When Battle Company recently
debuted their latest laser tag model, the Alternator, I was of course excited
to get my hands on it to give it a try. I had a chance to check it our
firsthand, showcased by Joe McGeorge, Battle Company’s Chief Operating Officer,
while at IAAPA in Orlando.
The shorter body style and
lower profile design is what I liked most about this model. As I tend to play
more traditional tag, this new Alternator just feels more natural to me. It was
great to get to try it out at the trade show and I am looking forward to
discovering in which arena I will first get to play the Alternator “out in the
wild”.
I had an opportunity during
IAAPA to sit down with Rohan Kelly, Chief Operating Officer for Laserforce
International, and he was kind enough to share some thoughts about the history
of this company and where it all began.
I ended my trip with a final
stop at Spare Time in Greenville, SC. This location was about a two and a half
hour drive from my last stop in Georgia, so when I arrived just after midnight
I was lucky to land in one of the final games of the night with an awesome
group who were throwing down a challenge
before we even got into the arena.
About a dozen players entered
the briefing room and eight of them (all the other ladies) were putting on red
vests while the three guys all put on blue. I picked up a blue vest just to
even out the numbers when players on the red team said “join us, it’s gonna be
the guys vs the girls!” Those guys looked pretty confident in their chances. I
asked “are you sure that’s what you want to do?” OK, time to teach a bit about
evening the odds.
The red team was brought into
the arena first. I told the group that because there were more of us to be
targets that the guys had more potential points to go after, so our best
defense was to constantly keep their packs down by tagging in squads. I also
tried to teach them how to destroy a base. Not everyone grasped that part, but
they all took to the squad strategy like fish to water. Ok, game time!
We started on the far end of
the arena. I have seen this theming elsewhere, but I must say, here it really popped!
Those poor guys were not
expecting the melee that ensued. I did more than my share of keeping their
packs down, but also enjoyed seeing these young women get a taste of laser tag
success. It was definitely a frenzy kind of game, but so much fun! And we did
remind the guys that “you asked for it!” When I started this trip I had
expected to be flying home by way of Atlanta, so switching my plans to fly out
of Greenville was a last minute decision, but it worked out for the bast
because this was a fabulous way to wrap up the trip with fun galore playing
girls vs guys!
The
best game of laser tag that I played up to this point during my Georgia trip
was one that almost didn’t happen. So often the interactions that I have with
the staff have a tremendous impact on my impression of a laser tag site. This
was absolutely the case when I visited Bowlero of Kennesaw, GA and I had a
wonderful experience as a result of one employee’s dedication to providing an
excellent customer experience. I hope they make Austin the employee of the month!
When
I arrived and said I wanted to play a game of laser tag he apologized and told
me the laser tag was down. What?! I inquired about the reason and was told that
it was because several of the packs were not working. I looked over at the
monitor and saw they were running an end-of-life system (that happens to also
be my sentimental favorite) so I explained to him that I understand exactly
what the situation is, but also that I was not concerned at all with whether it
was functioning perfectly. I told him I was on my way towards playing my 500th
arena soon and I simply wanted to be able to play a game (even a 1v1) just so I
could add it to my count as my final stop in Georgia this night. I did not care
at all if the packs were acting quirky as long as I could trade a few shots in
a game. Well, when he heard why this stop mattered to me he made the decision
to place customer service first and took me back to the arena for a 1v1 game
and it truly was the best game I had played all day!
As
we entered the briefing room I told him that if the Legend pack was functioning
at all that I wanted to play on that one, so he looked for my pack and found it
on the rack. He said he wasn’t sure whether it was working, but as soon as I
pulled the trigger my old friend Legend came to life in my hands and lit right up glowing red! Game on!
We
entered the arena. As
I expected (having played at many other Bowlero locations) their single level
space was a CW maze and the game flowed perfectly.
Austin
gave me some excellent competition, but I could tell he really didn’t expect me
to play for real and land shots the way I did, especially considering the initial
concerns about the system. However, this is MY system and I adored every moment
of this game (especially Austin’s surprised reactions every single time I
tagged him). The truth is, because Rift is at the end of its system life at any
arena where it is still in use, at some point it will be replaced and I will no
longer get to experience this version that still feels like home to me. That
was almost the case here. But for this one night I had a chance to love playing
on it again and I thank Austin for recognizing that for this one instance it was
worth making an exception. Following the game I ordered some food for the road and
thanked him once more for making it happen. This is why Bowlero of Kennesaw
will be memorable to me and I feel so fortunate that I got to experience it. Thank
you!!!
