A Tag 4 A Cause Pop-Up at Laser Zone Canton

Even though Tag 4 A Cause began as an online virtual challenge, one of my goals is to take it to laser tag arenas throughout the country and host in-person event nights where fundraising for a charitable cause and the laser tag 5K challenge can go hand in hand. Another goal is to have a wide variety of laser tag systems represented with these events. That’s why partnering with Laser Zone Canton for a pop-up event was something I was excited to pursue because this is the only site in America where I could have players participate in Tag 4 A Cause while using LQ laser tag equipment and that makes this site particularly special and unique.

I approached owner Steve Norch with the idea of holding a pop-up event at Laser Zone Canton that would include a high score trophy contest to help raise funds for this quarter’s cause, the American Red Cross Disaster Relief. 

He was immediately on board for making it happen. I am working on making custom golden phaser trophies to resemble the specific system used at each host arena, so we incentivized participation with a chance to win this (as of now) one of a kind trophy with a unique phaser design on top.

I set up a space in the front lobby, right beside Mission Control.

Throughout the night we had participants of all ages making donations and joining the challenge, each hoping to pull the highest score of the night to win the trophy.

Before each game I had the chance to go into each briefing session and talk about the cause and the event in order to raise awareness for what we were doing.

And occasionally I joined in the game as well. After all, I couldn’t miss the rare opportunity to once again play this system that I thoroughly enjoy!

The theme for the night was “going for the gold” as players earned their golden medals and the staff brought out the golden victory phaser, which was actually my inspiration for the custom golden phaser trophy. We decided to have it on hand for the high score winner to hold for the photo at the end.

The winner of the high score trophy contest was Clint Oxendine aka HumnWizard with a score of 1413 points.

My thanks to everyone who participated and to the Laser Zone Canton staff for helping to make this event a success!

It’s great to work with arenas that care about making a difference and I am so glad that Tag 4 A Cause had a chance to pop-up at Laser Zone!

Just a reminder, you can still participate and support this cause between now and the end of December. Find out more at https://www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com/to-benefit-red-cross-disaster-relief.

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

Yes, LaserTrek!

I recently had the chance to play LaserTrek at what I believe may be the last arena in America still operating with this particular system… and it was completely unplanned!

When I set out earlier that morning  to drive to Ohio I had a laser tag itinerary already in mind, however by the time I stopped for a lunch break I realized that I needed to make some adjustments for travel time. So I started looking for other laser tag arenas closer to my final destination. That’s when I found the website for Putt N Stuff in Orrville, OH and this was the luckiest thing that could have happened!

I might have easily missed this one because laser tag at a mini-golf course in November would not have typically been at the top of my list. However, when I saw the orange and green packs pictured on their website I immediately recognized them as LaserTrek and I called the site to get the scoop. I talked with the owner, Dana, who confirmed that they were in fact using LaserTrek gear and I told him I would make a beeline for his fun center. Four hours later I knew this stop was worth the detour. 

I remembered several years ago another LaserTrek operator in Mansfield, OH told me that there were only two sites left using the LaserTrek brand, his and a mini-golf course, but I never got the mini-golf business name, so to stumble onto it like this seemed like fate. That is also why I believe this is likely the last site still using LaserTrek in the country, but if anyone can verify otherwise please let me know.

When I arrived I took a moment to look around and my heart leapt to see this stargate!

Needless to say, I had some questions! Dana told me that near the end of 2003 they had purchased the LaserTrek gear for a song from a bank that had acquired it from a Wisconsin arena that had gone out of business. By 2004 they had opened their laser tag attraction and nearly 20 years later the equipment (with some maintenance) is still holding up.

Inside the vesting room I got a closer look at the racks where the phasers are holstered to charge.

Because these phasers already have stripes, the repair job may be more camouflaged if you don’t look this closely.

So the phaser sensors may not work as well as they once did, but that really didn’t alter my enjoyment of the game. I’m more appreciative of the fact that they are continuing to keep this system operational. And I was able to clearly read the screen on the back.

We gathered together a group for a 2v2 team game.

And then it was time to enter the 3500 square foot arena that Dana and his brother designed with ramps, levels and lots of neon!

I really love unique, homegrown arenas like this and they did a great job! Necessity is the mother of invention, which often paves the way for ingenuity. At first I thought I was seeing some Tron tubes, but in actuality they built these similar structures using ADS pipe and a neon-painted cap.

One of the simplest decorations was the most impressive to me. Check out how they replicate the look of laser beams using neon string strategically positioned by their mega-base in the center. Brilliant!

