Gaming Throwback Episode 1: Let's play Mall Madness!

June is Gaming Month here at SYFY WIRE, and today we’re taking a step way back in time to the ‘80s. For our inaugural episode of Gaming Throwback, we’re gonna play Mall Madness! It’s the mall with it all! And although there is actually a Hannah Montana edition of the game, we’re going with a more classic board experience. That includes throwback snacks and a discarded Fruit Rollup that somebody left from our last gaming experience.

Join SYFY WIRE’s Jackie Jennings, Jessimae Peluso, and Ziwe Fumudoh as they attempt to learn the rules of Mall Madness, then play the game for our collective enjoyment. Despite appearances, this is not the easiest game to play. Each player has a shopping list and a limited amount of funds to finish it. And as we learned on this go-around, the mall can randomly refuse to sell things or run a special at any of the stores.

Along the way, we’re breaking up the monotony with a look back at the history of malls. True story: Modern malls owe a lot to Victor Gruen. He was an architect and a self-proclaimed socialist who had a grand vision for malls that couldn’t quite be captured in reality. For one thing, he wanted apartment complexes to be a part of malls. In the end, Gruen wasn’t happy with the way that his vision was realized.

Additionally, we play a game of Either/Or, and pick favorites from a variety of topics. But it all comes down to the last woman standing in Mall Madness. Who walks away as the winner? Check out the full video to find out!