My next stop was Andretti’s
Indoor Karting and Games in Marietta, GA.
Although it was a little chaotic
getting into the game, once there the experience was great! I was directed to
the laser tag area where I had to take a place in line, so let me say the fact
that there was a nice long line for laser tag bodes incredibly well for the
popularity of this attraction. I was glad to see it! However, there was a long
enough wait that not everyone was entirely patient. A couple of guys who didn’t
feel like standing in the line waiting like the rest of us left, but a bit
later they felt entitled to cut back into line in front of those of us who were
patiently waiting once the game was called. This was a little inconsiderate,
but no worries…keep reading and wait for it.
On to the game experience. Once
inside the briefing room I immediately took note of a cool prop featuring three
monitors.
We put on our Delta Strike
Evolution packs prior to the briefing. Then the monitors came alive with a
vibrant space-scene video segueing into a character actor presenting a custom
video briefing specific to Andretti’s. If the ILTA were still around and giving
briefing video awards I would think this one would be a winner!
The actor in the video played
his part perfectly to set the scene and gave an overview during which he referenced
the “imposters among us” and at that point the packs randomized placing us on
two teams, not necessarily based on the color we initially chose. LOVE
THIS! It made a better team balance and
was a cool way to mix things up. As a bonus, once the packs had randomized the
teams I happened to be on the opposite team as those guys who cut the line. Karma had just given me two “extra special” targets to tag down
once the game was underway. Call that justice, Tivia style. :)
A garage door style entrance was
raised and we entered a nice, two-story arena with a fairly basic CW theme, but
a really nicely designed maze space on both levels.
This game had a good flow and it
appeared that everyone was using the totality of the space. It was clear that
not everyone fully understood the energy depletion component of this game, but
spirits were good and you could tell the vibe among this crew was positive. I
could also tell those two guys never saw me coming. ;)
In the end I doubt anyone
expected me to have the pack called Hulk, but I was happy to own it with best
player honors that game.
So, all in all, this game was
fully worth the time spent in line and I hope the laser tag continues to hold
that much appeal at Andretti’s. The facility was packed and customers have
plenty of activities to choose from there, so to see so many people excited to
play laser tag was really wonderful to see.
I have played at several Stars and Strikes locations before and I’m not sure why I didn’t already have the Dallas, GA location on my list, but as I was turning at an intersection only a couple of miles from my next destination I noticed their building on the corner with a big sign that said “laser tag” so of course I added one more stop!
Although not dramatically different from their other locations, it was a nice opportunity to add some Lasertron to my day. I was taken into a narrow briefing room with some cool wall graphics and a video monitor.
Then I had a 1v1 game inside a familiar looking arena (similar to other S&S locations I played) although not what you expect to see when playing Lasertron. It is a CW design instead and what I like most about this set-up is that it is such an unexpected combination.
Their space theme really pops and when I see this look I immediately now connect it with Stars and Strikes. Some multi-location FECs just have a distinctive appearance and this is what they have worked diligently to develop.
I enjoyed my impromptu stop very much. It also made up some ground to add this arena because by this point I had made the decision not to return to Atlanta tonight, so I was looking for alternative locations to visit instead of what I had originally planned. Somehow things always work out for the best and now I have one more Stars and Strikes location under my belt.
Over the weekend I had an arena owner ask (as relayed to me indirectly through a teenage employee) that I not do my blogging there because they didn’t know where those pictures would end up. SMH. No direct contact with me or asking what I’m about, but I respected their wishes and did not take photos.
I thought long and hard about how to handle this one. I actually had some nice things to say…and then I decided that this Seinfeld character just sums it up the best.
Ok, so here’s what happened. On my recent trip I visited two arenas that are affiliated, both with the same name and apparently the same owners. However, I will not call them out by name (in part because there are other centers in this area using the same name, but different owners), so this will be another nameless cautionary tale.
I walked into the first center and purchased a game. I was added to their game list and I had a nice exchange with the general manager. I told him I write a blog about laser tag and would like to take a couple of pictures following my game. He was delightful and (as is usually the case) quite happy to have me do so.
