While some businesses on Guam continue to close their doors, a new one is opening, betting on fun and foot traffic as tourism slowly recovers from the pandemic. Matuki Hirayama takes you inside Gamebox, the newest attraction at the Micronesia Mall.

Lights flashing. Games buzzing. And the sound of fun filling the air at Micronesia Mall. Gamebox is officially open.

The new family-friendly arcade held its grand opening this weekend, drawing families, teens, and gamers of all ages. Located on the second floor of the mall center court, Gamebox features a mix of over 40 classic arcade games and modern interactive attractions. 

Co-owner Richelle Canto said, "That was our goal at GameBox, to bring the modern arcade to Guam because we’ve really haven’t seen the tap to play thing where people don’t have to keep tokens on them because it’s really unwieldy to bring a bag of tokens with you."

The business is run by a family of siblings, local entrepreneurs who also own Playworx, the indoor children’s playground just a few stores down from Gamebox. Canto added, "Our dream was always to have an arcade. When everything closed down, we were bummed too just like everyone else in Guam, because we also have kids and we also have the inner kids in us that want to play in the arcade."

She says the idea was to offer entertainment for different age groups, all under one roof, noting, "We were really overwhelmed in a good way and surprised that so many people wanted to come play. It just underscores the whole reason why we came up with this business, which is that there’s a need in Guam."

The opening comes at a challenging time. As Guam’s tourism industry continues its slow recovery from the pandemic, many local businesses have not survived. "This was years in the making, even before Funtastic Park closed. I think with Dream Galaxy closing and the other arcades not being here anymore, it felt like we just needed something premium, something that everyone would want to play and that would be enjoyable to play," said Canto.

Canto says she hopes Gamebox will "start a trend" and encourage other business owners that Guam is worth investing in. She explained, "Other people may not look at Guam and think it’s worthy to invest in, but as locals and people born here and grew up here, we think Guam deserves this. And we love that there's a lot of other local businesses that have been encouraged.

"I think that’s part of our goal as well, to help revitalize Guam. We strongly believe in Guam’s economy and we want to be part of that."

In an uncertain economy, openings like Gamebox stand out, as a sign of investment and a bet on better days ahead.