The centre will run giant video games on the shopping destination’s big screen this Saturday, with hundreds of shoppers using their mobile phones as controllers to compete for top prizes.

Gifts and vouchers from shops and restaurants like Muffin Break and Millie’s Cookies will be handed out to the winners of three games playing at intu Merry Hill’s lower mall from 10:30am, ahead of England’s World Cup quarter-final game against Sweden being streamed there at 3:00pm.

Up to 200 players can take part in each game, giving shoppers the chance to join a dune buggy drag race, take part in a fast-paced game of multiplayer tennis or test their wits against a set of general knowledge quiz questions. They simply need to enter a unique code on their mobile phone that will connect them to the action on the big screen and transform their mobile into a game controller.

It’s the first time that the big screen game technology known as Piing has been tried out in a shopping centre, with intu Merry Hill shoppers the first in the country to take part. Owner intu is trialling the technology in partnership with Rhythm, the start-up business behind Piing as part of a programme for new businesses called intu Accelerate. Dan Murphy, regional centre director at intu Merry Hill, said:

“This is a first-of-its-kind experience for a shopping destination and we’re confident it’s going to generate a lot of excitement among shoppers and create a really fun environment for everyone to enjoy, whether they’re competing against hundreds of others or just watching the fun unfold on screen. Many of our stores are getting behind the event too by offering some great prizes for those taking part.

“intu owns many of the UK’s most popular shopping destinations and it’s fantastic to be trying out new technology like this at intu Merry Hill ahead of any other shopping centre in the UK as part of our start-up incubation programme intu Accelerate.”

Join game time at intu Merry Hill from 10:30am – to 2:30pm on the lower mall, near customer services.