Soon-To-Be-Demolished Fry's Electronics Is Pure Liminal Dread

"The brick-and-mortar locations that many of us would visit to pick up a new game or simply to wander around and kill some time are increasingly empty, destined for destruction or for uses far removed from what they were before. And as physical media continues to be squeezed out of gaming thanks to the convenience of digital distribution and silly"

"This emptied store came up on my radar while browsing Reddit's r/LiminalSpace (an experience that pairs well with SomaFM's Dark Zone station, I might add). Vast empty aisles and hanging signs advertising products that are nowhere to be found-it sure is a mood. And though the Aztec-themed stylings of this particular location use some different cultural affectations, its abandoned state reminds me of the Las Vegas section of Horizon: Forbidden West, with notably less water and fewer robot dinosaurs (I hope)."

Gaming and consumer-electronics retail has become a liminal, abandoned landscape for those who grew up in earlier decades. Brick-and-mortar stores that once invited browsing and impulse purchases are increasingly empty, repurposed, or demolished. Physical game media faces steady decline as digital distribution and products like Nintendo's Game Key-Cards reduce demand for discs and cartridges. A vacant Fry's Electronics in Phoenix exemplifies that emptiness, with vast aisles, hanging signs, and Aztec-themed decor turned desolate. The location is slated for demolition. Fry's began closing stores on February 24, 2021, driven by the shift to online shopping and the COVID-19 pandemic. MicroCenter stores are more common in some regions but are noted to lack the personality of stores like Fry's.

Read at Kotaku