The Great Divide... (or if you prefer) The Rift

This is not going to be a debate over which is inherently better, Rift or Nexus…anyone who plays Zone already understands the advantages one has over the other. Instead it’s going to be a talk about not ticking people off when you no longer have an alternative option.

In my area, up until a few months ago, there were two locations (same ownership) where you could play using Zone equipment. One had a much weaker map (the Mickey design) and used Nexus while the other with a far superior arena uses (and still continues to use) Rift. The location using Nexus closed and bye-bye went the Nexus equipment. I have wondered many times why they didn’t just switch out the Nexus for the Rift at the better arena, but they didn’t and the reason really isn’t any of my business. The bottom line is that now we have only one arena where Zone is an option, the place I play most weekends, and we play with Rift. Now, here comes the point of my story…

Last night some of our normal group was there playing, but there were a lot of new faces too. It was actually an incredibly competitive night and these other players gave us a really good run. Frankly, I LOVE to have good competition! And one new face looked somewhat familiar to me. I asked if he had played at the other location and when he said yes and told me his name I remembered him well. He was one of the top players over there and a weekend regular in the same way that Joe and Tommy and I are like that in our arena. And he played pretty well. But all night I kept overhearing him making snide comments about how much better Nexus is than Rift. And I get it, I’ve heard it before…but I was getting really kind of sick of hearing about it here. It’s like walking into someone else’s home to have dinner and telling them how much better the food was where you ate last week. Just irritated the hell out of me because this is our home arena and, yes, it’s different, but we love it. We respect the other options out there and have our own opinions about what makes for good laser tag. But you know what…this is your current dinner. Nexus is no longer an option around here right now. Maybe that will change in the future, maybe not. But at this moment, in this area you have three options…play a different system (there’s a Force arena just down the road and they would love to have some new players walk in any time), play Rift without complaint because it’s what we’ve got and we are lucky to be playing in a nice arena (because let’s face it, the mall that houses this center may not be around forever either, so we have to appreciate what we’ve got now) or don’t play because your first choice is no longer an option. Or the unspoken fourth option…there’s always Runner in the other mall! ;) OK, I won’t dig on Runner while I’m making this particular point. But I’m just saying, if you’re going to play have some respect because we choose to be here and are very fortunate to have what we do in this arena. Although I live close enough to Albany to make a couple more Zone options feasible, most of my crew do not have that option. So if you love laser tag please come out and play and continue to bring some good competition. Just don’t rip on the Rift. Thank you, that is all.

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

Armageddon Girl Stays Home

We received word (and refunds) this morning that this year's Armageddon multi-system laser tag tournament would not be going forward. Sigh. I had been optimistic about the chance to play on a draft team (which, BTW, is not generally my feeling about drafts) as it seemed like a chance to beat the odds while getting in on some serious competition. But lack of commitments (i.e. players getting their deposits in on time) killed this year's event.

Now, I recognize that sometimes life gets in the way and you can't feasibly do every event that comes along. However, for those who were vocal (in one of two ways...if you've been there you get it) about this...Bueller? Bueller? Where did you go?

This is like eating at my favorite restaurant…follow me here. I love sushi (a transparent analogy for laser tag, but a totally true statement also). It isn't the most popular food in the area where I live, so sometimes I walk into my favorite restaurant and it is empty. But I know that if I don't purchase my meal and support this restaurant that I may not be able to enjoy sushi there in the future.

I have my own ideas about why Armageddon went down like this, but it is mostly boils down to  a matter of personal accountability to follow through. That's all I have to say about that. But to those who were signed up, paid and prepped to do this I say thank you for stepping up and I'll share this as an appreciative Armageddon girl...

(and the link is gone, but if anyone remembers Alta Dustin, her song "Armageddon Girl" rocks!)

My final thoughts...

