Play Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders and arcade pinball in Halifax as new business opens in The Piece Hall

Ryan Pearson has opened Blast From the Past on the top floor of The Piece Hall in Halifax, moving all of their retro games to the historic building so that others can play.

Their aim, they say, is to preserve arcade gaming and share the joy of playing with younger generations.

Ryan, 26, is an encyclopaedia when it comes to arcade games and is full of fascinating facts and knowledge.

They became interested in the genre after seeing the games played in films and on TV, and playing them while on trips to Blackpool.

They bought their first pinball machine at 14 and the hobby their collection has grown ever since, with Ryan scouring online sites to find and buy interesting vintage arcade games.

"All of these old machines had been in people's garages for 20 years. They were filthy,” they said.

Ryan stripped them down, cleaned every part, made sure they were working and did their best to restore the original artworks.

Their oldest machine is from 1947 and is one of the first pinball machines made with flippers.

They moved to Halifax two years ago and, after completing an entrepreneur course with The Prince’s Trust, decided to open Blast From The Past.

The Piece Hall space also has a ‘Captain Fantastic’ pinball machine with Elton John pictured on the front as well as Space Invaders and retro Nintendo, Atari and Sega consoles.

All are available to play for a charge of £2.50 for 30 minutes and £5 for two hours.

“The first time I came to The Piece Hall, I knew it would be the perfect place for this,” said Ryan.

“It's something everyone can share.”

“It's a really important part of history.”

Blast From The Past opened last week (August 24) and has already had a fantastic response.

Ryan said people of all generations have been coming in, including parents keen to show their children how to play games they used to play, and teens who have likened it to something out of hit Netflix show Stranger Things.