Europe's biggest gaming market is coming to Milton Keynes

The event will attract everybody who thinks games went downhill after Donkey Kong and Sonic, or who reckons Frogger and Asteroids make Call of Duty or Fortnite look tame, say the organisers.

It will be held on Saturday February 8.

The market has been set up by classic gaming equipment suppliers Replay Events, whose managing director Andy Brown says the public’s love of games from years gone by is growing all the time.

“The great thing about nostalgia is it never goes out of date," he said.

"You can have the most up-to-the-minute equipment and the latest games but you’ll still have a soft spot for those ones you were obsessed by when you were a kid. We meet loads of people at our games markets who got rid of their first Atari or Nintendo consoles years ago, only to find out how much they miss them now. It’s just great seeing the look on someone’s face when they find that long lost game from their childhood.”

Dozens of specialist vendors have already reserved their spaces at Stantonbury where they will be buying and selling original consoles and handhelds of all kinds.

There will also be custom-produced artwork on sale along with clothes and many rare imports.

Andy said: “We’ve been running these events for seven years now and they just keep on getting bigger and more popular than ever, and not just with people who had a Game Boy or PlayStation years ago. More and more we’re seeing younger people who’ve heard about the classics from their parents and who want to find out what all the fuss is about. There really is something for everyone.”

He added: "Milton Keynes is absolutely the place to hold a Games Market. The creative industries, including gaming, are generating jobs in Britain at a faster rate than any other sector and nowhere is that growth bigger than in this city."

Fans who want to get into the event early to get their hands on that much missed game can search online for Milton Keynes Games Market or go to: https://www.miltonkeynesgamingmarket.com/tickets.

There they can buy an early entry ticket for £5 which gives them access from 11.00am, an hour before the general public will be allowed in – but these are limited to the first five hundred applicants. For everyone else, from 12am until 4pm it will be just £2 on the door. Children under sixteen can come in free if accompanied by an adult.