Laser Tag Tag Gets Your Gamer Outside

Laser Tag’s popularity has exploded as people look for ways to celebrate outside

One of the surprises of 2020 for us has been a tremendous demand for Laser Tag. While people are avoiding large venues where they may be mingling with strangers, private parties that meet the CDC guidelines have been extraordinarily popular during COVID. While video games have been popular, this year we have seen unprecedented demand for our laser tag offering.

The reason is simple.

Parents want to get their kids out of the house.

Perhaps it harkens back to a simpler time when we used to play outside. When I was a kid growing up in the 70’s I remember my parents kicking me out of the house and telling me not to come back until dinner time. I even remember one summer when I raced back into the house after dark and my dad asked, “are you done for the night?” Not breaking stride as I ran to the junk drawer, I shouted back over my shoulder, “Nope just getting a flashlight!” My father’s response? “Okay kid.”

We have learned a lot about parenting (and no I never turned my kids loose like that when they were young) — the image of our children playing outside with each other I do not believe will ever go away.

So let’s take a look at what is making Laser Tag so popular.

This is Not Your Father’s Laser Tag

You are probably most familiar with indoor laser tag. With indoor laser tag, black lights and fog create an otherworld atmosphere where groups of players — divided into teams — compete with each other as they navigate a darkened maze. GameTruck Laser Tag is completely different.

For the Record: Laser Tag is not played in the truck!

GameTruck brand Laser Tag is played outside. If you actually look at the most popular first-person shooter (FPS) games today you may notice something in common with them. They are all played in very realistic environments. The days of hazy otherworldly space battles seem to be over, at least in the video game space.

In addition, at a GameTruck Laser Tag event, only your invited guests can participate. The event is private. You may find this shocking, but most people play it in the front or back yard. Like the old-school game of tag for which it’s named, you don’t need as much space as you would think to play.

The Taggers Are Safer Than You Know

I have a secret, but you have to promise not to tell your kids. Laser Tag units are basically TV remote controls dressed up to look like fancy science fiction blasters. They “transmit” infra-red light (basically an LED blinks on and off behind some optics) and “sensors” pick up the light and decode the signal to figure out where it came from, and who gets the credit for the tag.

The biggest risk the taggers pose is their weight. Seriously. This is why we have a strict no running policy. The rugged aircraft-grade aluminum units are light enough for a six-year-old to hold but they can pack a wallop if you get bumped with one.

Laser Tag embraced social distancing before social distancing was a thing. They are more fun to operate over long distances, and most players realize they are at a disadvantage up close because the software inside the tagger limits how fast you can pull the trigger. Strategy, teamwork, and communication are the keys to success in almost every laser tag game.

Gamers Love it

Kids who play video games, especially first-person shooter (FPS) games like Fortnite, tend to understand Laser tag immediately. They are familiar with the concepts and game modes. The chance to play an FPS like game in real life is irresistible. What’s more, the players are able to experiment with different games. They can work as teams, play individually, or recreate popular video game experiences like infection, or dreadnaught. Our coaches are constantly assessing the newest most popular games. They take away the learning curve so players spend more time tagging each other than figuring out rules.

Summer, fall, winter, spring — gamers play laser tag in all seasons. Each change in the season brings a different feel and a different texture to the experience. Dodging behind trash cans in the summer has a completely different vibe than building a snow fort in winter and defending your kingdom.

Parents love it

Finally, the number one reason Laser Tag has become enormously popular this fall — (nearly tripling demand) is because the kids are outside and moving around. Homeschooling, e-learning, and all that time in front of screens have been tough on everyone. What’s more, many of the public spaces we used to attend may be off-limits or closed. Laser Tag lets you create an active world in the privacy of your own back yard.

Parents tell them that the sight of their kids interacting with friends alone makes it worthwhile. Add to that they are burning calories and stretching their arms and legs as they move from hiding spot to hiding spot, and both parents and players have loved GameTruck Laser Tag. Supervised by GameTruck Staff who act as part referee, part coach, and part technical support, parents can sit back and enjoy themselves and their kids having fun. (Note: Some adults are even known to join in the fun!)

True Story

When I started GameTruck I was dead set against Laser Tag. I wanted to focus on being the best video game party company on the planet. You know how stubborn entrepreneurs can be. Yet, customers kept calling and asking for it. When our booking agents told them it was unavailable, parents still booked with GameTruck anyway.

That affected me in two ways. First, I thought, “Who does that!?” How many times do you call up a company looking for one product only to end up buying something completely different? I had mistakenly thought the parents were buying video game parties — the product we sold them. The truth is, they wanted help celebrating their child’s birthday. While they might have preferred laser tag, the parents wanted a successful celebration from a trusted company more than a specific activity. This insight has driven our company for over a decade and I believe it is the key to our long-standing success. What is the saying? 10 million guests can’t be wrong?

The second effect these customers had on me was much more practical and simple. I asked myself, “Why weren’t we selling people things they wanted to buy from us?” In short order, we added laser tag, and as they say, “the rest was history.”

