Situated in the heart of Darlington Town Centre now lies a state of the art gaming hub.
Ever wanted to try out the latest game releases before you buy them?
Have a relaxed afternoon with friends?
Play some classic couch co-op?
Well, look no further as Gamers Lounge seeks to fulfil those needs.
Converted from what used to be Harrogate Interiors it’s now a spacious, modern gaming hub which is quite possibly one of the coolest looking stores in Darlington.
It features 20 stations all equipped with Xbox One S’s, 4K Televisions and premium reclining chairs.
Along with this each station has a set of game headsets with a noise cancelling mic so you can be more immersed in the action.
You can even access drinks and snacks whilst you play.
Dean Burns is a shop assistant at Gamers Lounge and spoke about it saying: “We wanted this to be a place where you can come down and socialise with your friends.
“Exams are getting harder, tests are getting harder so it’s also a place for young people to unwind more than anything.
“We just want it to be a chill out zone and a safe haven for everyone.”
The store officially opened on December the 1st and saw a range of new customers with Dean saying: “The opening was amazing and we had loads more people than expected.
“During the afternoon, there were a few people in and by the evening everyone had seen social media and we had loads of customers come through the door.”
Speaking about some of the great reviews its received in the first few weeks of being open he said: “We are over the moon with the reviews.
“A lot of the time it’s all about how we deal with the customers for example there was a young lad that had no one to play with so I jumped on and played with him.
“It’s all about things like that and making the customers enjoy their time here.”
The store is now starting to pick up with many regular customers.
Alongside the Xbox’s they are looking into the possibility of installing some PC’s and PS4’s in the near future.
The store even hosts regular tournaments with FIFA normally taking place on Friday nights where you can win some game time.
They also hosted their first fight night on Wednesday which Dean described: “It was really popular, we expected a few people then we had loads come in and at one point had 12 people huddled around one couch.”
Speaking about why he enjoys working at the store so much he said: “Working here is a blast, I enjoy getting to know customers.
“There was nothing like this when I was growing up and I tended to keep to myself and a lot of the kids that come in here are the same, so it’s nice to get them out of their shells a bit.”
Gamers Lounge is located in Darlington on 18 King Street.
Prices start from £5 Monday to Friday and £7 on weekends.
Day passes are available for £20.
There are also membership options starting at £20 for a month giving players access to various discounts.
A full list of prices can be found here.
For more information, or to make a reservation visit Gamers Lounge website.
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