Being that I work here, I might admittedly be a bit biased, but I DO plan to come to explore it as a patron quite often when my dissertation is completely finished.

Time for your money: Being that our minimum time recommendation for truly exploring the museum is two to three hours (I personally would recommend closer to four or five for a more rounded experience), you can easily get your money's worth, especially if you try to play a bit of everything on the museum floor.

Variety of exhibits: I also like the fact that we are continually adding to our exhibits and the variety we have never ceases to amaze me. There's over 100 exhibits on the floor ranging from special needs exhibits to full coding, and these vary often themselves. Every few months you're almost guaranteed to see games that you did not see the on your last visit. It's even more wonderful in that there is something for absolutely everyone (for example, we had an elderly couple roaming the museum just last week with their grandkids and having an absolute blast).

Knowledge of staff and facility: There's also the fact that the staff really and truly care about gaming and our patrons. If one of us doesn't have an answer, we do our best to find one. Being that video games span over almost fifty odd years, over various genres, and are created in copious amounts and countries, there is no way for any of us to know everything, but we do do the best that we can with what we have. Also, it's important to note that because of this fact, there is no way possible to display every aspect of video gaming- the space we have just isn't large enough (and the area we are currently in is actually larger and consists of more exhibits than the Nottingham location did, yet all currently on one floor).

Also, the facility is always tidy and well-maintained. The games are consistently reset for the next patron to enjoy and anything that may have been left behind by the patron is immediately moved to the front desk upon it discovery. The floor is concrete, so it is suggested that you wear shoes with good soles. Something that is truly convenient for families (and really most of our patrons) is the picnic area at the entrance to the museum. Because you are given a wristband specific to the day that you visit, you're welcome to come and go as you please throughout that day, as long as you have your wristband. You're more than welcome to bring food or drinks into the picnic area and eat onsite, however, food and drinks are not allowed on the floor due to the electronic aspect of the museum and delicacy of the equipment within (many pieces are on loan from developers or are incredibly difficult to replace because of their age or type).

Getting involved and helping the museum grow: As with any museum, our patrons are our biggest asset. Without you, we wouldn't exist. That being said, donations to the exhibition are greatly appreciated. Buying, running, and maintaining new controllers, games, consoles, televisions, gaming cabinets, memorabilia, displays, seating, etc. is incredibly expensive. If you love games, consider helping us out! Just make sure to call the museum first to confirm if it's a piece that we don't already have or is one we are in need of.

I hope that helped a bit! I won't be at the museum much longer because I will be moving out of Sheffield soon, but, I can tell you, I WILL be visiting pretty regularly because of how wonderful the place is, both in relation to the games and the amazing staff.