The Nexus Experiment (aka My Crazy Craft Project)

An opportunity presented itself recently and I had to bite. I have acquired a used Zone Nexus system! 

I will begin with the story of how this came about and then go into why I wanted it in the first place.

 

When I saw a post about a “for parts” lot of Nexus packs being offered for what I considered an incredibly reasonable price I got chills of déjà vu as it felt very similar to the Infusion opportunity I missed out on a few months back. I decided if I really wanted to make a move this time I had better not wait. My confidence was higher this time because I recognized the name of the seller as a gentleman whom I had previously interviewed who is also the head of a different laser tag manufacturing company. I searched my email addresses for his contact info and we made on arrangement that same night for me to connect with him as he was passing through my part of the country on route to doing another laser tag installation the very next week. Perfect! When I met up with him we loaded up my car with 15 packs, a full charging rack, the radio receiver and a big box of spare parts. 

 

Now, this is only half the battle because you’ll note I did not mention a computer. Acquiring a proper Zone license and software will be a follow up step if I want this to work correctly, but in the short term I am happy to just get the bulk of the equipment in hand so I can play around with it.

 

The next day I connected on Zoom with General Nicolas a.k.a. Glendale a.k.a. my Nexus Guru. We had an unboxing event as I had not actually had time to unpack anything from the night before since I didn’t get home until 1AM. I appreciate Nick’s knowledge and advice because, as I have mentioned many times, I am not a “techie” person. However, through his coaching me over Zoom I have learned a tremendous amount and have gained enough confidence to be able to open up one of these packs and at least check around for some of the basics that he has taught me. Thank you for that Glendale!

 

My first step was to try and get organized. Although my purchase came with a charging rack, this is not really practical for me to use at home. I am not trying to run a business, I am just a hobbyist messing around with these at my house, so I lugged the two big boxes containing the rack components up to my attic just to get them out of the way while I sorted through the remaining relevant pieces.

 

I built my own temporary rack out of PVC pipe that I had laying around, just to get the vests organized.

 

Following Nick’s suggestion, I began by numbering every pack, every phaser and every battery so that I could take a proper inventory of what I had. I had no illusions that this was going to be a simple “flip of a switch” process. I knew that the person I bought them from had taken them on trade “sight unseen” and no representations were made about whether any or all would be in working condition to start with. However, I am an optimist who loves a craft project! So I spent the next couple of days checking everything out.

 

Nick was surprised to learn that I had never tinkered around with the insides of one of these packs before, but really, when would I have ever had a need to? All I do is go to play with the gear at centers that take care of it all because that is their business. I have no business here whatsoever, so for me the novelty of acquiring this gear is very similar to a kid getting his first used car and learning how to change the oil. There’s something special about the process, but it is in no way a substitute for my love of going to an arena and playing my favorite game using properly maintained equipment. That’s why to me this is simply an experiment, a project and a learning experience. :)

 

After charging the batteries and finding out which packs were in the best shape I started up a demo game. Things I take for granted when I go out to play (like someone else programming the teams or color choice for the packs) took on a different significance as I did it for myself for the first time.

 

And with some modest success I was ready to take things a bit further, so I packed up several of the best vests and took them for a proper test where Jackal, Fox and Brendan were happy to help me out because of the novelty and nostalgia of what I was bringing through the door.

 

We had a successful test run!

I am satisfied that this experiment is working out. As I mentioned, the next step if I was being serious with this would be to acquire the proper license in order to operate these packs fully and the way they are intended to work with the radio receiver. So this project is far from complete, but I am delighted that as a hobbyist I have had an opportunity to play around with getting this started at all. What a girl won’t go through just to play some laser tag!

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

An Interview with Erik Guthrie about the State of the Industry and Laser Tag Day 2021

My thanks to Erik Guthrie, curator of the Laser Tag Museum and founder of International Laser Tag Day, for taking some time to discuss the state of the laser tag industry one year after the start of the pandemic as well as the upcoming International Laser Tag Day on March 28th.

https://youtu.be/-2PTF-Ge4WQ

This year’s International Laser Tag Day poster is themed around the concept that “We’re All In This Together” and celebrates a number of the major laser tag manufacturers. Breaking from the tradition of celebrating the history of any one manufacturer the poster spotlights the most current laser tag innovations of each.

 

The poster is available as a digital download at www.LaserTagMuseum.com.

 

I encourage you to find an arena to safely have some fun and play laser tag on March 28^th to join in celebrating International Laser Tag Day!

