With the increased demand for family entertainment in recent years, the keys to providing successful experiences are “authenticity, fun and participation,” Christian Bimminger of Austrian manufacturer Funworld tells InterGame.

Funworld

He said: “Shopping and entertainment centres have been reinventing their approach, increasingly adopting a lifestyle and entertainment orientation in combination with retail components.

“Traditional centres are being transformed into more of a social gathering place, with the retail and entertainment components working together to create a complementary partnership to capture visitors.

“People are not just interested in buying things - they want an experience. The family environment has changed in recent years and this has caused people to focus more on the home and family life.”

Children are the key demographic, said Bimminger, though he notes that this is a challenge as their needs and preferences change between three and 12 years, so products have to be developed to be more flexible and have more features.

“Most families have busy schedules. With parents facing challenging and stressful careers and kids engaging in a host of extracurricular activities, often there is no time left to be together as a family.”

He continued: “Games are an effective tool for family communication. The security that family play provides to children and the manner in which family fun alleviates tension are only the beginnings of the perks of playing games. Quality family time spent playing games allows parents to nurture their children and develop a trusting and caring relationship, which is so vitally important.

“All in all, a family that plays together, stays together.”