Interviewing Lord Beathan

I'd like to thank Beathan Miller (aka Lord Beathan) for taking the time to do an interview with me to discuss the early days of Photon and his time as manager of the flagship Photon center in Dallas, TX.

This interview is one of several new features on the website including scripts and vintage collectibles with some other exciting new additions still to come, all intended to help preserve the nostalgia and love of Photon. Check it out at photonforever.com.

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

Tagging with the Recruits

It may seem like February is too late to make a New Year's resolution, but since our Ascendance team has collectively agreed that Armageddon is not in the cards for us to play as a team this year I have decided to instead focus on another goal...playing laser tag in even more states on my way towards getting to all 50 (I'm at 20 so far) and visiting my 100th laser tag arena before the end of summer. I think this is very likely to happen sooner rather than later. I spent yesterday visiting my 76th laser tag center as I traveled to Ithaca to check out Barski's Xtreme Lazer Tag.

This is a small facility operating with Lazer Runner inside of a mall in a college town. I chatted with the owner, Dave, who told me that while weekend days are usually booked with parties, the clientele in the evenings is predominantly college students. And as it turned out this happened to be the Cornell University recruitment weekend so I was there in perfect time to join in with a group of college students and potential recruits who showed up to play.

I played several games with this group, both team games and free for all. It was fairly typical for Runner. Vesting was done in the outer lobby and upon activation you could enter the game space by passing through a standard arch with the center's logo at the top. Once inside I found myself meandering past the painted basic black walls that make up the maze area as I worked my way to the far wall where there was one gem target. I took a quick walk around the perimeter to get familiar with it and then just adopted a sweet spot in one alcove where I had some good sight lines to the other players and also to the base. There was a raised ledge against the side wall and a pillar in a least one corner that suggested that some of the structure had already been here and the arena might have been built around it. As my foot hit the ledge I realized that this space was very reminiscent of the experience I had in Ohio playing LaserTrek in an arena that had been built inside a former DEB clothing store. When I mentioned that to Dave he told me that this location was formerly an Abercrombie! So this may give some perspective to the size and design.

This is the kind of center that I think is probably best suited to casual mall patrons looking for a few minutes of interesting diversion to break up the day or to the kids and students it seems to cater to. It's been open for about three years now. I am glad I stumbled upon it as it did not appear on any of the partial site lists I follow, but everyone I saw there seemed to really enjoy themselves and their experience. And I really appreciate whenever I visit a center where the owner is right there taking care of the customers. Thank you for an enjoyable visit and as for those potential Cornell University recruits...I think you should admit every one of them as they were great to tag with. Best of luck to them all!

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

The Godfather and the Godchildren

This past weekend I got a new nickname. :) Not quite sure what to do with it other than appreciate that I got it from some young guys who meant it as a show of respect for my tag skills and that made me feel pretty good.

To be honest, I'm having difficulty being enthused about the local Force center right now, so I only peeked my head in just long enough to drop off a check for one of the other members (supporting scholarships is always worthwhile and this was a donation deliberately in lieu of playing at a special practice night) and I looked around thinking "...sigh." I probably don't need to elaborate any further on that. Then I headed off to play in the Zone arena across town and had the BEST time with the group who came out for the AYCP.

