How the UK’s Love for Interactive Games Is Inspiring Community Events

Step into most UK town centres and you’ll notice it—interactive gaming isn’t hiding behind closed doors anymore. It’s out in the open, pulling people together. Pubs are adding consoles. Old arcades are becoming digital playgrounds. Libraries? Some of them are running tournaments on Tuesday nights. It’s casual and unexpected but it’s working.

Not so long ago, people still thought of gaming as something for modern generations. However, now, parents are joining in, friends are forming teams, and older adults are showing up for quiz nights powered by tablets. Over 60% of adults in the UK are playing. Among newer generations, it’s nearly universal. What started online is finding its feet in the real world.

Walk into a Belong Gaming Arena and you’ll hear it before you see it—laughter, cheers, shouts of “one more round!” It’s part sports bar, part tech den. Groups of strangers meet, play side by side, and leave as regulars. You don’t need to be an expert. You just need to show up.

According to iGaming insider Viola D’Elia, when it comes to online casino offerings, interactive games are merging with options like live dealer games to provide a social aspect for players. With these platforms providing fast payments and other perks like bonuses, they’ve become a major draw and one of the biggest drivers of online entertainment today. Competitive socialising is the phrase some people use, but what it really means is this: people want to play together again. In person. Not behind usernames. 

It’s popping up in all sorts of places. At the F1 Arcade in London, people race while their food arrives. DNA VR runs co-op escape rooms that feel like something out of a movie. These aren’t one-off novelties. They’re booked out. People are choosing them over the usual nights out.

Festivals like EGX and Insomnia fill convention halls with thousands of fans. Not just to play, but to talk, share, and build. Panels run all day. Indie devs showcase games still in progress. Cosplayers get stopped every few feet for photos. It’s a mix of tech and community theatre, and everyone’s in on it.

That kind of energy carries a bigger weight, too. Gaming can be more than fun, as it can build confidence, spark creativity, and help people feel less alone.

Data is backing it up, too. However, more than that, there are stories. People who found their friends through a VR team challenge. Teens who got into coding after a Minecraft modding workshop. Libraries are noticing higher attendance after adding Switch consoles to the teen corner. 

Of course, none of it would fly without the tech. High-speed connections, stable platforms, and devices that don’t crash mid-game—that’s the scaffolding holding it all up. It lets events blend online and offline. Some people show up. Others join remotely. Everyone feels involved.

Check out listings on pages like this local guide. It’s not unusual to find game nights listed between art fairs and food festivals. That says something. It means gaming isn’t a sideshow anymore. It’s a community.

What’s clear is this: people are hungry for shared experiences. Gaming just happens to be the vehicle that showed up at the right time. It’s colourful. It’s flexible. It reminds people how good it feels to connect.