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“We’re putting play, people and purpose at the heart of everything we do within gaming.”
Virgin Media has launched Gamepad, a new, free-to-use gaming space at London’s arena and entertainment complex, The O2.
Made up of three distinct areas – a couch co-op space called The Cave, streaming room The Stage, and “an entire floor decked out with hands-on stations for those who want to game without distractions” called The Playground – Virgin says the area will be “filled with state-on-the-art equipment and technology” in partnership with our friends at Digital Foundry.
Open now and set to remain open seven days a week (12pm-8pm Monday-Saturday; 11pm-7pm on Sunday), Virgin says the project has been designed to “remove all barriers around gaming” and is “free of charge for everyone to experience” for “at least 20 minutes at a time”.
“Virgin Media O2 created Gamepad with the ambition to make gaming even more inclusive and accessible,” a press release explains. “Not only is the space fully step-free and wheelchair-friendly throughout, the lighting can be adapted to meet a variety of sensory needs and the space will continue to be developed and enhanced to ensure it is inclusive and enjoyable for all.
“Another key tenet behind Gamepad is the desire to use the space to support the next generation of talent by giving them the opportunity to use professional-level facilities that will help them take their gaming to the next level.”
The team will also be working with publishers and “AAA games” to provide “exclusive first play opportunities and gaming offers” and is currently running a WWE 2K23 promotion with 2K.
“In recent years there’s been a real shift in gaming, with more people than ever coming together to play socially as well as in communities online, and what better place for the ultimate gaming experience than the world’s number one entertainment venue, The O2,” said Gareth Griffiths, director of partnerships & sponsorship at Virgin Media O2.
“We’re putting play, people and purpose at the heart of everything we do within gaming, creating a dedicated space that’s free for everyone to use, built with innovation and inclusivity at its core. We want to remove barriers for gamers, whether financial, physical or social, so they can play without limits and enjoy access to hundreds of games, all playable on the latest gaming consoles all powered by Virgin Media’s gigabit broadband.”
O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers will further “benefit from extra perks to take their gameplay to the next level”. Priority members may also prebook.
