App development: Smålands Spelhall

How it all began

Smålands Spelhall has become a go-to destination for families, teenagers, and nostalgic gamers of all ages. The journey started with renting out arcade machines for events. To cover the rent for the storage space, the founders decided to open it up to the public – and interest quickly took off. As visitors kept coming, the idea of creating something bigger was born.

Since 2023, Smålands Spelhall has been located on Smedjegatan 15 – and the success story continues. Arcade fans from all over southern Sweden now visit this one-of-a-kind arcade in Växjö.

“It started out as something small for friends, but demand just kept growing. Today we welcome everyone from kids who love the simulators to 40-something pinball enthusiasts. Our arcade has really become a meeting place across generations,” say co-owners Ida Lidholt and Jesper Petersson.

A gaming experience that needed digital support

From the start, Smålands Spelhall offered tournaments and challenges, but it required staff to guide visitors through the games. The team wanted to make the experience smoother, less resource-demanding, and more digital. An app could replace paper scorecards and manual guidance, provide information about every game, and make it easier for visitors to track their scores.

With funding from Almi, the idea became reality — and the collaboration with Plingot marked the beginning of the project.

Plingot’s role – from idea to app

Together with Smålands Spelhall, Plingot developed an app focused on simplicity and joy of play. User experience and UX design were at the core — it should be easy for anyone to navigate and move forward with just a few taps. Since the main target group is families, it was also important that even a parent juggling an excited child could easily check scores or read about a game.

Plingot contributed both technical expertise and a strong UX focus to create a smart, intuitive app that truly enhanced the experience.

The app features Today, the app includes several features that level up the arcade visit:

• Game Challenges – Compete with friends or family, collect points, and crown a winner. The app suggests games suitable for competitions and offers ready-made templates like “Family Battle,” “Ball Games,” or “After Work.”
• Game Guide – Browse photos and info about every game. Some even include in-app instructions.
• Points System – Each visit earns points via an NFC tag, which can later be redeemed for free entry.

“Working with Plingot has been great. We had an open dialogue throughout, and they also brought their own ideas – like the NFC tag feature. It turned out to be a simple digital solution for something we initially planned to handle manually,” says Ida.

The result – an extra layer of fun

The app is now used by about 20% of visitors, especially those celebrating birthdays, company events, or group outings. Game Challenges are a favorite among friends and coworkers, while regular visitors use the app to collect points for their next visit.

“For those who use the app, the experience becomes even more fun. It adds a whole new dimension to the visit,” says Jesper.

Even without detailed statistics, the team can clearly see the value: guests are engaged and integrate the app naturally into their visit.

Looking ahead

Smålands Spelhall’s vision is to keep spreading the joy of play — while exploring new digital possibilities. Future ideas include booking visits directly in the app, step tracking, or even photo sharing from inside the arcade.

“Right now, we’re just happy to keep things running smoothly, but it’s fun to dream about how we can keep developing the app,” says Ida.

smalandsspelhall.se