 

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

Tagging to 25 Miles and Donating My Hustle

I completed 25 miles of laser tag last night. It was the cumulative total of tracking my distance over six nights of laser tag and approximately 65 games. Achieving this in the arena simultaneously got me to 100 total miles logged for the Doreen Katz Memorial Cancer Foundation Miles for Meaning Team, which gives my goal a little more purpose as well.

I kept a running tally tracking my distance during each game on either my Fitbit or the Nike Run Club phone app. Why? Two reasons. First, this is modeling an example of how to approach Tag 4 A Cause, which I am delighted to say will be returning this spring! I have confirmed the next host arena and will be announcing the details including the next charity cause within the next few weeks. For Tag 4 A Cause all you have to do is donate to the designated charity, laser tag 5 kilometers (5K or 3.1 miles can be done in roughly 8-12 games) and claim your victory medal. By the way, here is a sneak peek of the medal design you can earn by participating in the next Tag 4 A Cause event.

 

Check back later this spring for all the info about this.

 

My other more immediate purpose is to keep racking up miles for my team. I am part of a team representing the Doreen Katz Memorial Cancer Foundation in a Kilter challenge called Miles for Meaning. While there is ongoing fundraising going on for each participating cause, at the end of the month of March the charity whose team has logged the most total points for their miles will receive $25,000 to benefit their cause. So getting to 100 miles was exciting because I earned 100 points per mile, making me the first on my team to mark that accomplishment.

 

Call me a “goal digger” because I am going to give it my all to put in at least 200 miles this month for my team (which will include running and walking, but also a good chunk of my miles will be earned in the laser tag arena). That’s why it was awesome to have had my initial goals come together during the same game of laser tag so I can say I achieved both objectives before leaving the arena last night. I am so pleased to be able to #DonateYourHustle for a great cause!

 

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

A Great Way To Fill a Few Idle Hours

I have been maintaining a list (or in actuality a wall map marked with push pins) of a good number of laser tag locations that I have plans to visit once travel restrictions loosen up a bit. Well, with the recent news of Pennsylvania lifting some of their rules, the timing was perfect for making a day trip into the neighboring state and part of that trip included checking one of those sites off my list by paying a visit to Idle Hours South in Scranton, PA.

Idle Hours South (formerly known as the South Side Bowl) may be better known as a bowling alley, but Philip (the manager) told me they took out six lanes in order to make room for building the 3200 square foot arena and incorporating Laserforce Gen 8. The laser tag is a new addition to their line-up of attractions as of May 2019. I took some time to walk around their two-level arena and was very impressed! There are two lower-level bases and one on the balcony-style half upper-level. Half the arena is hidden from view when you are on the top level, so there is cover if you need it, but most of the lower level is in clear view from up top. The CW design aesthetic was familiar, but what stood out the most was the lighting, which really makes it pop.

 

If you play tag at this site you had better not be afraid of snakes, since the cobra heads mark the base towers and snakes are a prominent part of the theming of this arena.

 

 

Philip and I suited up for a 1v1 game to start, which gave me a chance to earn another traveling achievement on my LF membership (my first one in well over a year).

 

It was a great time, although this game is always better with more people. So of course it was even more fun once this group of ladies joined us, enthusiastic and ready to have a good time!

 

This was an interesting game as ten players were divided into five teams of two. This variation on the standard format was at the group’s request and everyone really enjoyed. Philip teamed up with me so that we would have an even number of players and I knew how the game was likely to turn out, so I thought I’d offer a little motivation. I had a couple of my Tiviachick “Laser Tagging America” wristbands with me and offered them up as a prize to whichever team (other than mine) won or got closest. Boy, did THAT get them motivated! Big props to the Ice Team whose score was the next highest to ours. And big thanks to all these women for coming out to play some tag and making it a lot of fun.

Idle Hours South has a really great laser tag arena that is just getting up and running again in the wake of the pandemic. I’m quite certain that once people discover this site they will build a following and a member base very quickly. It’s obvious that people are wanting to get back to resuming some normal aspects of life including returning to their favorite forms of entertainment. Now that laser tag is part of the picture, I’m sure Idle Hours South will see them return in force…or perhaps it’s more accurate to say in “Laserforce!”