Although I had to wait about 20 minutes to ultimately end up in a 1v1 game with a staff member, I didn’t mind. I was already engaged in the unique things I was taking note of in and around the arena. For example, there was a Runner stargate at the entrance, but the score monitor clearly indicated the gear being played inside was Zone. I liked that there was a hybrid nature to this arena where they incorporated a combination of classic Runner arena elements with newer styling and really cool airbrushed art. This is the kind of distinctive arena that I really appreciate because it isn’t a cookie cutter design at all. That’s what my photos would have served to illustrate. I was even intrigued when I noticed some airbrushed phaser art painted above the briefing bench featuring the image of a CyberBlast phaser. I speculated that they had probably added this gear to the other arena (I was right). Based on that early experience I would have had a lovely story with some rather cool and unique pics from my experience to share. But then, later on…
I went to their other local arena. At first everything was fine. I bought a game (paying a premium for facility entrance too) and I was added to the list. At this moment I was once again the only person signed up, so I asked if we might be able to do a 1v1 again so I would not lose time because I still had two more stops ahead of me and they did not have a current game taking place. I don’t always mention it, but at this point I explained the reason I was here (my blog) and that I had a bit of a tight schedule to keep. I shared this to let her know I was just looking to play the one game and another 1v1 would be fine, hoping that would get things moving a bit quicker. The young girl behind the counter was very enthusiastic about the blog and asked if I wanted to talk to a manager. I said it wasn’t necessary, but that I would be happy to explain it if they wanted. No manager ever spoke to me. Another girl came up to me while I was still at the counter and confirmed that the way they handle games is to wait until one person signs up, then give it 20 minutes from that point to see if others might join (hence my 20 minute wait for a 1v1 earlier). Sigh, (wishing the 20 minutes BEFORE I arrived mattered), but ok, I understand and could wait it out. About a half an hour later (during which I had spent standing near the redemption counter waiting for them to call the game) I was taken in to play a game with a few kids.
We sat for a lengthy briefing session, at which time a third girl came into the briefing room and asked if I was the person with the blog. She then told me that the owners would rather I not do my blogging here because they didn’t know where the pictures would end up. SMH.
Although I respect that arena owners have the prerogative to restrict activity in their own building, this took me aback, especially considering I was made so welcome by the manager at their other location. I see their reaction as an uninformed wet blanket. I traveled into the Atlanta area for the sole purpose of documenting laser tag experiences. With or without photo permissions, you cannot limit my free speech, but this did affect my impression of the place long before I had written a single word.
Had a manager come to talk with me during that half hour when I was waiting near the counter I’m sure this would have been an easy thing to address. I carry business cards that validate my legitimacy and nearly 500 other arenas can’t be wrong, but instead I got this “shut it down” message relayed to me by a teenager from people who never afforded me a chance to explain further about what I do or why I do it. I asked if the owners were there. No. I asked if they had a card so I might contact them. “We’re not allowed to give out their number.” This was going nowhere. I started to volunteer my card, then changed my mind. If nobody had wanted to talk with me about this (bearing in mind I am a paid customer) during the entire time I had been standing there and waiting by the counter then I would simply oblige and not take any photos in the arena. It’s really not necessary for me to “prove” I played a game here. However, I had now been at this place for quite a while now (and in fairness, I was hangry), but decided to just play out the game anyway so I could count the stop and then deliver my message about my experience via the very blog in question.
I played. I didn’t particularly enjoy this game, but that was only because I was still stewing (and hungry, but no longer interested in spending money at their concession stand). I noticed little things about the place that I might possibly overlook if I’d had a better overall experience. And the whole time my mind wandered to how I was going to proceed with addressing my experience while unfortunately not sharing any of the photos from my previous stop at their other location earlier in the day either.
Well, I decided I can respect their wishes about not showing photos, but the choice to share my experience is mine alone. This is the reason that I did NOT even bother going to the third location (another center with the same name) that I had planned to patronize later that night. Instead I proceeded to go and play laser tag at two other arenas (one was at a competitor in the very same town) and I will just move on from the sour vibe that this interaction left me with because life is too short and there are plenty of places that DO appreciate it when I show up and give them free, positive exposure.
So that’s why I’m glad to have this video on hand that just sums up my feelings about the whole thing. “No review for you”…even though I guess they just got one anyway, I’ll hold my tongue from saying anything more. So there you go. Bonus if you are a Seinfeld fan too! :)
When
I decided that Atlanta would be a good place for a weekend tag trip, I had not
yet heard about the impending riots involving protestors angered by the police
shooting of an activist earlier in the week. My trip happened to take place on
the same weekend that chaos broke out in downtown Atlanta, so on the heels of
all this I have Georgia on my mind for reasons I never expected when I first set
out on this adventure.
I
feel quite fortunate that I stayed safe during my trip, avoiding the chaos and tagging
at arenas mostly north of Atlanta while reconfiguring my return trip so I could
fly back by way of South Carolina instead. However, I was not impeded from
having quite a few laser tag adventures in the process.
When
I first arrived, I rented a car and started driving north to Lakepoint Station
in Cartersville, GA where I found a unique building with a well-executed theme.
