a care in the world.

But as the years went on, home gaming got better and better and the arcades as we know it started to die out.

I lost touch with my 80's gaming for a long time.

My gaming consisted of sitting in front of a PC playing multiplayer Battlefield.....then a friend introduced me to an arcade collectors forum in June 2011. An arcade collectors forum? The arcade machines of the 80's and 90's still exist?

I remember flicking through the posts of the "Member's Machines" and just could not believe there were people out there that had video and pinball machines in their houses! And that's when it started all over again. I could actually own a piece of my arcade past! But it didn't have to be in the past anymore. My house can be an arcade!

Then in November 2012, NERG was born. I've got the arcade passion once more and I'm determined to bring the arcade back to more people out there. Bring the arcade of the past back to the present.



I've been in touch with collectors all over the country and so far, NERG with have at least 40 pinball machines, between 60 and 70 video arcade machines as well as 45 consoles and computers that we all grew up with. Bring your kids along and show them how you spent your youth and where gaming truely began. In big busy buildings, not the bedroom.

At NERG, there is an admission fee only. All the machines are set to free play! You can play the games as long as your fingers can take it.

But be warned....if the addiction comes back and you start buying machines, please don't hold me responsible :-)

Our GUEST blogger is Phillip Murphy - the great guy who LOVES all things RETRO and is the passion and brains behind NERG

http://www.facebook.com/OTWBigPhil

http://www.facebook.com/NorthEastRetroGamingLimited