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Blast from the Past is perhaps one of Ipswich’s best-kept secrets. Behind an easily missable doorway on Northgate Street lies a collection of games and consoles that would make a grown nerd weep with joy.
Do you have a hankering to play Daytona on the Saturn? An urge to power up past your mates in Mario Cart? Then this is the place to make your dreams come true.
From shipping container to the high street
Allister Frost opened the business in 2023 in a container in Felixstowe. Outgrowing it quickly, he moved to the micro-shops in Ipswich for a short stint until he found his permanent home on Northgate Street in September 2024.
In just six months, he has created an impressive gaming lounge lined with comfortable chairs and assorted TVs. On the floor above, there is also a specialist repair room and a new co-working space.
"This is an arcade gaming lounge specifically targeted at people who enjoy retro gaming. So, it's going to be focused on people who probably had them back in the '90s, maybe even the '80s, and perhaps their kids have also grown up with a love of video games from earlier days too," said Allister.
Making retro gaming accessible
Unsurprisingly, these early games and consoles have become extremely collectable; with many models being discontinued, they have become increasingly harder to acquire. The older consoles are particularly chunky things, taking up a rather large amount of room.
If you fancied reliving your youth and playing some of the games you grew up with as a kid, getting your hands on a basic console, controller, and a few games could run into several hundreds of pounds—quite an investment to take a trip down memory lane!
This is where Blast from the Past steps up.
They have created a friendly and comfortable space to scratch that nostalgic itch without breaking the bank. Running on a membership model, they adopt a flexible approach to the service, allowing customers to opt in on a weekly basis as needed.
The games they focus on are primarily offline, and multiplayer, offering a social gaming experience, contrasting with the predominantly online and sometimes isolating nature of modern gaming.
East Anglia's largest playable collection of consoles and games
An expert in his field, Allister works in cyber security. He has been a programmer for decades and also runs his own consultancy firm.
His passion for gaming began with a ZX81 in 1981 and has grown into what he declares is "East Anglia's largest playable collection of consoles and games." He has over 200 consoles and 10,000 games, with roughly 2,000 available on the shelves, ready for members to play.
A consummate collector, he emphasised that his collection is discerning. It’s not just about numbers; he values playability and concept over quantity. He is always on the hunt for a bargain and finds that charity shops are great places for discovering a dusty cartridge in a random box that turns out to be a classic.
It is clear that his passion has driven the creation of the gaming lounge, and his singular dedication makes it such a unique and joyful place to visit.
Future plans for Blast From the Past include hosting corporate events, setting up a dedicated space for early PC games, including Doom and Duke Nukem, organising competitions, and maybe even breaking a few world record high scores along the way.
How to play
A four-hour session costs £20, and members can enjoy free 1-hour sessions.
They also offer birthday parties (2 hours, price varies) and corporate events for teams of up to 10 people. LAN parties are also offered at varying prices for 2-hour sessions.
Opening hours:
Friday, Saturday, Thursday: 12-10pm
Tuesday, Wednesday: 12-7pm
Sunday, Monday: Closed
You can book online here.
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