Tiviachick Loves Laser Tag: Day 1 at the Family Fun Factory

Last month the governor of NY announced that indoor family entertainment centers in New York State could officially open (with guidelines) as of March 26th, paving the way for some laser tag venues to finally be able to open their doors including the Family Fun Factory in New Hartford, NY. The operators of this business had been waiting for over a year to showcase their new location and expanded attractions, so they were ready to welcome the public as soon as possible.

Prior to the pandemic closing most things down last March, this business was right on the verge of re-opening in a larger space than the one they previously occupied, so you can imagine that owners Joe and Nicole Belmonte had been eagerly waiting for this news for quite awhile. They opened their doors at 4:00 right on that first day and it was clear that the local community was ready for this too, as families were already there to support and enjoy their business within the very first hour of them being open. I was right there among them, looking forward to checking out opening day of their new laser tag arena where they have upgraded to Laserforce Gen 8 gear.

The new arena is significantly larger than the one they previously had and it has been decked out in dayglow colors across a maze of CW walls.

They have also added an assortment of “Tron tubes” into the mix.

It’s a single level, 3600 square foot space that is sized well for smaller groups, which makes it ideal for birthdays, but also very comfortable in the short term when a smaller number of players may be preferred.

At present there is only one base target, however Joe tells me there will be a new addition to the arena in the near future to allow a generator with additional targets which will be fun! There is also one VERY steep turret near the front entrance if you want to get a bit of height (and a great view of the entire arena).

One thing I was delighted to discover during our first game was that they have adopted Laserforce’s new level up feature. I was aware of leveling up myself, which helps to add balance to a game with players of varying experience levels, and afterwards I noted that one of the other young players who did very well in that game had leveled up also. He was excited to learn about the scattershot and I advised him of how to tag out multiple players at once using that button. He was really enthused about trying that out next time around!

I am really glad to hear that this site will be doing memberships. I’m sure I will be adding a new one to my collection, lol.

And when you are taking a break from the laser tag you can explore the rest of this 32,000 square foot family entertainment center that includes arcade, obstacle course, prize redemption and full menu for grabbing lunch or dinner...or having some pizza if you are having a party in one of the private party rooms.