I'd like to thank Ricky and all who had a hand in trying to pull this together. I was among the 22 paid and ready to go. As a first time player last year I had looked forward to continuing with it, learning more from the veterans and bringing a stronger game. As an organizer for events myself I can appreciate how difficult it is to get people to commit (and I also respect that if it's just not feasible for some that's fine). But perhaps the draft idea should not be discarded all together. Maybe next time around (and I am optimistic there will be a "next time") there's a way to include teams plus a separate side draft event? I played in the Philly Invites last year and thought that offered the best of both experiences. Call this a time to regroup, but to Ricky, thank you for all your effort to provide an awesome competitive experience for veterans and newer players.

So...Baltigeddon next?

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

Happy International Laser Tag Day!

Yes, today is International Laser Tag Day. It is also Monday, therefore every laser tag center in the area is closed. Sigh...but it's ok because I played every day this weekend so I got my fill and have time to recap since I must have the day off from work for a holiday like this, right? Oh...well, my boss says no, back to work.

Anyhow, the weekend was good and I got in three consecutive days of tag. Friday we got the team together as best we could (3/5) at the Force arena to just get some arena time in and work out a bit of strategy. There were some moments that really reinforced that some internal strategy we’ve discussed has excellent results when actually put into play. Then Saturday was a Zone night. Had a great time as always, although I’ll acknowledge that something felt slightly off kilter. I won’t blame the pack, but something was a little off…five feet from Joe I continuously missed on a courtesy shot? Seriously? But perhaps I was just preoccupied with performing little skits at the counter to make our game master notice this awesome shirt…

 

It's officially Kevin's catch phrase, which seemed all the more apropos only because (as it turns out) apparently some people actually were not being all that nice to each other in the arena. My overly dramatic "what was that cardinal rule again?" and "Tyler, are you TRYING to make me cry?" laments were as phony and over the top as could be, but with real stuff on his mind these concocted dramatizations got no play and they went right over his head. Sigh...no payoff for my attempt at tag humor!

Then on Sunday, in spite of it being Easter (and the night of a big SU game) a group gathered for some SM5. Honestly, I still feel very detached from this, but I wanted to put in some time and effort. I failed miserably as resupply in the first game of the night and things were not improving much after that. But I did have one brief moment of glory in the last game I played before calling it a night. My entire team was huddled in the resupply alcove...a tight fit which momentarily made them sitting ducks. I saw the player from the green team make his move and in one of those perfect slow-motion split seconds I got my shot off a fraction of a moment faster than he did and deactivated him. Awesome moment, awesome feedback...for literally about a second. Then someone took me out, ironically before I could get my own resupply shots, but what can you do. I felt like I had taken one for the team and left feeling, well, a little less like I'd walked out of a scene from Invasion of the Body Snatchers...but also like I'd gotten something worthwhile out of this night, even if just in that second. So three nights of tag will be my effort towards the celebration of International Laser Tag Day. The light still shines! :)

 

 

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

 

More Learning Experiences

I jokingly say that the other night was the night that we all got put in our place…but in actuality it was just a really great learning experience to have our league team getting some practice with different game formats in a different space than where we typically play. In our home arena we are all top players, but this night was a whole other game. We were on different turf playing a different system and appreciative of the guidance from those who are the more experienced players here. We had four of us there from the Return of the Jim Jim Squad...or Vision/Fission...or whatever we actually end up calling ourselves for the league! :)

 

 

Working on specific skill sets was part of the game plan early in the night before moving on to some SM5 later on. It's quite a change from the norm, even though several of us have played a bit of Force before...it's been more limited in "real" play. For me a lack of patience in missiling is my Achilles heel, but "knowing is half the battle." So that's part of what I tried to work on. But when it came time for some SM5 there was a lot more for us to try to put together. I want to thank the group we were playing with for all being very cool about using this night for teaching skills and concepts well. Special shout out to Abby, Lenny and Nate for each offering some specific guidance and useful tips throughout the night.

 

 

One beneficial aspect of the night was getting to perch above the arena to observe a match with the arena's A and B teams.

 

 

 

This bird's eye view affords a very different perspective and reinforced a lot, particularly the importance of good communication and the primary purpose of particular roles.