This
is what they call “Miner’s Mountain” and inside is a small, but highly
impressively designed arena where they run Laserforce Gen 7. I was a big fan of
this theming as soon as I entered the briefing room. The arena is decorated
like a cave with textured walls adding to the cavernous effect and crystals
depicted on the walls, most notably on one stunning wall where their targets
are hidden in plain sight.
Other
parts of the arena have depictions to enhance the mining motif.
Bases
are found in structures with rock-like aesthetic.
And
an upper level gives a nice view, but also includes convoluted spaces that make
this arena feel much larger than it is.
As
someone who has loved visiting (and mining for quartz “diamonds”) at the Herkimer
Diamond Mines ever since I was a kid, this arena really spoke to me. It also
makes me think non-traditional attractions (like those local mines, for instance)
could look at this as a very good example of how to incorporate a little something
extra into whatever your venue offers as an enhanced attraction that can be
spot on in theming and function.
Once
my game was done, I enjoyed some frozen yogurt as I went off in search of my
three favorite things in Georgia…peach pie, boiled peanuts and even more laser
tag!
Immersive arena experiences
make an impression and on this week’s episode of the Laser Unfocused Tag Talk
podcast we hear from Armando DiRienzo about how he incorporates this into his
TAC OPS Tactical Laser Tag arenas in New Jersey.
This is how my weekend started with a level 9 achievement in laser tag, but became a level 10 kind of experience.
First, I must digress like Sophia Petrillo talking about Sicily, only my story starts in a different city, also called Syracuse.
When I first started playing laser tag, I would go to the same center every week and play on the pack with the pre-programmed name “Legend”. You see, this was a site where memberships were not used so there was no way to sign in as Tivia, but regularly being identified and asked “were you Legend?” was certainly good enough for me. Eventually I started playing pretty regularly back then with Razz and Threll and since Razz preferred the Legend pack as well I was usually fine with letting him take it. But any time I visited an arena where I knew there was a “Legend” pack somewhere on the rack I would seek it out. Even as recently as my last trip to Florida, I wrote about playing at a site where upon seeing the screen displaying the system I announced “I’m on Legend!” before we even entered the vesting room.
Again, this only happens at sites where I can’t otherwise sign in with a membership card. However, last night I played one single game at my home arena signed in as Tivia using my membership and I still got to enjoy walking out with Legend connected to my name. You see, I had ascended to the Laserforce Level 9 status, which means that now my skill level designation is (ironically, harkening back to the beginning) Legend.
I knew this was going to happen this night. How? Well, when I left tag last week my average was 14,996 and in Syracuse you must achieve a 15,000 point overall standard game average to get to level 9. I have recently learned that our site’s requirements for level ascension are a bit higher than the default level requirements used at many LF locations, as these settings can be modified per an operator’s prerogative.
Typical Laserforce level ascensions look like this.
So, yeah…my average was FOUR POINTS shy of reaching the highest level on this system one week ago, so I knew if I played just one game it ought to push me over to the top tier, which it did. I didn’t mention this to anyone because, as my t-shirt says (thank you Jerrod), I was just Killing It Softly. :)
I hardly ever play only one game in Syracuse, but this night was different. Knowing I was so close, I wanted to get over there to achieve this goal, but I was only passing through briefly because this a quick stop for me on route to my final weekend destination of Corning, NY, home of the Miss Finger Lakes pageant, for which I run the sound as audio tech every year. I love returning to help this program because years before laser tag was my focus I was “killing it softly” on this same stage and now have the pleasure of helping other young women join our Miss Finger Lakes sisterhood.
You may have noticed that pageants come up periodically on this blog and perhaps you are also probably wondering “what does this have to do with laser tag?” Besides being the one other realm in my life where I’ve found fierce competition and friendships going hand in hand, I have enjoyed laser tagging alongside quite a few pageant titleholders…some even while wearing their crowns!
So imagine how delighted I was to learn that Miss New York 2022 Taryn Delanie Smith loves laser tag too!
There are a lot of parallels to be found between pageants and other competitive activities like laser tag. There is also a great deal of camaraderie. In fact, once our pageant was over we all gathered for snacks in the hotel bar just in time for this priceless reaction the second we learned live as it was happening that Miss USA had just been crowned Miss Universe!
Even though Taryn was 1st runner-up to Miss America (a completely different system than Miss USA), we were all excited to cheer on the win of another strong competitor. Sounds relatable to laser tag, doesn’t it?
Next time I’m looking for a laser tag teammate, dibs on Miss New York!
