Retroscape, A Gaming Lounge And Soda Bar, Wants To Be Your Third Space

Here’s why this retro gaming lounge is for everyone—not just gamers

By Cierra Noffke

Retroscape isn’t like the other businesses on its street. In fact, there aren’t any other places like it in Wilmington because Retroscape was designed to look and feel like your best friend’s basement, where you’d linger after school and on the weekends, playing video games. 

Tucked into the heart of the Soda Pop district, near familiar favorites like the Wandering Cone, Cugino Forno, Hi-Wire, and The Ibis, you’ve likely driven by Retroscape plenty of times without noticing or truly understanding what it is. It’s not a video game shop, though you can buy some of the games in the store. And it’s not a D&D lounge, though you can play D&D inside. And it’s not (solely) a Pokémon card trading stop. 

Retroscape is, quite simply, a space where you can play old video games in a relaxed environment. Its allure lies in the shelves of classic and collector’s video games from the 1970s through the 2000s that fill the store, as well as the fact that leaning back in one of the retro-style couches really does transport you to a simpler time, before high-tech video games.

For Dylan Pierce, the co-owner and founder, creating a cozy, quiet place to indulge in (and obsess over) the video games from bygone eras has been a lifelong dream. 

“I wanted to focus less on transactional relationships and more on hanging out, getting to know people, [and] building actual relationships,” he says. 

Wilmington has seen a surge in “barcade” spaces, where the bar meets arcade-style games. Retroscape has a cozier vibe than typical barcades, featuring couches, TVs, and gaming consoles that foster a more intimate and communal gaming experience. That design is intentional—and we have Dylan’s wife, Ann Marie Pierce, to thank for styling the interior. 

Even if you’ve never played Atari games or Mario Party, there is a little something for everyone in this space, from old-style board games to Guitar Hero and the original Sims game to VR. The odds that there is at least one video game that your dad played growing up are pretty high: The oldest game in the space is the Atari Pong system from 1972, one of the first video games ever made. 

Walking deeper into Retroscape does, in fact, make you feel like you wound up in someone’s living room. In a post-pandemic world, where we’re all in pursuit of community, “third spaces” like Retroscape have grown in popularity. First coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in 1989, the term refers to a place besides your home or work where you can socialize and form a vibrant community. For many, a third space is a neighborhood bar or a beloved restaurant, but for those of us who are money-conscious, reluctant to partake in drinking, or a parent, those places aren’t always an option.

While Retroscape is a business, it’s easy to forget that it is. You can come for a few hours during the weekend to play cozy games with your friends, start a Frogger tournament, stop in while doing a barcade crawl, or even rent out the entire space (or just a few rooms) for parties.  

The minimum day rate at Retroscape is just $5, $10 if you’re coming to play with the consoles and TVs, and $12 on the weekends. And while you could certainly play video games (or watch your friends play video games) at home for free, the experience won’t be the same: Most of the video games here aren’t made anymore, and the same goes for the consoles. 

Dylan and Ann Marie opened Retroscape in 2021, and while the concept had always been a lifelong dream for Dylan, launching the business presented its own set of challenges. 

“It was just a complete mystery,” Dylan says, “Nothing was guaranteed.”

Among the most significant challenges, Dylan explains, were getting people in the door. Retroscape is unlike neighboring establishments in that it doesn’t offer alcohol, a choice that Dylan says was important to him. However, it may have contributed to the space’s initial slow growth in popularity. 

“I really wanted to prove that this concept could work without alcohol,” he says. “A lot of businesses are alcohol sales-driven.”

Since 2021, store traffic has increased by 30% year-over-year. During that time, Retroscape has hosted a multitude of private parties, gone viral on TikTok, expanded multiple times, and amassed its own group of regulars who very much view it as a third space and a home away from home. 

“We have designed our space to be a place for everyone,” Dylan continues. And that’s especially true for the regulars I ran into while interviewing Dylan for this piece. For these gamers, Retroscape was a comforting space where they could play games they couldn’t otherwise get their hands on, make new friends, and spend hours simply having fun. 

“If you’re looking to recreate that feeling from your childhood of playing games in your best friend's living room,” Dylan says, “just give it a try.”