The gaming community is constantly growing with new tech, the ever-expanding conventions and not to mention, the games themselves.
With the increasing influence of gaming on the rest of the world, it is becoming easier for gamers to connect with one another. However, as this influence spreads like a wildfire, it becomes more apparent that gamers should have their own sanctuary or place where they can go just to enjoy being a gamer.
If you’ve got the available funds, are willing to travel and are currently bored of your computer gaming chair or your own personal run-of-the-mill gaming room, here are some of the top gaming-related hot spots you really need to visit before you die.
Gaming Conventions
Every year there are multiple gaming conventions and expos all over the world that allow thousands of gamers to get together for a few days to enjoy nothing but video games in a friendly environment.
Conventions like Tokyo Game Show, Penny Arcade Expo, Eurogamer and more, all provide a safe and comfortable place for people who enjoy video games to come together as a collective. These events allow gamers to be themselves in a crowd of people who all share the same interests and hobbies.
While these conventions aren’t necessarily cheap, they are great ways to make lifelong friends, find out the latest news on your favorite games, check out some cool cosplay, and they give you the opportunity to play some of the best games on the market.
World Joyland
Known as the Warcraft and Starcraft based amusement park, World Joyland is located in Changzhou, Jiangsu province in China. The park has seven different sections and covers over 600,000 square meters. Within the park you can find the National E-Sports Competition Center, as well as the International Anime-and-Game Expo Pavilion.
For obvious reasons, the park would have run into some legal issues if it actually named the sections of the park after Blizzard’s games, so instead, the Starcraft world is named the Universe of Starship and the Warcraft world is named the Terrain of Magic.
The fantasy and science fiction park was opened back in 2011 and has not so surprisingly been somewhat of a success as it is the only park in the world of its kind.
‘The Mall’
Deep in the heart of Washington DC’s post-apocalyptic ‘Capital Wasteland’ lies a location so incredibly similar to the real world, it’s kinda scary.
Games like Watch Dogs and Grand Theft Auto have recreated many of our world’s real life places and implemented them into their video games, Fallout 3‘s ‘The Mall’ location is a really cool place to visit both in-game and in the real world because of how similar the two actually are (despite the whole apocalypse thing).
Obviously this isn’t necessarily a place for gamers to connect and meet-up, but it’s definitely a spot that’s worth checking out because of how accurate it is compared to how it’s portrayed in both the real world and in Fallout.
Barcade
If you’re of age and in the mood for some craft beer and classic arcade games, Barcade is the place to go. Located in New York, Jersey City and Philadelphia, Barcade offers various exclusive beers and fun for a somewhat reasonable price.
Of course there are numerous other arcades and bars you can go to that offer similar experiences, much like Dave & Buster’s, though Barcade offers great nostalgic games like: Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Centipede, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Rampage and many more.
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