It began with a solid group of players and me playing with some fired up intensity right out of the gate. One of them shouted at me from across the arena "how high is your accuracy?" and I had to smile when Nate (the game master) replied for me shouting back "pretty high". But I look at that first game as a warm up when compared with the rest of the night. Things took a more serious turn when "Danny" (I don't know his real name, but his hair reminded me of NKOTB so we'll call him that for now) showed up with his posse of players (so let's call them the NKOTB) who say they play at the Force center, but I didn't recognize any of them. Anyhow, Danny was apparently the only one of the group who had played any other kind of laser tag at all so he came in ready to "teach" them and "school" the rest of us...I love that. He was my challenge. And I give the guy props, he was good. But I felt the "Bhodi Li" in me and gave it back just as good as I got and by the end of the first game he seemed to recognize that I had some skills of my own. Not sure if he intended this as a backhanded compliment, but before the next game he said to me "wow, you ACTUALLY made me take my jacket off" ...like he didn't expect to have to work for it at all, let alone break a sweat playing against me. I nodded and asked where else they played and that's when he mentioned the other center (I nodded without adding anything to that) and some mobile tactical. But he was still giving off the rooster vibe, which I decided to just accept as my challenge mark for the night. Meanwhile, the other players who had been there earlier seemed to be taking note. Another game in they had noticed that I was the top scoring player of every game so far. That was when they gave me my new nickname. For the rest of the night they called me...The Godfather.

Now, I didn't go looking for this (and clearly none of these teenagers had actually seen the movie), but I have to say it was a little bit flattering. They went way overboard for the rest of the night saying things like "Godfather, we will follow your commands" and "nobody beats the Godfather". For the remainder of the games they were following my lead, always ending up on my team and one of them actually knelt down and bowed at my feet (does he think Godfather = priest?). I know they were just being silly and making it way over the top...but seriously, how often does a group of teenage minions decide that you are "all that" and follow you around all night? I called them "my Godchildren" ...which probably lets you know that I've not bothered to watch the movie either! :) 

So all night my Godchildren and I pretty much played team to team against the NKOTB (now that's a weird sentence for anyone who grew up in the 90s) and each game I now felt I had a duty to play hard enough to keep the top score each time (don't want to let the Godchildren down). And yes, I played a perfect night. Sometimes playing tag can really be quite a high and I had a great time focusing my energy and attention on just enjoying the game and enjoying the competition. Occasionally it's good to have a night that's a reminder that I choose to play for fun and not for drama. And that's why right now I am making the decision to play where I do.

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

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Contact

Speaking of Tournaments...

On the heels of having ANOTHER tournament canceled (yes, I'm rolling my eyes at you Syracuse) I made a resolution to find more competitive opportunities at other centers in 2017. Twenty minutes later I saw a post online and literally had this thought...

"Oh, a New Year's Day laser tag tournament in Ocean City, Maryland? I could drive 6 1/2 hours in the snow on my last day off and make it back on time for work the next day...(sees the pic), but it's Tron. Never mind."

Lol. But in all seriousness I want to wish a very merry Christmas to all of my tag family, both in New York and in other states. Let's practice hard and get ready to make a good showing at events in the new year. Here are some of my favorite laser tag and tournament memories of 2016.

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

Timing Is Everything

I can't believe it has been over a month since my last visit to play tag in Albany. After they got the Helios Pro system installed I totally expected to be spending a lot more time there because I really look forward to getting the groove of that system down solid. Although playing with Rift/Nexus feels more natural to me, playing with Helios Pro is the direction things are going and I feel lucky that this is now an option for me locally and fortunately with the holiday I had a chance to get two good days of practice in this week. When I went on Wednesday night I felt like I was reacquainting myself with the rhythm. Zone is absolutely a game where timing is everything and in my opinion is even more important here than accuracy of your target. There is definitely a margin of splay with the beam and during one game I enjoyed a moment where I took out four college aged guys with one single shot and in unison they all shouted "What?!" like a moment right out of a sitcom. I smile at that as both my timing and targeting were spot on and the beam did the rest. However, I also had a rather humbling moment when my timing was way off. There was a girl who was not exactly playing the game, but hiding behind a wall just chit-chatting with the game master, Dominick, who earlier in the evening had commented to the group that I am "like a professional". That's why this was all the more embarrassing, but it really illustrates my point. I figured that I'd just get the easy points while passing by so I peeked around the wall and not only did I miss a really easy close range shot, but I gave up the window for her to shoot and deactivate me. Ouch! Just a reminder that to keep sharp, especially since I rotate between systems, that I need to invest the time in practicing not just at any one arena, but at all of them.

