My trip began in Denver with a really amazing night of
tag in support of a really great cause, but I will dedicate a post specifically
to that night soon. At the end of that experience I got about four hours sleep
and the next morning I boarded a flight for Arizona. When I arrived in Phoenix
on day three of my trip I was met at Whipple's Fun Center by my family members from
Tucson including Mike, Ivon and their five kids. It was my niece Mary Anne's
birthday the day before so we all celebrated with some laser tag.
Although Mike and Joshua had played laser tag before,
this was a new experience for the girls. I helped them put on their Helios
vests and showed them what to do, then we all entered went the colorful arena.
The double level arena was decked out with all the CW
aesthetics that I have seen countless times, but the kids were definitely in
awe of the space and thought that it was very cool. I thought it was really special
to watch how they took it all in and immediately got into the fun of a family
game. Meanwhile, Ivon and the younger kids were enjoying the trampoline park in
another part of the center. We played a few rounds of tag, took a turn on some
spin zone bumper cars and all the kids really seemed to enjoy the arcade. I was
glad that I could introduce them to this place and see them really get into laser
tag. After spending some time visiting I set off to explore a few more sites in
the Phoenix area.
The next stop will also get a separate post because my
time at the American Paintball Coliseum was also a standout part of my trip.
Suffice it to say that this was a really fun time in a tactical environment that
I would love to visit again!
From there I headed off to Main Event Phoenix. I'm
glossing over it here only because it has all been said before. There was
nothing particularly new here. In fact, looking at these pics just give me a
sense of deja vu from the other Main Event locations I have played.
I appreciate getting to play Delta Strike because it is a
novelty I don't get to play in very many other locations.
However, the only really notable thing for me to say here
is congratulations to the player on the other team who tied with me for top
score. This game was tighter than usual, but otherwise pretty typical.
And from there the sense of deja vu continued as I made
my way to Stratum in Mesa (you see the last time I was in this part of the
country I played at Main Event Albuquerque followed by a visit to Stratum).
This time I got some additional insight into some unique aspects of their arena
and Infusion system, specifically their custom bases, so we'll discuss that
separately as well.
From there it was off to Laser Quest Phoenix. First I
remembered to ask about magnets! :)
Then I went into the game and found myself in a full game
that looked like it would be intense, but turned out to just be a great time.
And from there I decided to visit one more site and set
off for Uptown Alley in Surprise, AZ.
This place felt like a Dave and Busters kind of
atmosphere with bowling (I assume...I never actually saw the lanes), arcade, laser
tag and a bar and grill area where I got a burger for the road. When I walked
over to the tag arena I discovered that I would be playing on Rift with a group
of mostly teenagers and one VERY little boy who I would guess was about three
years old. Let me take a moment on this. In my opinion this child was probably
too young to be playing with this group and certainly too young to be doing so
without a parent (although I believe one of the teenage girls was probably his
sister who should have been watching him). This was not an especially
aggressive game, but there were much bigger players moving quickly and I
worried that this child might get overrun by the teenagers, so I kept my eye on
him during the game. He had no idea what he was doing and aimed the phaser
without having a clue how to hold it, but watching this gave me an idea. I was able
to see everything that was going on from a distance as there was a good view
from the top level of their two floor arena.
So, I watched this boy aim his phaser at various players
throughout the game. From where I was positioned above them I could easily tag
the other player out for him. It was great fun because the little boy thought
that he was the one who got the shot so he was very happy and proud of himself.
And even better, I think the older players also thought that he was the one
getting the shot since their attention was on him and they never saw me giving
him an assist from above. So for a good part of the game I would
"help" him to get tags, which made him feel good about the game and
made me feel better that he wasn't getting trampled. Although I still think he
was too young for playing alone in this particular group I am glad that he had
fun. I had a good time too. And once I got my "Uppy Burger" from the
grill I was off again to the airport to return home after a wonderful weekend
of memories and experiences tagging from Denver to Phoenix and having a blast
every step of the way.
Comments or Questions?
Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com
Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and
www.photonforever.com
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