A new Belong Gaming Arena opens to the public this weekend in an outdoor shopping mall in Schaumberg called Streets of Woodfield. The esports and technology company will be bringing a location to the state of Illinois for the first time with this new venue in suburban Chicago, which will also be home to the Schaumburg Foxes esports team.
The rapidly growing esports sector is just beginning to show its potential as a spectator experience.
Last year Belong Gaming Arenas, a subsidiary of global esports and technology company Vindex, revealed plans to open 300 experiential gaming centres across the US, in order to create a series of connected venues at the local and amateur level, as the esports trend continues to grow.
The venues are designed to be safe and accessible spaces where gamers, along with their friends and family, can watch, play and compete. Guests will be able to play leading titles on state-of-the-art equipment, thanks to Belong’s collaboration with companies such as PlayStation, OMEN by HP, ViewSonic, and Mavix.
Shared gaming experiences
“Following more than a year of isolation, people are craving interactive and shared gaming experiences, where they can come together to celebrate a shared love of gaming and its culture,” said Martyn Gibbs, CEO, Belong Gaming Arenas, talking about the company’s expansion plans in an earlier press release.
“Belong will play a key role in the next evolution of gaming by deeply integrating within local communities while also connecting people from around the world digitally.”
Belong initially began in the UK, where it currently has 27 areas and plans to open more. The new Illinois branch is one of several planned for this year, following the opening of the company’s first US location in Houston, Texas.
Gamers can join international leagues
Belong Gaming Arenas allow gamers, both casual and professional, to get involved in competitions. Each venue is home to its own hometown team, and these teams can compete in games and tournaments with other teams across the whole Belong network.
“Since launching Major League Gaming nearly 20 years ago, it’s been a dream of mine to make the professional esports experience accessible to hometowns across America,” said Mike Sepso, CEO and Co-founder, Vindex.
“Through Belong, we are establishing the baseball diamonds and football pitches of esports and gaming to supply the talent development pipeline and grow fandom as the industry continues to mature.”
