Code Yellow: A Tournament for Whitney
It was back in November that I first heard about a laser tag tournament fundraiser that was being planned in support of Whitney, a brave little girl from St. Joseph, MO facing a rare form of brain cancer known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). This captured my attention in part because cancer has directly impacted my family as well, so causes like this really resonate with me. Then of course hearing that I could support her fundraiser while playing laser tag sounded
Cookie Cutter Deja Vu
Because I love visiting laser tag arenas and I play to appreciate what’s unique and different about each one, I feel somewhat of a let down when I see the cookie cutter formula that is being adopted by a lot of corporate laser tag operations. I just find it unfortunate when I see the same design aesthetic repeated in arenas over and over again, knowing that there are so many ways that a space could be customized to make it special or distinctive. It’s like fast food…you alway
An Epic Night, Then PowerPlay The Next Day
There’s no better way to close out a full day of laser tag travels than to play even more laser tag with good friends. After visiting a few sites around the Kansas City area I met up with Miranda and Elaine for dinner and we decided to play a few games at Epic Fun in Lawrenceville, KS. We were treated to some free play in the arcade while we waited for the final session of Lasertron to start. Elaine opted to continue her winning streak in the arcade while Miranda and I suited
Tagging the Terror - A Behind The Scenes Tour of Survive KC
While passing through Kansas City I had an opportunity for a behind the scenes tour of Survive KC, a unique haunted house style experience that incorporates iCOMBAT laser tag equipment, which is why I was interested in checking this out. Located on the top floor of Kansas City’s historic Union Station, you can purchase a ticket for the experience on the main floor and then you will go up to the seventh floor that circles all the way around the grand hall where you can “battle
A Hidden Gem - Lazer with a Z
I had to go a little out of my way, but it was absolutely worth the trip to visit Lazer Force Lazer Tag of Osage Beach, MO near the Lake of the Ozarks. No, that’s not a typo…this is Lazer Force with a Z. Although they currently run Gen 6 Laserforce equipment at this site, owner Ron Wilson told me that when he and his wife Debi opened for business 18 years ago they actually began operating with a different laser tag system and the name is purely coincidental. At the time when
Tagging with Turtle Power
Sometimes walking into a laser tag arena feels like you’re entering a live action video game. Other times it’s more like exploring the labyrinth of a maze. Occasionally, it even feels like you’re going into a (friendly) battle. However, when I first entered the laser tag arena at Level Up Entertainment in Columbia, MO it felt to me like I was stepping into a movie set. In my opinion, what this site did best was execute a theme that I have not seen done before (and that’s quit
Laser Trooper Valentine’s Day Massacre Tournament
I arrived at Laser Trooper in the West Ridge Mall in Topeka, KS just in time for the start of their first ever Valentine’s Day Massacre Tournament, a fitting name for an event that was held on February 14th. The owner, Kip, was the first to greet me when I arrived. When I walked up to the counter Lane handed me my souvenir token for the event, which was a very nice surprise, as I always enjoy taking tag swag home with me. I think it’s very smart for them to offer something co
An Interview with Derek Petit, Founder of Adventure Sports HQ
I’d like to say a big thank you to Derek Petit, founder of Adventure Sports HQ for taking the time for an interview with me. He is the latest industry leader to be featured as part of the Laser Tag Museum’s oral history video collection. Check out what he had to say here! http://www.lasertagmuseum.com/oral-history/industry-leader-interviews/463-tiviachick-interviews-derek-petit-with-adventure-sports-hq Remember that new industry leader and collective interviews will be added
Road Trip! ...and Other Unexpected Surprises
I’ve just arrived back home from an incredibly memorable weekend laser tagging back and forth between Kansas and Missouri over the last several days. I’ll have plenty to share very soon about the entire trip and all the sites that I visited, but until I get a chance to write up all my adventures let me just give you a quick overview of some of the highlights and surprises that were part of my most recent round of tag travels. This trip certainly had a few unexpected turns! I
East Coast Tournament 2020
How far would you travel to play laser tag? For Laserforce players looking to enjoy the competition and camaraderie of this year’s East Coast Tournament (ECT) all roads led to The Fun Warehouse in Syracuse, NY and many of the competitors came from much further away than you might expect. Some players arrived from overseas and others from across the country to participate in three full days of Space Marines 5 games during this annual tournament event that had a few particularl
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