Entertainment arcade at Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco draws large crowds
Amidst all the talk about the failing retail economy and large stores going out of business, the Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco has discovered the irresistible allure of individual competition, and its fortunes may be changing because of it.
On Sunday, the mall was bustling with shoppers looking for holiday gifts. But there was something else going on there, and to find it you have to go down into the basement, to what used to be a Nordstrom's department store.
That's where you'll find Round 1, a cavernous entertainment arcade owned by a Japanese company that understands the American appetite for winning. From blasting "Bad Guys" to winning the car race, to shooting balls into a basket, the place has an atmosphere of competition that can be hard to resist.
"I really like arcade games," said 20-year-old Sanna Su. "My cousin introduced me to Round 1 and I couldn't really stop, ever since. Well, I could stop but it's kind of addicting when you don't know when to stop."
Round 1 opened in Stonestown in November and is the fourth location in the Bay Area. It offers family bowling, air hockey, even a full bar for adults. But it is in the center of the room that takes a page from Las Vegas. Lined up like slot machines is a huge collection of claw games, with people spending money to try to take home a stuffed prize.
But as Ethan Wei discovered, it's not exactly a game of skill.
"The strength of the claw, it's kind of random," he said, as a stuffed toy shark easily slipped out of the claw's grip. "Sometimes you get a stronger claw, and you just grab it. It's not really a trick, it's just kind of like luck. Sometimes it's cheaper to buy this, than just pay, like, $100 to win these things. I don't know how much they cost. They probably cost like $10?"
So how much did he pay for the three prizes in his hand?
"I don't know, I would say around $50, a bit above 50," Wei said.
Ivan Guillermo discovered the same thing when he and his son Dylan tried to win a sleepy cat plushie, but it slipped out at the last moment.
"It definitely feels like you're in a casino, for sure," he said, laughing. "The house always wins. You're spending more than what they're probably worth, yeah."
"The claw almost always slips," said a frustrated Dylan. "You can't get it."
But then, Dylan learned something about the tantalizing allure of gambling as the claw held its grip on the next try, depositing the toy in the bin.
"Whoa! He got it!" said his surprised father, as Dylan collected his winnings, sure to keep them coming back again.
But for the older kids, there is another game that is spurring intense competition. "Dance, Dance Revolution," or DDR, has become an obsession for some and 20-year-old Jacob Saldageno said his love of the game had brought him out of his shell.
"It definitely did change my life," he said. "Now I'm, like, going out with so many people. I'm going out with my friends more. It's definitely a special place where me and my friends can all de-stress from all the stresses of adult life and have fun."
On Sunday, Saldageno was thrilled to set a new record for the dance he had worked so hard to learn, what's known as his "chart." And while he still plays at a basic level, in the evening hours, young people fill the DDR area with skilled dancers coming from all over the Bay Area to compete at the highest level.
Saldageno is convinced it is doing everyone some good, including the mall.
"I think it's making malls more alive now," he said. "Ever since the pandemic started, people are so cramped up. But now that we opened up an arcade at a place like this, it's definitely got some more people outside. And I love to see it."
There may be a lesson here. People may have found new ways to shop from home, but nothing attracts a crowd like the thrill of victory, especially if it includes a stuffed animal.