Four bases were positioned in each of the corners and one mega-base in the center.

Let’s check out what the experience was really like!

https://youtu.be/ztFkXHbGxaQ

My team won our game!

And I was given a printed scoresheet (it has been a while since I’ve received one of those!), which mostly shows that I was getting my bearings (and cut me some slack as I was completely unfamiliar with this gear…and momentarily forgot we were even playing teams!) and my partner was carrying our team while I just played around, lol. However, I’m sharing it because it has some interesting info and may be the last one like this that I ever receive.

I am so fortunate that I stumbled onto this opportunity. Thank you to Dana and family for a really unique experience playing LaserTrek at Putt N Stuff!

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

The NextReality of Virtual Laser Tag

This may not be a traditional laser tag experience, but it is an incredible VR simulation! Circling back to my trip to Indiana, I had a chance to visit NextReality Studios VRCade and Innovation Center in Goshen, IN where I had a completely different “laser tag” experience while trying out three different VR platforms that each simulate laser tag in very realistic, but distinctively different ways.

I have had very limited experience with virtual reality up to this point, but I was thoroughly impressed with each of the games I played during this visit. They all had elements of laser tag incorporated with a distinctively unique approach for each one. 

When I arrived I was greeted by owners Damon and Crystal Miles who showed me around their game center, starting with a mid-size room where a group of young players were ready to join me for for a game of Hero Zone’s Quantum Arena.

Hero Zone VR games are mostly mission-style where a team enters the game working together to solve a problem or achieve a common goal, but Quantum Arena is played a bit differently. It is team vs team in a laser tag simulation that not only includes competition against other players, but also dodging obstacles like a rolling rock and walls that pop up to change the space you perceive around you throughout the game.

In this room the game is projected onto a screen against the far wall so that observers can watch what is taking place as well.

It looked like we were maneuvering around a stone maze. I enjoyed this very much and was really impressed with the graphics and the way elements of the game interacted with the players, adding an additional dimension.

Notice the tape on the floor, which is functional for helping the system to track player locations within the space.

NextReality is a beta-testing site for Hero Zone and one of only a select handful of VR locations that had the Quantum Arena game available as of the time I tried it out. I always love to get the scoop on something new!

Next we moved into a larger warehouse space with a free-roaming VR tag called Versus.

This was a bit more similar to a traditional laser tag with a glowing neon appearance inside the headset and a two team red/blue split virtual arena. 

Definitely a realistic experience! The colorful headsets are the second generation of the wireless Oculus Quest model they opt for here.

My final VR experience was a solo game called Pistol Whip using Mission X. 

This was just a sample of what the platform can do and I would describe this game as being like Guitar Hero with “guns”. I liked it because it incorporated using music, beats and rhythm to target computer-based adversaries.

Damon explained to me the way the feedback vest works, sending vibration to specific parts of the vest so you get the sensation of being hit in a specific place by elements that target you during the game.

After I sampled a game on each of the platforms I discussed them with Damon, who gave me a wealth of insight about each of the VR games they utilize at NextReality Studios. Here is our interview and some video of my game experiences during this visit.

https://youtu.be/zuoaKg0Ks1g

I want to thank Damon and Crystal for their hospitality to me and for the awesome souvenir I took home!

If you love laser tag this game center is definitely worth checking out! I would love to play more virtual reality laser tag and am so glad I had a chance to compare a few different styles while paying a visit to NextReality Studios. This was quite an experience and an education!

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

Rolling Through the RollHouse

My final stop on the way home from this trip was to RollHouse Entertainment in Solon, OH. Truth be told, I was hungry and really wanted to stop because I knew I could get a burger in their bar/restaurant. However, as the mama to a tiny dinosaur (aka my little gecko) I couldn’t resist an arena with this kind of aesthetic out front!

Having started my trip with a tour of Creative Works, it seemed very fitting to end it with a game in one of their arenas. Here you can see the same kind of base housings that were pictured in my earlier post in their raw wood state, but this is the finished product that really pops under the right lighting!

I can’t say there was much of a dinosaur theme on the inside of this arena. I kind of wish the aesthetic had carried over from the entrance. However, this double level arena really looked sharp.

I got a pretty good 1v1 game with a staff member playing Gen 7 Laserforce.

Kudos to him for bringing his best game! We covered that entire arena, going up and down the ramps and utilizing every inch of the space for our game.

And at the end I did indeed get a fantastic burger! So my trip ended very nicely with this visit to RollHouse Entertainment and I hope to visit more of their locations next time I pass through Ohio. 

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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