All in all, this was probably one of the most beneficial nights I've spent learning and working on skills outside of my norm. Again, thanks to the whole crew who came out on Sunday to make it really worthwhile.

 

 

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

Empowerment Through Laser Tag

I've had a couple of conversations this week where laser tag has come up in unexpected contexts. In one discussion I was talking with someone about a few of my various side projects and it was pointed out to me that considering how many things I do that tie back to women's empowerment (mostly in the competition scene) that it was interesting to this person that I equally love laser tag so much. The implication being that because tag is predominantly played by a different group (mostly younger guys) that it somehow wasn't on par as an empowering activity for me as a woman. I considered this...then realized later on while dominating the arena that this is exactly why this is one of the most empowering things I do, and possibly because I am a woman. There is no better feeling than conquering a game of laser tag and then getting appreciation (and sometimes the agitation) returned from the other players, most of whom underestimate me when they first look at me and at face value don't figure me to be much competition. Shattering that misconception is the most empowering feeling, just short of having someone put a crown on your head. :)

I definitely felt empowered during the games last night. I had an undefeated streak that began with the first game played against a smaller group. Initially all the players including two formidable looking teenagers clustered to one team leaving me alone on the red team. The game master tried to get them to balance the teams (although I said I really didn't mind) and those guys went to the green team while I stayed red playing solo against everyone else. Those teen guys were actually very good players and they worked well as a team, but I didn't let them get over on me. At the end of the game as we walked out one of them loudly announced "next game I'm on her team." By this time a lot more people had arrived to fill out a much larger game next round and that same kid said to one of his buddies "she just kicked our asses in there." The buddy sized me up and said "really?" with skepticism in his voice. I said "yes, really" and did it all over again. Making someone re-evaluate their initial assessment of what I can do is one of the most vindicating and satisfying results of a well played game.

Although I had been the top scorer all night, by the end of the evening a new group had joined and they came to play. They were all strategizing by the map on the far wall and they looked at me with no knowledge of how the night had gone up to this point. They said "Did you come to play hard tonight? Join our team." I smiled to myself thinking "Did I come to play hard? Get ready for it." And I was ready to really show them. Until...

I sensed during the course of the night that the Legend pack was running out of juice and needed to be recharged. Unfortunately this was the game when it really started to give out. I could tell...the shots were slower if they shot at all. I was only getting half the shots I triggered to actually fire. I had to play twice as hard to compensate for a pack that was half as effective without a charge. Damn, this was not the game where I wanted to see this happen. I really felt compelled to play harder and just hoped it would be enough. When we exited to check the scores I was (thankfully) still on top, but by an incredibly narrow margin that did not properly reflect what I thought would have happened if I had a fully charged pack. Please realize that I never blame the pack for my shortcomings in a game, but this time was different and the fact that I came out in first place in spite of this pack is what I was proudest about in this round. While my score was disappointing compared to my other games it was apparently still impressive to this group who "recruited" me again for the final game. They asked my advice on strategy, they followed my lead and they kept calling me their "ringer". Cool. We switched to the blue team (since my pack was dead anyway there was no real reason to stay on red) and with the Jinx pack (ironic, right) I had full power again and went at this game hard. I could feel that game was on point and our team came out on top. After the announcement over the speakers that the blue team won the opposing team was shouting "don't kid yourself, it's only because you had that lady on your team." Well...haters gonna hate. :) But this whole night felt incredible and incredibly empowering. Now I'm off to support some other women participating in a completely different kind of empowering competition...and when it's over I think I'll go back to the arena and do it all over again.

Comments or questions?
Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com
Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com
Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

Tagging for a Cause

OK, you all know I love laser tag and sparkly hats, but this is probably the first time that these two things have collided like this...

Yes, she was running around on my team playing in full regalia with sash and crown and I love it! :) Shout out to Abby for running a successful laser tag fundraiser in support of suicide awareness and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I went to support, play some tag and represent my MMV crew (with a name that mostly fit on the scoreboard).

