Malls are the center of many of our lives, serving a key role for communities that town marketplaces and bazaars once held. Nevertheless, consumers don’t always want to shop, shop, shop. Sometimes, they want to rest. And sometimes, they want to play—to experience something unique.
We love to play, and so do our children. In the 21st century, much of our play is virtual. But we still love to jump, swing, and use our heads. The truth is, we like to play so much that we’ll pay for it. It’s essential for malls and their owners to recognize this issue. From e-sports centers to escape rooms, gaming entertainment businesses are catching consumers’ attention. Not only that, they’re catching plenty of customers’ money, too.
Gaming entertainment stores are sprouting up in malls across the country.
For example, the Mall of Georgia has recently announced plans to open an e-sports venue in the fall of 2020. There, aspiring professional gamers and recreational gamers alike can take part in a wide variety of e-sport tournaments. The venue plans to host a different e-sports tournament every night of the week, attracting gaming enthusiasts and eager viewers.
Allied Esports, the company bringing this new facility to the Mall of Georgia, already features an e-sports arena in Las Vegas, mobile gaming trucks that travel the country, and affiliates in Oakland, Orange County, and more. Depending on the performance of their current locations and the upcoming Mall of Georgia arena, we could see even more cities bringing businesses like Allied Esports to their doorstep.
We don’t just love to play. We also love to search and to go on quests. In our organized and pragmatic world, it can seem like everything is figured out for us. But somewhere deep down, we want to solve problems and find our way through mazes.
To address that need, Swedish reality gaming business Boda Borg is expanding to the Palisades Center in West Nyack, NY, in addition to their first U.S. location in Boston. At the immersive quest-based entertainment center, teams of 3-5 people can crawl, jump, and mentally and physically make their way across the several puzzles that comprise each quest. It’s yet another example of innovative, interactive entertainment visitors to the local mall can take advantage of for a more dynamic shopping experience.
Malls should take notice of the expanding market for gaming entertainment businesses.
These unique companies can offer shoppers a captivating experience as a way to bring variety to their day. Furthermore, they invigorate malls with fun experiences consumers want. Gaming entertainment businesses are a fun and profitable business, and there’s no sign they’ll go away soon.
With ShoppingCenters.com’s extensive retail database, investors and developers can easily find potential vacant spaces for new stores and businesses focused on gaming and entertainment. Contact us today at 1-855-226-9017 and see how membership access to our database can show you new, exciting business opportunities.
