Throughout many people’s childhoods, one thing that had always been a consistent staple was a shopping mall. Aside from the stores and the greasy-goodness that was being served up at the food courts, malls seemed to be overall just a genuinely fun place for people to hangout.
Fast forward a few years to the booming popularity of online shopping and our beloved shopping malls have run into a slight problem. That problem being that more consumers were shopping online a lot more frequently than in the stores themselves out of pure convenience.
Luckily for these mass shopping centers aside from the way people were doing their shopping evolving, other enjoyments were evolving as well. One of those being gaming. Video games have not only shifted but also expanded over the years and the introduction of online gaming has created a whole world of possibilities that those who own and run shopping malls have not overlooked.
Simon Property Group, who is the largest mall owner in the United States wants to bring these shopping facilities back to life with the help of games like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and the ever-popular Fortnite.
Not only have online gaming centers been opened up in malls across the country for gamers to enjoy, but there could also possibly be even further steps taken in the future. Simon Property Group is looking at holding gaming contests and events in various shopping centers. Simon Property Group will be working to create esports lounges to incorporate into the shopping malls to host the gaming events.
Simon Property Group is making the move to tailor malls to a more niche entertainment source rather than letting them die out as online shopping becomes a part of normal everyday life. Many malls already have hangout areas where people can enjoy lounging with friends and enjoying games on various gaming consoles.
By changing the way that shopping is done and providing not only a place to purchase items but also an experience, Simon Property Group seems to be upgrading shopping malls to the next level. The retail stores that will be surrounding these areas will no doubt see some major benefits from these gaming areas being added to the shopping malls.
The commercial real estate company Simon Property Group may be one of the first to implement gaming into their facilities on such a massive scale, but it’s very doubtful that they will be the last.
