YouTuber Peter Leigh – better known as Nostalgia Nerd – has teamed up with Stuart Ashen (yes, he of Ashens fame) and Daniel Brown (Did You Know Gaming, Spriter's Resource) to create an arcade bar in the English city of Norwich.
"We've each come from slightly different walks of life, and indeed slightly different eras, but we've all held a passion for one thing; Video Games," explains Leigh on the project's Kickstarter page. "We also all happen to live in Norwich, UK and get on with each other rather well. So, with this in mind, we decided to hatch a plan; a plan that focuses heavily on Video Game Arcades."
The objective is to create a space where people can play, drink and eat. "As well as being full to the brim with glorious cabinets, we'll have soft drinks, hard drinks and we'll have a huge array of glorious vegan junk food," Leigh adds. "With all this at our disposal, we'll be able to host one-off events, quizzes, gaming competitions and anything else that can serve the gaming community."
The trio have secured premises for this venue – which shall hereafter be referred to as Barcadia (for that is its name – not to be confused with the restaurant in American Psycho) – located in the beating heart of Norwich. The team also has a "supply of arcade machines" but hasn't fully decided which ones it will be using in the bar. Furthermore, they've got a savvy business owner involved – Samantha Whitehouse – who currently runs a board game cafe in Norwich by the name of Slice + Dice. She'll be overseeing the day-to-day running of Barcadia with Leigh.
Given that so much is already in place, why the crowdfunding campaign? Well, Leigh explains that they're "not quite there yet," and the £25,000 goal (plus more, should the campaign be successful) will go some way to bridging the gap.
There are many rewards on offer for those who pledge some cash – including the chance to have your name immortalised on the wall of Barcadia forever – so if you fancy supporting this very noble venture, head over to the Kickstarter page pronto.