 

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

The Little Things

Years ago when I first began writing this blog I didn’t have any “adventures” to talk about. I started this out by simply writing about whatever little things happened at the laser tag arena the night before and figuring that my thoughts might be read at most by one or two of the regulars I hung out with on Saturday nights. Since that time, I have been so blessed to be able to cross the country and play in hundreds of laser tag arenas throughout America, meet some of the leaders of the industry and become involved with a wide spectrum of laser tag related events, so the focus of the blog expanded…and then 2020 happened and I wasn’t able to visit any new sites for most of the last year. Well, I’m looking forward to being able to travel again soon, but I realized last night while I was playing just a typical, quiet AYCP night at my local arena that there is still some magic to be found in the little things. You know, those little things that made me love going out to play laser tag in the beginning. So, let me go back to my roots and just tell you a little bit about “what happened at laser tag last night.”

I showed up early in the afternoon because I had a goal (I am still tagging my way to 25 miles and thought there was a good chance I might complete that mission last night…close, but not quite). Well, early in the day the public groups are smaller and I shift gears to accommodate. A mother with two little kids showed up to play their very first game and since I was there I went in with them, not tagging them at all, but just serving as a live moving target for them to cross paths with during the game. The littlest one was SO excited every time she got to tag me. I loved that! I know that family had a great time with their first laser tag experience and even if I’m not really playing I still enjoy being part of the fun that others are having.

 

Later in the night the groups got a bit larger (as the teens and young adults started to filter in) and two other little girls came into the briefing room looking wide eyed and excited to play. They had been in the previous game during which I had pointed them towards the bases and the beacons so they could get a few extra points. Well, they ran up to me before the next game and asked “are you an adult?” to which I had to laugh at the earnestness of their question! After contemplating for a moment whether I was passing for a teenager in the minds of these little ones I answered, “Yes, I am” and they asked if I would play on their team and help them. I said I would and for the rest of that game I had two pint-size players stuck to me like glue, soaking up every bit of advice I had to give about the game. They celebrated the success of a team win at the end and left the arena proud and smiling about their success! Those are really awesome moments to watch.

 

As the night went on the real games got underway as the older groups of players showed up for the all-night wristband deal, which is when the more competitive games begin…and this night they were particularly fun! There were a few unassuming looking teens there who were playing very well throughout the night. Then a group of college-aged (or slightly older), somewhat athletic looking guys showed up. They were fun, but very loud and boisterous and completely ignoring the briefing video, so I just knew this was a game where I could go to town and really PLAY. Those guys decided to play all together as one team (certain they would dominate the game) while the teens and I made up the other team…and we absolutely annihilated that game! Those guys never saw it coming. So, the next game they decided it would be better to mix things up a bit more to space out some of the more experienced players. That is how it happened that everyone agreed to team captains picking players for each team.

 

This was the best part of the night! Two captains (who I didn’t know) were assigned to pick their teams. One by one each of the players in the room was called up. However, there I sat, just like it was gym class in junior high. I know that to most people I probably don’t look very formidable and I also realize that nobody in that room knew anything about me at all (except for the game master, Ethan). I turned to Ethan and had to laugh at the absolute irony of what just happened…did I really just get picked last for LASER TAG?!? LOL, well now I was fired up and it was time to throw down and show them what I can do! Truth be told, I absolutely wrecked everyone in that game, playing hard and dominating that round simply to let them know that Tivia was here to represent! When the game was done and we were all gathered around the scoreboard everyone recognized the name at the top of the scoreboard…but what they still didn’t recognize was who it belonged to. These guys had been seeing me play hard, but nobody was making the connection between matching me with my codename. One player loudly asked “which guy is Tiviachick?” to which I was quite satisfied to let them all know that the high score player was actually me. Come on guys, I was the only woman in the building and the name is Tivia…CHICK! After that I got plenty of fist-bumps and respect for bringing my top game. And we had a blast playing out the rest of the night right until closing. Last night was one of the most fun nights of laser tag I have had in quite a while. Sometimes it really is all about the little things that make a laser tag center a place you want to return to and make more memories. While I miss being able to travel to explore laser tag in other arenas, I do love returning to my home arena. It’s like Cheers, where everybody knows your name…except on this night when apparently nobody knew my name, lol!

 

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

OK, I'll Be The First To Review...TAGGED (The Movie)

A couple of weeks ago a very “under the radar” video came to my attention (thank you to Jabber for sharing with the class). It’s a low-budget, quasi-movie called “Tagged” (from 2011, available on Amazon Prime if anyone is interested). Admittedly, this will only hold appeal for a very select kind viewership, but there are a few things about this movie that are worth taking a look at anyway. And since as of yet nobody has posted any feedback about this movie on Amazon, I’ll take this opportunity and be the first to give it a review here.

