CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Central Virginia's largest arcade, Decades Arcade, is reopening for the first time since March 15, when it closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

What makes this reopening unique are efforts to keep the gamers safe.

The arcade owner, Paul Yates, who is also a physician and engineer, created a device to make social distancing automatic.

"What I did, was I invented a little card device, a card swipe device, that allows us to put in each machine, that actually enforces social distancing. So the idea is that it has a proximity sensor, so if someone is playing on the machine next to you, you can't start a game on the other machine," he said.

Yates says each machine has a blinking red light, and if you're persistent, then the machine will automatically shut off. He shares that this took him three months to create while in quarantine.

He also says that each machine will be wiped down and sanitized each night after closing. 

The arcade requires that you wear a mask, and it will be providing hand sanitizer. It has even installed air purifiers throughout the arcade.