A person plays the new Ms. Pac-Man game by JAKKS Pacific, Inc. at the Toy Industry Association & Toy Wishes Holiday Preview show October 5, 2004 in New York City. The second annual holiday preview show features hundreds of new games and toys that will be available for the holiday season.
Adventure doesn’t have to come at the cost of frostbite.
While the temperature keeps dropping, take a walk down memory lane with classic arcade and vintage console games or try something new like a locally designed indie board game.
Check out these five gaming cafes in Connecticut to explore a world of adventure away from the cold.
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This New Haven game café sits in a navy blue building with bright pink trim on Orange Street. The shop is run by married couple Trish and Matt Loter. Matt is a full-time game designer, according to the shop’s website. The shop sells a wide range of games, including locally designed games, indie games, puzzles and card games. The store also offers an in-house place for people to play games. Customers can even purchase monthly memberships with benefits such as free attendance to any events and open play during all business hours. Elm City Games requires all players to be vaccinated and masked at all times.
10 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon-10 p.m. Sunday, 3-10 p.m. Monday; 71 Orange St., New Haven
Hall of Gaming in Wallingford is a gaming and tournament space that is “home to a passionate and welcoming community,” according to its website. The space hosts Super Smash Bros. tournaments and streams its events on Twitch. There’s also a wide selection of PC and console games along with tabletop and board games, and the space allows people to play for free during business hours. For anyone who misses the virtual events and tournaments, Hall of Gaming records those events and posts them on Twitch and YouTube. As of Dec. 21, HoG stated it would close for at least four weeks due to the rise in Coronavirus cases in Connecticut. According to the website, HoG will require all players to be vaccinated and boosted to play in the space. Check the Facebook page for updates on reopening.
6 p.m.-midnight Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; 150 Center Street, Wallingford
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This Southington arcade and bar has plenty of arcade games like skeeball, Guitar Hero, Frogger, Ms. Pac Man and Tetris and 17 different types of Pinball machines. The arcade also has an Xbox One console with games like FIFA 19, Overwatch and Untitled Goose Game.
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The bar portion of the arcade serves local craft beers and specialty gamer-themed cocktails such as the Honeybee Inn cocktail with Barr Hill, honey syrup, Wild Moon Lavender and fresh lemon juice. GameCraft also hosts trivia games throughout the month to pop culture themes like Marvel and Nickelodeon.
4-10 p.m. Tuesday, 4-11 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 4 p.m.-midnight Friday, 1 p.m.-midnight Saturday and 1-9 p.m. Sunday; 168 Center St. Suite 106, Southington
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Down the street from Elm City Games, Barcade brings more of a late night atmosphere to the New Haven gaming scene. The bar/ arcade has more than 60 arcade and pinball games, according to its website, with games as early as 1975 and as recent as the mid-2000s in rotation.
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There’s also a food menu with items such as pulled pork sliders, poutine, chicken tenders and nachos. Cocktails include the Sambuca milkshake, the smoky paloma and a “Surrender Pronto, or I’ll level Toronto” with rye whiskey, fernet branca, orange bitters and simple syrup.
4 p.m.-midnight Monday through Thursday, 2 p.m.-2 a.m. Sunday, 56 Orange St., New Haven
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Unison Games Café in Hamden has the most “café” vibe on this list. For one thing, the café will soon serve coffee thanks to a move to its new downtown location. Unison hosts tournaments, group games and free play events for a host of board games and card games. Business hours are subject to change, so check the Facebook page regularly.
6-10 p.m. Tuesday and 1:30-9 p.m. Saturday; 2285 Whitney Ave. Hamden