When I returned to Zero Gravity two days later I resolved myself to pay better attention to getting my timing down and this was a really good day for that. I got my best practice playing against a teen player who had already established his reputation with the group using the pack called "Shazam". He had a very good aim and consistently was making every shot against most of the players. While he didn't have the movements like an experienced player, he certainly brought plenty of skill. He was also clearly accustomed to winning. I like that because this presented me with a good challenge. I honed my timing during the first game when I had to swap out packs. From then on I felt very much on my game and like the rhythm of the game had gelled. It's tough to describe it, but when you play a game where you can time things correctly and, for lack of a better term "cycle" the shot rotation it feels like everything is in sync and that made for a really great time playing.

Before I left the manager Donnie hooked me up with my membership card a little early. Actually, they won't even be ready to activate the cards until tomorrow, but I wanted to have the first player membership card, so now technically I do. And getting it activated just gives me one more reason to return again soon.

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

My 75th Laser Tag Arena

I ended my day trip with a visit to what would become my 75th laser tag arena, Roseland Bowl in Canandaigua. Even though I am still a Finger Lakes chick at heart and this is relatively close by (only about two hours from home) I had not had an occasion to get out to this arena before now. So after playing a few rounds in Rochester I detoured this way to see what this arena had to offer.

I had caught them on a quiet Saturday and nobody was signed up to play when I arrived, so I asked if there was an employee available for a one on one. The manager sent in Max, who gave me a good game. I think I took him by surprise. He asked if I had been briefed...I told him I know how to play (it was Helios) so we entered the arena and he took off. That was a good sign that he was going to play seriously. 

It was a smaller arena, but a good use of space and maze with walls that I thought were really cool. The walls almost reminded me of a stereo design and I was told they were hand painted. I think that makes a huge difference to developing a unique atmosphere that doesn't just look the same as every other laser tag arena. 

We played a very solid one on one round and the manager wondered who got the high score. Max told her it was me and complemented my playing by saying "she is like (insert top player's name) times three!" The manager jabbed at him about his score against me saying "and you want to be on my Zombie team?" to which Max said "She should be one of our Zombies". Apparently they select top player employees to give the public a challenge as "zombies" around Halloween. I'll have to keep that in mind next year. ;)

By this point a group had shown up so there was a reasonable number of people to play a more typical round. I had a good time playing with them and it was an enjoyable way to round out this Saturday night. I'd certainly return to this arena another time and I think this was a good choice to play for number 75!

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com

The End of an Era...Farewell Laser Quest Rochester

I realize that if you look back on this blog you will find a post titled "Why I'm Just Not Wild About Quest", but I must say over time my appreciation for it grew and I am saddened to know the Rochester Quest will be closing their doors in two weeks.

So I made the trip out to play here one last time...or two because they are running a special to thank their customers.

The staff at "mission control" we're really appreciative when I told them how far I drove to play my farewell games here.

I haven't been here in probably about six months so my status as number 1 ranked member has dropped to 10 in my absence and inactivity. I wonder if I can do enough to boost it while I'm here? :)

So I took my game cards and got ready to head into the briefing room and play the arena for one final night.

And I had a great final time in the arena. After playing just one game my rank had jumped from 10 back to 1. (...and don't get me wrong, I still know my place when I play with REAL Quest players ala Potomac Mills...if there were serious members here the place wouldn't be closing)

Seems like a good place to leave things. :)

After my second game played against a rowdy group of college aged players who definitely thought they owned the game and were eyeing me when they saw what happened I enjoyed being called in first place again while the radio played Aretha Franklin's "Respect". :)

It was well worth the trip to have the chance to remember the good times I have enjoyed playing here in the past. I am sorry to see the Rochester location close, but I will look forward to the next time I play some Quest elsewhere.

Comments or questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

Blog: tiviachickloveslasertag.blogspot.com