One of the largest UK media stores, HMV Edinburgh, has released plans for a colossal refit that comprises a state of the art game zone. In a move that is indicative of the rise of gaming as a main stream phenomenon, HMV is certainly putting its money where its mouth is with this impressive commitment to improving their games purchasing experience.

The Edinburgh store will claim the largest games space out of any of the 250 HMV stores in the country. The game zone will measure an impressive 2,000 square feet and play host to 27 360s all hooked up to Samsung high definition TVs. These will be used to provide customers with 16 player multiplayer gameplay and access to Xbox Live.

This also represents a new approach to monetizing their store space, as access to the gaming zone will be through a membership scheme. One hour sessions are being charged at GBP 3, with a longer three hour slot costing GBP 5.

The zone should be ready for action by Friday, October 19, and will kick things off with a Halo 3 tournament. Project Gotham Racing 4 and Guitar Hero 3 events are expected to follow soon after. Tim Ellis, HMV’s games head stated "Games are now an integral part of the HMV offer, and whether we're selling them or, as in this case, also making them available on a pay-per-play basis, it's about getting our customers closer to the things they love, and giving them access to content however they wish to consume it.”

By Paul Govan

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