Arcadia Darlington to open town’s first-ever rage room

Arcadia Darlington, located on Skinnergate, will have the rage room located in the basement of the new gaming hotspot.

Andrew Hoggart, from Northallerton, is the brains behind the idea. He told The Northern Echo how the idea for the rage room came about.

“The basement is totally unused, in the building where Arcadia is going to be based. I had been sat for weeks thinking what to put into it. One of my friends mentioned they had been to a rage room in the past and said how good it was,” Andrew explained.

He added: “I did a bit of research on it, watched some videos and found we don’t actually have one that close, the closest being Newcastle.

Andrew Hoggart said the announcement of the rage room makes Arcadia unique (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)

“It is the perfect room for it. It’s a basement, it looks like a bunker sort of situation, so for a rage room, people will be able to scream and shout and won’t be heard anywhere else.”

A rage room, which can also be known as an anger room or smash room, is a controlled space where people are invited to vent their frustrations and smash a variety of objects.

People are typically provided with protective gear and given weapons ranging from baseball bats to crowbars.

The Arcadia rage room will have breeze block walls and also have a “dark and dinghy theme”.

And Andrew, who runs Northallerton Computer Shop, believes the addition of a rage room makes Arcadia unique.

He said: “We want it to be that all in one leisure complex for Darlington. Leisure wise, there is not an awful lot in Darlington for people to do. I said from the start that Arcadia will be that all in one place that every single person can get involved and do.

“The gaming stuff, yes, it is a great thing and good fun, but not everyone enjoys that and can do that. It is slowly building it to a point where it is a place for everyone.”

The venue will have everything from 360° virtual reality to adrenaline-pumping simulators and retro arcade classics.

Arcadia will feature an interactive sports simulator (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)

Arcadia also has room to expand further, and more leisure activities will be added overtime.

However, there is still no opening date for the new gaming paradise.

In August, The Northern Echo reported Arcadia was hoping to open at the end of this year, but the project has been hit by several delays.

Andrew said: “We were hoping to open this month, but we are having multiple delays. It is not easy getting a building of that size open. We are working with the council, landlord and the agent.

“It is going in the right direction; it is just taking a while to get it off the ground. But I am not worried. It will open in Darlington.”

Arcadia Darlington (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)

He added the excitement for the venue is still there, with more than 200 people following the Facebook page after the announcement of the rage room.

Andrew said members of his own family and customers in his computer shop are constantly asking when the hub is going to open.

Although he said he is a little worried excitement for Arcadia could die down due to the delays, Andrew said it gives him more time for ideas.

He said: “If I had opened two months ago, I would never have had the rage room idea.”

You can keep up to date with Arcadia via its Facebook page at facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575945525221