Wednesday, November 6, 2024

History of the Head Game: A Traveling Museum Collection Exhibit

This week for Museum Collection Monday we recap the recent mobile exhibit of the traveling museum collection that was on display during a regional laser tag tournament in Warren, Ohio. 

We also take a closer look at laser tag artifacts that were showcased. 


https://youtu.be/mCdlQBorpgY


You can also find this and other mobile exhibits (with more coming soon) featured on the newly added “Traveling Museum Collection” page at LaserTagMuseum.com.



Comments or Questions? 

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com 

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com

and https://tiviachick.wixsite.com/photonforever

Friday, November 1, 2024

The Restoration of the Stargate

This week on Laser Unfocused Tag Talk we discuss the relocation and restoration of a rare Laser Storm Stargate with George Raptis. We’ll learn more about how this piece of laser tag history is getting a second life, now on display as a fully-functioning arena entrance at Skyway Laser Storm in Warren, OH.



ON SPOTIFY:

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


ON APPLE PODCASTS:

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


ON YOUTUBE:

https://youtu.be/ks3kBNjbshg?si=_X12eJwH5UY8cYF9


Comments or Questions? 

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com 

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com

and https://tiviachick.wixsite.com/photonforever

Thursday, October 31, 2024

Happy Halloween!

Every year for Halloween this gecko mama comes up with a pet costume. Not gonna lie, this year it was quite a challenge putting a little laser tag pack on a lizard! 


In this costume she will definitely be seen in the dark (just a friendly reminder for those with little ones going out tonight).


This is not my first go-around coming up with tiny tag equipment for my little creatures. Here are a couple of previous pics with showcasing that they are multi-system reptiles!





Comments or Questions? 

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com 

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com

and https://tiviachick.wixsite.com/photonforever

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

October Regional Laser Storm Tournament

The October regional tournament held at Skyway Laser Storm was the perfect event to anchor my trip around. Not only was it ideally timed, but it gave me an opportunity to play again with some friends from the Armageddon tournament. That’s why our team (made up of Gumby, Shel, Woz, Cookie and me) was called the United Order of Armageddon.


As several of us are not what you would call “Storm players” on the regular, it was nice to play alongside more experienced system players. Gumby was no doubt the powerhouse from a competitive standpoint, but he really encouraged Shel to step into the captain’s role and I want to thank both of them for coaching this team into a place where we could hold our own against more seasoned Storm competitors at this event.


Six teams participated in the tournament: Duck, SOS, Ibprofin, UOA, Twitch and Collective Punishment. 


The map changes for every tournament, which is a feature unique to Laser Storm arenas built on a grid with barriers suspended from the ceiling rather than a constructed maze that can’t be altered (the way many other laser tag arenas are built).



So we took some time before things started to review the map and have a strategy session.




Our first round was against Team Duck, where we played against Clayton, Logan and company. We won our first game right out of the gate, which was an excellent confidence boost.



We faced all the teams in the round robin games.




We had some very close games! At the end of each round we would return to the energizer and check the final results.



During the break before the elimination round we enjoyed checking out some cool history at the site. I was certainly delighted about the Stargate.



And it has been very rewarding to see people taking interest in the traveling museum collection items I brought for a mobile display exhibit)



This Laser Tag Museum Collection display includes many vintage items related to the history of the head game with systems that utilized helmets, headsets and head sensors. This exhibit includes a few traditional laser tag examples from approximately the first the first decade of the game.



I took this as my chance to take a photo with two rarities. Here I am holding the prototype black StarLyte Pro. Getting a photo with both the StarLyte and the Stargate would be  an especially rare opportunity!



Due to time, it was decided that we would do a single elimination rather than a double elimination. 


We were in the first game and it was incredibly close! Even though this took us out of the finals early, I was really pleased that the score was as close as it was and that we kept so close all throughout this game. If we were going to be eliminated, at least we went out strong!



Final placements were as follows…


1st - Collective Punishment (well earned!)

2nd - Twitch

3rd - Duck/SOS


Third place was a bit of a “who’s left standing?” kind of thing, but I was glad to see the custom awards before I left. Notice a theme developing here?




There were so many really wonderful things that came out of this weekend and the tournament was the final piece of a really fun adventure in Ohio. 



I appreciate how welcoming the Laser Storm community has been to me at these events and I look forward to many more!





Comments or Questions? 

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com 

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com

and https://tiviachick.wixsite.com/photonforever

The Traveling Museum Collection

I have decided that in lieu of having a permanent display location for the Laser Tag Museum Collection at this time, I will take select pieces on the road with me for periodic mobile exhibits to be on display for in-person viewing at various laser tag events. This is what I will refer to going forward as the “Traveling Museum Collection” and I am excited to already have more mobile exhibits in the planning stages. 

My second opportunity to set up a traveling museum exhibit occurred at the October regional tournament that took place recently at Skyway Laser Storm in Warren, OH. The theme of this exhibit was “History of the Head Game: Helmets, Headsets and Head Sensors in Traditional Laser Tag from the First Decade of the Game.”



People really appear to be enjoying the opportunities to see these pieces of laser tag history!




A few items that were spotlighted for this display include Photon, the original laser tag game featuring a helmet with sensors as seen on this vintage pod.



Alongside it were examples of phaser shells and the wooden mold that served as the basis for the Photon v4 phaser design.



Although the museum collection does not currently include an example of Lazer Zone, it is important to acknowledge this company whose equipment debuted only about six months following the launch of Photon. Their equipment included a headpiece with target sensors.



Star Laser Force was the third commercial laser tag game developed, opening in Houston in 1985. This system also utilized a helmet.



Vultrek was launched in Australia in 1986 with a helmet and chest piece. A Gen 1 pack with an orange helmet was included in this display.



Laserforce Gen 1 and 2 also featured helmets as part of their first equipment designs.




Headsets were used in the original Laser Storm equipment, which was developed as an evolution from Space Sport.



And (although slightly past the first decade of the game) the Phaser Fun equipment similarly included a headset and battery belt when they launched in 1995.



From the home laser tag market, the Worlds of Wonder Lazer Tag StarLyte hard helmet is an example of another head piece from the history of laser tag and was displayed alongside two rarities from that brand. The black prototype StarLyte Pro Rifle (the last of its kind) and the white StarLyte Pistol salesman’s sample (one of six known to exist) were also showcased as part of this display.




I am so pleased to have had this opportunity to bring a variety of laser tag artifacts to share and display in person for the laser tag players and visitors in attendance at this event. Watch for more upcoming mobile exhibits as I continue to share pieces as part of the Traveling Museum Collection.



Comments or Questions? 

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com 

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com

and https://tiviachick.wixsite.com/photonforever