Sophie Buscimese

Sat 1 March 2025

Managers of a VR gaming arena are looking forward to welcoming players to an expanded new city centre base. MeetspaceVR, which opened in the Victoria Centre in 2018, is relocating to a nearby site in Shakespeare Street, in a unit previously occupied by a YMCA gym.

The previous venue was described as the world's first 'free-roaming' VR gaming centre when it opened several years ago, with teams donning headsets, Ghostbuster-style backpacks and headphones to fight zombies, killer robots and rogue drones for up to 20 minutes at a time.

On opening in the new location, Meetspace VR regional manager Chris Warren said: “It is a prime location with lots of footfall, and we are excited to offer an amazing space for people to come and have fun."

The venue is operational and the company is taking bookings after a week of works at the site. Further work is due to take place on the designs of the facility in due course.

While the building is still being remodelled, all three VR experiences are already functional. Around 10 members of staff are currently helping with the remodelling and running the VR stations.

“By the end of March, all food and drink stations should be ready, but we have been able to set up the VR stations within one week of moving in," said Mr Warren.

A number of different games can be played in the virtual reality arenas. -Credit:Sophie Fagone Buscimese/Reach Plc

Next to the Zero Latency VR, the space also offers a 'Quest Arena’, in which different games such as bow and arrow shooting and burger making can be played, as well as a VR escape room. At each station a member of staff will keep watch on the game and players will receive a security briefing to avoid any accidents.

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Prices for the experience range from £12.50 during off-peak hours for the Quest Arena to around £35 during peak hours for Zero Latency games. Games last between 30 and 60 minutes.

Zero Latency first opened in the Victoria Centre -Credit:Picture: Ian Hodgkinson / Picture It

In the future a pizza oven will be installed as well as a bar, where handmade artisan pizza will be served alongside alcoholic and soft drinks. A waiting area with game stations and a private room for children's parties to be held and larger teams to meet will also be set up soon.

“We want to welcome all kinds of people to our venue - from stag and hen dos to children’s birthday parties and corporate events," said Mr Warren. “We host groups with up to 32 people, they get split into smaller teams and start off at different stations."

A section of the basketball court is being preserved on the wall -Credit:Sophie Fagone Buscimese/Reach Plc

Although the design of the building will be changed, Mr Warren and his team are committed to paying homage to its history. “We want to preserve the memory of the YMCA gym and will therefore keep some of the old design, such as the piece of Nottingham’s first basketball court on the wall. We are also very keen to work with local businesses and want to be tied into the town," Mr Warren added.

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In the future, staff are aiming to host tournament nights on the first Sunday of the month for customers aged 14 and above. Trail-blazing tech company Zero Latency has six locations across the UK, with Nottingham offering the largest Zero Latency VR space.

The YMCA gym shut in December 2022 after running for 20 years.