‘A portal to a new world’: when the Trocadero was the centre of the video game universe

Arcade enthusiasts recall the heady days when Funland and SegaWorld at the Troc' in central London had all the latest and greatest cabinets, and united subcultures in a social gaming scene that anticipated the internet

Entering central London's Trocadero complex in the late 1990s could be an overwhelming, intoxicating experience. The vast building was then home to SegaWorld, an indoor theme park" and arcade based on the Joypolis" concept that the Japanese gaming giant had seen thrive in its homeland. Leaving the bustle of Coventry Street behind, visitors would pass a statue of Sonic the Hedgehog at the doors before stepping on to the famed pair of rocket escalators": a vision of the future delivered in brushed steel and slashes of electric blue lighting. Taking people high up into the building through a vast central open area, the escalator ride afforded a glimpse of the varied attractions that occupied each floor - the Mad Bazooka bumper car ride, the Ghost Hunt VR experience - before visitors were deposited at the top, ready to snake their way down through themed zones such as the Carnival and the Sports Arena.

All around, arcade machines chirped and sang, backed by a chorus of juddering AS-1 simulator rides, with their whining hydraulics, and the excited chatter of guests waiting in line for Sega's VR-1 virtual reality experience, with its eight-seater pods and interactive shooter games. Intermittently the sudden mechanical wail of the Pepsi Max Drop ride would fill the air, along with the screams of its occupants. Speakers belted out the era's biggest pop hits. Props including a full-size Harrier jump jet and carefully placed Formula 1 car occupied the gaps between the cabinets housing arcade icons such as Daytona USA and Virtua Fighter. The whole experience, Sega keenly asserted in promotional videos, was the ultimate in futuractive entertainment".