First, I’m not going to knock this movie for what is simply self-evident about it. It will immediately be apparent that this is a low-budget, amateur film with a marginal plot and probably local actors who are doing their best. However, I still respect that someone had a creative vision that included a heavy emphasis on laser tag, so kudos for that. I am taking time to share it here because there is definitely something of value running throughout the project and that is the inadvertent documenting of a couple of laser tag sites that are no longer around. Specifically, Q-Zar Tampa and Xtreme Adventures Fun Center in Lutz, FL that have both since closed down. Also prominently featured in the movie is Xtreme Fun Center in Largo, FL which thankfully is still in operation.

 

Let me give you a synopsis of the plot...

 

For teenager Trixie’s entire life, her mentally-ill mother has been raising her to believe stories about intergalactic wars and as a result Trixie has been brainwashed into thinking she is really an alien princess. Believing the stories to be true “Princess Trixie” has become a top laser tag player who is now recruiting other players to train using laser tag to become her team of bodyguards and together they enter a laser tag tournament.

 

Given my inexplicable love of the Photon TV series it should not be a surprise that on paper I was drawn in by the premise. I’m all about the idea of a laser tag playing alien princess. However, the delivery came off a little lacking. First, it is not clear from the start WHY the lead character (Princess Trixie played by Elizabeth Edwards) is being a Bossy B. It just appears that she is a really good laser tag player with an ego the size of Montana (and let’s be real, that’s nothing new in the world of laser tag). The story is not quite tight enough to ever be really cohesive, but her display of attitude is certainly relatable enough.

 

The real reason I stuck with this movie was nostalgia. Two of the three laser tag arenas featured in the filming are the final two places I visited during my last trip to Florida. After IAAPA 2019 was over I drove to Tampa to meet up with my friend Tracee and we spent the day visiting Q-Zar and Xtreme Fun Center. Watching tag scenes recorded in those familiar centers on the screen really tugged at my heart. 

 

So, if you want a peek at a couple of the Tampa area’s premiere laser tag locations, two of which are no longer in operation to play, then I encourage you to watch this film with your eyes focused on the background and the location shots filmed inside these classic arenas. Or if you want to watch a story of a laser tag playing alien princess with a bit higher production value then by all means go onto YouTube and find yourself an episode of Photon. ;)

 

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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

My Phaser Valentine

This week I received something really special…My Phaser Valentine! Actually, this is a one of a kind trophy that arrived on my doorstep, my belated prize from winning last year’s Laser Trooper Valentine’s Day Tournament. Talk about totally worth the wait!

Let’s hop into the “way-back machine” and remember back to a much happier point in time...I’m talking about February of last year, right before the world really started to change. I had taken first place in the very first Valentine’s Day Massacre solo laser tag tournament at Laser Trooper in Topeka, KS and had one of my most memorable travel adventures that weekend. This was actually the very first Laser Trooper tournament to ever take place in the United States. I remember making the spur-of-the-moment decision to rent a car and drive to Kansas when all the flights were cancelled due to bad weather on the east coast (and I arrived with only a half hour to spare before the event), making new friends with the other players which amazingly included someone from my hometown (what are the odds!), meeting up with friends in Kansas the next day and then proceeding on to even more laser tag sites and another tournament in Missouri before returning home. Sigh...those are some of my best memories of how life and travel used to be for me pre-pandemic.

 

The night of the tournament I was told that they were having a trophy custom made and they would send it to me in the mail...and then the pandemic happened. Obviously with lockdowns, temporary closures and the availability of the trophy to be customized during this time the arrival of the award encountered a bit of a delay, but I can honestly say that this was absolutely worth the wait! This trophy is a really special addition to both my trophy shelf and my laser tag collection. :)

 

Thank you to Kip and the team at Laser Trooper for having this completely original trophy made for me from an actual Laser Trooper phaser shell. He informs me this is the only one of its kind in the world. That is in no way an overstatement considering his business location remains the only place in the entire country where you can play laser tag using the Laser Trooper system and (at last I knew) is one of only three such locations in the world. So beyond commemorating the achievement of that night, it is also a remarkable addition to my collection of laser tag gear.

 

I notice and appreciate the little details like the addition of the souvenir game token from that event being added on the back.

 

Thanks also for the other special goodies included in the package. 

 

To me this trophy represents more than just the tournament event itself. As we are coming up on Valentine’s Day once again I am remembering back to that night nearly a year ago and all the things I was able to do just before everything changed. It makes me appreciate all those positive things that happened last year rather than only focusing only on the challenges we faced in 2020. I am thankful for the souvenirs and the wonderful memories of the laser tag experiences I have had including this very special one from Laser Trooper.

 

Comments or Questions?

Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

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