Yesterday, February 15th, Perth Airport announced that it would add a virtual reality (VR) gaming center this spring. The gaming center will be a place where travelers can entertain themselves while waiting for their flights. The airport sees it as a way to give back to the thousands of passengers who pass through its terminals daily. It is also a part of the airport's plans to expand the services offered to travelers.

New addition

The VR center will be a unique new addition to the airport which will allow it to better cater to a significant portion of its travelers who are gamers. The gaming facility will be placed in Terminal 1 on level one before security. It will be placed here to allow a larger number of passengers to use it, as passengers whose assigned gates are in Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 will be able to use it. It will be available to all passengers regardless of the airline they are flying with, the length of their flight, the prestige of their ticket, or their intended destination. The airport anticipates that the gaming center will be open in May.

Perth Airport Gaming Point
Photo: Perth Airport

Airport executives are excited to add the VR center, which will add notable diversity to its retail offerings. The Airport's Chief Commercial Officer, Rebecca Cook, shared that the airport is excited to add the gaming center. Cook stated,

"We are excited to offer our passengers increased entertainment options and look forward to partnering with Point Group as they deliver this new offer,"

Get the latest aviation news straight to your inbox: Sign up for our newsletters today.

VR center

The VR center will be known as the "Gaming Point." The Gaming Point's centerpiece will be a VR escape room that can hold up to five players simultaneously. These players will have the option to pick between eight different game modes. Each VR session will last 30–45 minutes. During each session, an employee known as a Game Master will accompany and guide the players to ensure the game is enjoyable and help keep the VR center on schedule.

Perth Airport Terminal
Photo: haireena/Shutterstock

The Gaming Point will also feature six gaming stations equipped with high-speed internet, allowing gamers to continue playing their favorite video games while traveling. Gaming Point is a part of the larger Point Group. The group's Director, Graeme Stewart, shared the group's excitement for the new Gaming Point as it will be a unique new offering. Stewart stated,

"Point Group is in advanced discussions with many major airports around the globe, to deliver exciting new experiential offers using virtual reality and high-speed gaming facilities at airports and are so pleased to have finalised the agreement with Perth Airport"

This VR center will be a pioneer in its field. While VR services have been introduced into air transit services in years past, none have stuck around. Should this center be successful, in-terminal VR and gaming services will likely become a common offering at airports worldwide. Select airlines have experimented with inflight VR services, but none of these services have stuck around for very long.

What do you think of this gaming center? Let us know in the comment section.