Inception Group introduced Mr Fogg’s Games Parlour, a competitive socialising venue inside its City Tavern near Liverpool Street, London, featuring an analogue Victorian twist on pub play. The lower-ground space spans 5,000 sq ft and contains six private gaming booths that seat up to eight players for 80-minute sessions, with each booth offering six distinct games.
Each game has been Victorian-ised, combining inspirations such as darts, mini golf, parlour quoits, beer pong, shuffle puck and bagatelle into an all-round pentathlon-style format. The venue serves the same draught beers, Punches, cocktails and bar snacks as Mr Fogg’s Tavern and intentionally emphasises hand-scored chalkboard play over digital interfaces.
For consumers, the concept refreshes traditional pub gaming with structured, social competitions that fit the rising demand for experiential hospitality, offering groups a turn-key analogue alternative in a market that continues to reward immersive leisure formats.
Image Credit: Inception Group
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Analogue Experiential Social Gaming
- Reimagining low-tech, tactile games within structured social sessions opens space for venues that prioritize face-to-face competition and sensory engagement over screen-based entertainment.
- Victorian Retro-theming
- Nostalgic period aesthetics applied to contemporary leisure formats create novel brand differentiation possibilities through curated atmospheres and historically inspired game mechanics.
- Private Competitive Micro-experiences
- Short, bookable booth-based sessions tailored to small groups enable scalable, high-turnover offerings that blend intimacy with repeatable, tournament-style customer journeys.
Sectors Adopting This
- Hospitality and Leisure
- Traditional hospitality operators can be upended by hybrid venues that combine food and drink service with dedicated, revenue-driving play spaces and timed experiences.
- Event and Team-building Services
- Corporate and private event planners stand to gain from packaged, gamified experiences that substitute passive receptions with structured, competitive programming.
- Bar and Pub Operations
- Local pubs and bars may shift from solely beverage-led models to mixed-revenue formats by integrating analogue gaming pods that extend dwell time and encourage group bookings.
