Tiviachick Loves Laser Tag

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Waking Up to Tag in North Carolina

Waking up to play some laser tag first thing in the morning is an excellent way to start the day! After flying into the Charlotte airport late on Wednesday night, I rented a car and started driving North, getting as far as Lenoir, NC before stopping to find a hotel for the night. When I woke up the next day I didn’t have to go any further than right down the road in order to find Bo’s Family Entertainment.

As it was early, I detoured first to a local diner and then sat in my car waiting for the doors to open right at 11:00.

Now, when I walk into a laser tag site moments after they open in the middle of a weekday I do not expect to find anyone else playing laser tag that early, so I was very appreciative that when I asked if there was staff to play a 1v1 that Kyley stepped up for a game against me.

This arena uses Lasertron gear, so as you can expect a team game with only two people stayed fairly even, with us mostly running for bases and each of us trying to get through our shots as quickly as possible between reloads.

So it wasn’t the game in and of itself that was memorable, however the arena certainly was!

Bo’s has a really cool multi-level arena with an old-school kind of build. This is the kind of arena I love to play because it is unique and different…you just don’t see too many built this way!

There were multiple ramps and access points to get height, although the walls were also high enough that there were sections where I could not quite see over the barriers, which was no doubt a feature by design.

Lots of cutouts in the walls as well.

The brick design, cityscape and urban jungle theming were very comic-like and I wondered if a local artist may have had a hand with it.

By the end of that game I was really feeling energized. This visit to Bo’s was such a great way to start the day!

Then I continued on my way, driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains and soaking up some gorgeous scenery on the way to tagging through the rest of my day. :)

Comments or Questions?

Vintage Runner

For this week’s Museum Collection Monday, it’s time to spotlight a pair of Lazer Runner packs from circa 1999. It’s always cool to see how pack designs evolve over the years!

You can see more of this collection at LaserTagMuseum.com.

Comments or Questions?

https://open.spotify.com/show/0xzXT3aqGa2edIlXpcaJBS

Friday, September 5, 2025

The Photon Book Club Discusses “Thieves of Light”

Welcome Photon readers! Dust off your copy of Thieves of Light by Michael Hudson as the Photon Book Club discusses and reviews the standalone Photon novel on this week’s episode of Laser Unfocused Tag Talk.

ON SPOTIFY:

ON APPLE PODCASTS:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/laser-unfocused-tag-talk-with-tivia/id1632442213

ON YOUTUBE:

https://youtu.be/tvmxBeFrlxI?si=KNt-Q8jt87bSCAuP

Comments or Questions?

Monday, September 1, 2025

A Unique Experience

I can honestly say I have never had a laser tag experience quite like I did at a farm in the southern part of the Catskill region. I am omitting the name of the location, only because I get the impression they may not particularly be looking for publicity, and I think this is one case where we can just use the power of the imagination. Just picture me playing outdoor tag in a woodsy area on a sunny day while holding an iCOMBAT Barracuda.

FYI, these photos of a Barracuda box were NOT from our visit to this farm, but are rather an illustrative example from another site. I clarify this because of the VERY clear policy they have put forth regarding photos, which I will respect. But if you’ve never seen one before, this will at least give you an idea of what we used during this game.

This stop will not count on my arena list simply because there is no actual laser tag arena on the premises. However, I called ahead (as the website says “reservations are necessary”) and was ready for whatever game experience they had to offer.

After purchasing the game, the young woman behind the counter handed me two iCombat Barracuda units attached to Tippman paintball markers. She told me we could take them “into the woods over there” while pointing across the lot to a section of lawn and trees and then she said “just bring them back in about a half an hour.”

Um…huh? Well, ok. That now qualifies as the shortest briefing I have ever been given. This was definitely not what I was expecting. However, the equipment was handed to me ready to go and this is apparently how laser tag is handled here (and it’s obviously not my first time using this gear), so we ventured over to the wooded area to trade a few tags.

It had been a while since I’d played with a Barracuda, so I was pleased to get a chance to experience this equipment again, which I have always found to be simple, but enjoyable. It’s also a very easy option considering the lack of marshal or briefing.

I refamiliarized myself with the unit and the data in the self-contained game box, including the number of hits and ammo. It’s an easy enough system to understand, although I have never played it in quite so basic a manner. This is not at all a typical laser tag experience, though we enjoyed it for what it was and for the fun for which it was intended.

We explored the terrain a bit. It felt like there was probably ample space on the grounds for playing a decent game, but it somehow felt more appropriate to stay close to where we started.

This is a location that appears to primarily serve the local summer vacationing community and I suspect that I am not exactly their typical clientele, but I always appreciate having interesting and unique experiences with laser tag and this visit definitely qualifies as that.

Comments or Questions?