Shopping Maul

The former Dillard's location at Hickory Hollow Mall will soon be transformed into an urban gang-themed playland, where scary characters lurk in the shadows and every sense must be on high alert, developers say.

"This place will be full of pounding rap music, atmospheric haze and ominous darkness," says Kirk Weeks, one of the investors, adding, "It will basically be like walking into an Abercrombie & Fitch, only more so."

Gangworld seeks to create the dangerous urban wasteland vibe of popular video games such as Grand Theft Auto, but in a controlled atmosphere. "We're sort of like a laser tag or paintball game place, but with more of an edge," Weeks says. "This is like Chuck E. Cheese for older kids."

A typical Gangworld visitor will be assigned a "uniform" of a color bandana, a can of spray paint and a laser pistol and will be turned loose on the "mean streets" that until a few weeks ago might have sold lingerie, shoes or neckties. The object is to claim turf for your side by graffiti-tagging sections of the store while fending off rival gangs by "shooting" them with the laser gun.

"This is really fun for the whole family," Weeks says. "It has all the heart-pounding excitement of being lost at night in a bad neighborhood, only more so."

Some of the other mall merchants aren't as enthusiastic about Gangworld. "The mall already has a reputation as a place where packs of unsupervised young people rove around," complained one. "It's hard to see how this is going to help."

But Weeks has a ready answer for that complaint. "This will get the kids out of the parking lot, out of the mall hallways, and into a place where all that youthful enthusiasm can have a fun outlet," he says. "Gangworld is just like Antioch, only more so."

The Fabricator is satire. Don't believe everything you read.