This week on Laser Unfocused Tag Talk we hear from Steve Barnhart, owner of Lazertag Extreme in Simi Valley, CA who stepped into the laser tag industry by taking over an existing business and bringing a fresh perspective to operating it. ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0xzXT3aqGa2edIlXpcaJBS ON APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/laser-unfocused-tag-talk-with-tivia/id1632442213 ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/6Q_aG7wV36Y?is=qwXXczIlZ35NV_-Z Comments o

I traveled down to Baltimore, MD to join some friends in giving a proper sendoff to a legacy laser tag facility that has meant a lot to many people in our laser tag community. Due to the closing of the Eastpoint Mall, we had to say goodbye to Ultrazone Baltimore, but not without a few loyal players turning up one last time to play on their final weekend of operation. Kudos to Jason Helton, a former employee of this site, for coordinating a final gathering with a nice group of

I thoroughly enjoyed joining in for some laser tag with a group playing at Monster Mini Golf Towson in Parkville, MD where we got to enjoy some Zone Helios 2 in an upstairs arena. I timed it perfectly to get into this game! The single-level game space was a nicely done, bright neon apocolyptic setting with cool props, interesting base housings and bonus targets around many of the maze corners. The colorful centerpiece structure in the middle is an eye-catcher that gives a hin

Ok, that title may only be amusing to me, but follow my logic. For the longest time I would take the same set of photos in the identical three locations at every Main Event I played. At that time most of them were following the same blueprint to the letter. If the graphic on the mural was in the wrong spot I’d say to myself (mostly in jest) “this arena must be a foot shorter.” In recent years many new locations have emerged for the brand and several have gotten updates to the

Early on in my laser tag journeys I remember visiting all five Shadowland locations between Maryland and Virginia. However, I didn’t really know enough back then to realize what things would be important to document. Now, as only the Gaithersburg, MD remains, I paid a visit with an eye on paying much closer attention, as it has become a rare and occasion when I have the opportunity now to experience playing Darklight. So first came the entertainment (playing the game) and the

When I paid a visit to Launch Family Entertainment in Herndon, VA I discovered that I was on my way towards another traveling achievement, as this is the first (and currently only) Launch arena operating using Laserforce. So I was excited to log in with my membership card and play some free for all in their “Attack on Atlantis” themed arena with Darwin, Laneyah, Kaitlyn and Leilana. My thanks to Kyle, the assistant manager who facilitated a chance for me to play a couple of g

Just a short distance from our nation’s capital is a laser tag arena that pays homage to the local area with some cool decor themed to fit the local area at Fun Land of Fairfax in Centreville, VA. With Air Force jets and naval ships decorating the walls of the arena, there is a sense of paying homage to the military, which makes perfect sense in this region of the country, just outside of Washington, DC. That’s why I took my souvenir eagle along as the mascot for this trip. I

It’s Museum Collection Monday and this one is a little bizarre. What I need to make clear is that this is NOT a mass produced item, but rather it is actually a one of a kind art piece that is intentionally designed to look like a cheap toy, as that is what the artist who created it is known for and also what makes his work highly collectable. This is a 1/1 signed “rack toy” piece created in 2019 by NYC pop artist, Morgan Phillips, better known by his professional moniker “The

These are not particularly vintage items, but they are my latest acquisitions, which is why I am showcasing them for Museum Collection Monday. I was recently able to add these two Cybertag blaster phasers, which are the first representations I have acquired for this indoor laser tag brand, manufactured by Laserwar. While Cybertag was introduced around 2015, I believe the black 2.0 edition debuted around 2018. For more laser tag history visit LaserTagMuseum.com. Comments or Qu

On this week’s episode of Laser Unfocused Tag Talk we must say “Welcome Photon Warriors” to Brian Martin and Will Loconto who share nostalgic memories from their time as players and staff at Photon Dallas over 40 years ago. ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0xzXT3aqGa2edIlXpcaJBS ON APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/laser-unfocused-tag-talk-with-tivia/id1632442213 ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/0Gxzy10RSpY?is=4zB6U7MNvHMzUWli Comments or Questions?