I used the new membership because obviously my tiara girls don't know me as Tivia, but it was a totally moot point as it appeared that Abby and I were the only pageant people in the house. Regardless, it was a nice turnout for a worthwhile cause.

However, when the night started I was a bit concerned that I might have to title this blog entry "Played So Much Zone Lately That I Can't Remember How To Play Force Anymore." My first couple of games were that rough! But I found my groove a little later on and also enjoyed playing a round of Royal Rumble tag. Essentially it started with two players with limited lives and then two more players were added into the mix and entered the arena every 45 seconds. It was a good time. Thanks to Abby for organizing the event and to all who were there to support and raise money while laser tagging for a worthy cause.

Comments or questions?
Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com
Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com
Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

In Session All Weekend

As of this morning I am officially registered for Armageddon again. Because I am ready to be put in my place by the best of the best laser tag players...and come out the other side stronger and better for it. :)

By pure coincidence I was wearing my t-shirt from last year's Armageddon when I went out to tag last night in Albany after rehearsal. I was only about eight minutes away from the smaller arena I don't get to much, so I thought I'd check that out first. I think mixing it up and playing in different spaces when possible helps keep you sharp. And I have a feeling what I did in there was the equivalent of what some Armageddon players can do to me...but it is all in the game.

As mentioned, this is a much smaller arena. While I've never yet seen it played at capacity, it's really better suited for small group or one on one stealth games anyhow. When I arrived I became part of a group with three other young adults. Very appropriate competition. The game master, Alli, told the others about me saying "she's really good". I'm flattered to have made an impression because I play here so limited. Then the two women said that the guy with them was good too. Ok, so he's the one to watch.

We went into the vesting room and one woman said she wanted to play on my team. We made introductions and headed into the arena where she whispered to me "they can kind of be jerks about this" to advise me of the competitive way the others in the group play. I said, "that's ok, so can I" and with that comment it was like she gave me permission to go full out. And so, I did.

There were no active bases this game, so all the points were earned from direct tags. I felt like a person dancing a around the arena with the way that game played. So smooth. The opposing team was decent competition, but the benefit of my experience showed and I ran that arena hard and took every shot. I didn't check my accuracy, but it had to have been quite high because the shots came so smoothly. I really like the equipment we use there. They have brand new Rift packs and you can tell they are new and shoot really clean shots.

At the end of the round we walked out of the arena and someone commented "I think we all just got schooled." Yes, my points were on top. With no bases and only two targets it was a reasonable score for this situation, but I won't post it like it's the best representation of my playing. Instead I'll save that for what happened next.

One game there seemed more than sufficient, so I went over to my Infusion arena twenty minutes away. I arrived to find a pretty decent sized group about to play. I was primed for success. The girl who won the previous game said she would show us how it was done. I smiled on the inside before...well, really showing them how it's done. :)

Towards the end of the game one guy was aiming his phaser right at me through a window in one of the alcoves, but I smoothly diffused that with one shot as the game ended. He shook his head and said "you just wrecked me." Thank you and good night.

The next day after the show I thought I'd go back. I conducted an experiment...is the power in my hat? I had performed earlier and my hair was still full of hair spray so I played what might have been the only game of laser tag I ever have without my Photon hat (other than in a tournament). Spoiler alert...it's not about the hat.

They told me there was a birthday party  with a bunch of 18 year olds and they asked if I wanted to get into that round. I believe I said "hell yeah" with the expectation of a typical laser tag group of rowdy guys to target. I know that was a bit of a sexist expectation...and yet I was still surprised when it turned out that they were 18 year old girls. Now, as a woman who plays laser tag I wholeheartedly support other women playing tag, but I'll just say it wasn't quite the game I was expecting. I won that game by a wide margin and then figured I'd seek out some stronger competition at Zero Gravity. And I found it.

When I walked in there was a full house and an intense looking group. I noticed a marine recruiter's card on the counter and wondered if this was a group of potential recruits in the mix? This was some awesome tag...few intense rounds and I left happy I got two days of quality tag in Albany. :)

Comments or questions?
Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com
Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com
Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com