The iconic grade II listed Battersea Power station and surrounding area has got a new lease of life since the redevelopment and we are so there for it. The area now has a variety of entertainment venues including an on-site theatre, bars, restaurants, a waterside dock to enjoy views of the surrounding area (as well as the majestic power station) and it is home to the latest DNA VR immersive gaming experience.
Seeing as this Young Londoner has been really getting into gaming with Roblox and Minecraft terminology becoming part of his daily vocabulary – we thought it would be a great experience to try the Arcade Experience; and we were so right!
The venue is small but well thought out and very clean which means Covid measures such as social distancing is easy to achieve. It is located in the arches (just past the Turbine theatre) and has blue neon lights outside that were particularly enticing for the kid. Once welcomed inside you can take your coats off and place your valuables inside one of the lockable lockers. You have a quick induction where you are shown how to use the equipment and then shown to your gaming area.
The gaming area is essentially a pod (and they have multiple pods throughout the space). You have a member of staff for guidance throughout should you need it and for us this ensured our experience was as seamless as it could be.
The kid was particularly excited to get involved and immerse himself into a digital world. He particularly enjoyed shooting zombies to save a farm house, slicing fresh produce in Fruit Ninja and throwing snowballs in a wintry landscape. During your hour session you can try as many games as you like and switch back and forth between them as your heart desires. We managed around five and the kid was into some more than others (he particularly enjoyed a zombie game). There are over 40 games to choose from so you will be spoilt for choice.
You can connect several players together as there are microphones and headphones attached to the VR sets to make communication easy in multiplayer mode. The website recommends children from 7 and above and it makes sense as children of that age group should be able to read and follow instructions better than a 5-year-old.
That being said, because the staff were very attentive to us throughout, the experience was still incredible and would no doubt be made even more fun in a small group (perhaps for a birthday party).
The VR Arcade gaming experience starts at £30 per person. The DNA VR site we attended is located at 18 Arches Lane, SW11 8AB. But they have another two sites in Hammersmith and Camden. Full details and booking via their website.