The Troc

In the middle of Piccadilly, past the London tat and through the closed HMV, you’ll find the Trocadero.

An ‘entertainment complex’; an ‘exhibition space’; an arcade. Four hundred and fifty thousand square feet of cinemas and shooters, to be exact.

Away from the Grand Theft Autos and the next-generation consoles - this is where you’ll find the real players. The first dates, the weekend dads and the kids with nothing better to do but button bash.

The glory days of Pepsi sponsorship and SegaWorld are long over. The pickpockets outnumber any paying punter and the buttons are tired. Faded from age and determination and one more game, please just one more game.

The thrill of exchanging paper tokens for token prizes, hounding pockets for one last quid, the neon lights and the gentle pulses of music; the glamour is gone and the gamers will soon be too.

Laura Crossman
Community Manager UK
@laura_jcrossman

Image via Love Art Nouveau, Flickr