GameWorks Las Vegas

GameWorks Las Vegas
Location: 3785 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109, United States
Opened: 1997-05-10
Closed: 2012-03-11

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GameWorks Las Vegas was a GameWorks entertainment center opened by Sega GameWorks. Launched in May 1997 on the lower floors of Showcase Mall as the second location after GameWorks Seattle, GameWorks Las Vegas was the largest facility to be opened under the chain at 47,000 square meters; it being the company's flagship venue in the United States.

Despite its flagship status and position as a major family tourist attraction on the main Vegas strip, the venue's subsequent poor attendance and high rent costs led to it contributing to the venture's unprofitability; shortly after being sold by Sega alongside the other remaining locations, GameWorks Las Vegas was closed permanently in March 2012 in favour of a new lower-cost location aimed at locals, GameWorks Las Vegas at Town Square.

Homages to the location can be found in L.A. Machineguns and the more recent StarHorse4.

Venue

GameWorks Las Vegas was designed by the Cunningham Group as a unique prototype which combined technology, arcade games, and social interaction into a single venture. The 47,000 sq. ft. flagship location was laid out on two levels and included an internet cafe, rock climbing wall, and food and beverage areas. The designers took their inspiration from a make-believe Victorian warehouse where, as described by the designers via tongue-in-cheek backstory, "weird events and strange, often alien experiments" were being conducted. Jonathan Watts, associate and project manager for Sega GameWorks said, "Essentially, the facility becomes a stage for this story and guests fill in the script."

While the lower level floor (which contained the arcade games) incorporated high energy colors, rich textures and dramatic lighting effects into its design, the street level entrance - The Loft - is designed as a socializing space with use of wood flooring and warm design. Tom Bolin, director of interior design for the Cunningham Group said, "This is where we chose to specify reused materials in order to create a lived-in effect. There's a comfortable leather couch, the oversized draperies are velvet and the lighting is softer."

History

Main article: GameWorks Las Vegas/History.

Credits

• Design: Cunningham Group
• Principal in Charge: Jim Sheidel
• Project Manager: Jonathan Watts
• Design Team: Tracy Wade, Mike Prendergast, Shaun Jennings, Pauline Lyders
• Interior Design Team: Tom Bolin, Jan Dufault, Jim Lewison

For GameWorks

• Project Manager: Tim Sepielli
• Director of Design Production: Jim Scheiter
• Sr. Concept Designer: Stuart Bailey

Source:

Entertainment Destinations; Martin M. Pegler

Magazine articles

Main article: GameWorks Las Vegas/Magazine articles.

Photographs

Main article: Photos of GameWorks Las Vegas

External links

• Official website
• Official website (1998) (Wayback Machine)
• After 15 years, GameWorks closing on Strip, looking for new location to serve locals article by Conor Shine at The Las Vegas Sun