This Sunday the London Gaming Market opens its doors again, where fans can browse and buy thousands of retro games, from Pokémon to God Of War.
Digital downloads might be the most popular way to buy new video games today, but many still like to retrace the steps of their gaming history. So much so that Xbox added over 1,000 retro games to its library for purchase last year.
For those sort of gamers the London Gaming Market will be the place to be this Sunday, as buyers and sellers of retro games, consoles, and merchandise come together.
GameCentral spoke to the event’s organiser about the event and what to expect, how much it costs, and how many people will come.
What is the London Gaming Market?
The London Gaming Market is where people interested in buying and selling anything to do with gaming can come to do business, or just browse.
The event is organised by Andy Brown, managing director of Replay Events, and he explained what it’s all about:
‘How we describe it is that it’s like a record collection fair. It’s a place where anyone can come to see and maybe purchase anything retro gaming, even modern gaming, from private sellers.
‘People want to see the thing they’re buying, and people want to meet with other collectors and have conversations, or maybe trade their own games with retailers or other collectors. So, there’s a bit of a community vibe going on too.’
Depending on the vendors at the event, who are often private sellers with websites or who do their business on eBay, it’s likely that there will be tabletops, graphic novels, and various types of trading cards too.
When is the London Gaming Market and how much does it cost?
The London Gaming Market is held three times a year, every four month, and the next one is this Sunday, March 17, at the Royal National Hotel in central London. After that the next events in London will be June 30 and November 10.
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Tickets range from £7 for early entry at 11am, to £4 to get in from 12pm, to £3 for 1pm entry. However, under 16s get in for free.
The event is open from 11am to 4pm, and Brown warns that it will probably get very busy between noon and 2pm, as he predicts 2,500 people will be in attendance throughout the day on Sunday.
Despite this, London isn’t the biggest retro gaming event Replay Events organise in the UK. That title goes to the Leeds and Doncaster events, which can host more vendors, as space there is cheaper than in London.
Brown, who is a seller himself, said Pokémon is usually the most popular games series at the events he organises, but that can change from event to event.
‘It largely depends on what the traders are looking for, but what we do find is that if a game franchise has a new game coming out, maybe it’s a new Mario game, that peaks people’s interest in the older games.’
Replay Events started organising retro-based gaming events in Leeds about seven years ago, and with the success of that event it expanded around the UK.
Given current concerns about game preservation they’re only likely to get more popular over time, as fans try to own a physical copy of all their favourite games.
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