Laser Tag Get’s Them Moving

The bottom line is that at GameTruck we are committed to doing anything we can to help you celebrate your child’s birthday. In full disclosure, depending upon where you live, some, or all of our services may be curtailed or suspended entirely. These are trying times. I think we are all looking forward to getting back to an open, safe, and free country where we can spend time with our friends again.

During this time of solidarity, however, where we are all making sacrifices to help expedite that day — and you happen to live in an area that allows small private gatherings like Laser Tag, you might want to check this out. Thousands of families just like yours have already found it to be a tremendously successful way to get their kids off the screens and outside playing with friends. I’m not just making that up. Our Net Promoter Score (NPS) ranks as an astounding 92. That is higher than Zappos, Amazon, Enterprise Rent-a-car, and many other national brands. It is certainly the highest score of any video game party company. What that means is 9 out of 10 people would recommend a GameTruck laser tag party to their friends.

Don’t believe me? If you have had a friend who has hosted a Laser Tag party, just ask them. You don’t have to take my word for it.

WHAT YOU ARE MISSING (WHEN YOU DON’T PLAY VIDEO GAMES WITH YOUR KIDS)

While we have expanded our stay at home lives to include as many outdoor activities as possible, it is video games that have replaced TV in our house.

We are blessed in my household. We have every kind of gaming system you can imagine. In fact, people often ask me what TV shows I’m watching during COVID and Truthfully answer, “None.” While we have expanded our stay at home lives to include as many outdoor activities as possible, it is video games that have replaced TV in our house.

While I don’t expect anyone else to go to this extreme, I do think it is important to share the tremendous opportunity you might be missing out on if you are not taking a few minutes to sit down and play video games with your kids. I heard from Jane McGonigal that while 8 out of 9 parents will go watch their child play sports.

Figure 1. Eight out of nine parents will watch their child play sports.

However, she also shared that fewer than one in nine will sit down and play a video game with them.

Figure 2. Fewer than one in nine parents will play a video game with their child.

This week my daughter invited me to play Portal 2 with her. I jumped at the chance. Not only because I love the game, but because games like Portal 2 give me several opportunities to connect with Rebecca.

First, I want to encourage her to explore a STEM career. She works hard and gets good grades in Science and Math, and she is extremely comfortable with technology. She has helped set her friends up to play video games, and the other day I through an IT (information technology) challenge that normally her brother would handle. She wanted a PS4 in her room (I have spares sadly), but she needed to separate my account from hers and copy the games over. I told her I would be there to help if she needed it.

She did not.

She went through the gyrations every IT manager goes through downloading updates, patches, copying huge files, having it fail, starting over again. It is enough to make you wonder why anyone wants to do that job. And yet, under her own direction she managed to get it all set up with no help (but lots of encouragement) from me. She was motivated to finish playing Persona 5. I leveraged that motivation to help her learn something about herself. She can tackle hard problems.

Playing a game like Portal 2 together, therefore was not only a chance to bond, but a tremendous change to learn something about problem solving. We could have done the same thing playing Minecraft together, but the point is, I sat back and let her take the lead. Playing together is totally different than going for a walk, or a hike, or tossing a ball around. Those are all great, but it’s hard to see how my kids problem solve and exercise critical thinking in the face of difficult challenges.

In Portal 2, you have to solve these fascinating physics puzzles – Snipper Clips on the Nintendo Switch is very similar. Letting her lead the discovery, and solution finding allowed me to see just how much she has grown up. As Rebecca is a teenager, I did not have to do as much emotional coaching as I did when she was younger. However, there were still moments when I became frustrated with the game and I could role model for her healthy behaviors on how to deal with challenges. I watched her use the same techniques I use. She slowed down, focused on her breath, and blead the emotion out of the situation so she could think. We have a saying, “high emotion equals low intelligence.” When you get calm, you can start to find the opportunity in the problem.

She always found a way through the level, and in truth she does a better job of completing games than I do.

After we would complete a “run” we would spend time talking about design. As a parent, my job is not only to enjoy the precious time together (I can still remember when she stopped holding my hand in the parking lot. Life goes by so fast), but to help build a bridge to her future. I have been blessed that by working in the video game industry I see video games completely differently than most people. Together, we could contrast and compare how games like Zelda create a sense of wonder and awe to how Portal 2 manufactures these “aha” moments that make the game so compelling and rewarding.

However, it would not matter if I worked in video games or not, because really all I am doing is connecting my personal professional experience to the “work” we did together in the game. And that’s the job. I have experiences she does not, and I see things that are not yet visible to her. I can use our shared experience to connect what she is doing now in the game, to what she could be doing in the future. When I hit a vein that resonates (like design work), we run with it. If we talk about something that bores her, I move on looking for connections between her interests and my experience where I might be able to help build a bridge to her future.

While not everyone is blessed enough to have every kind of video game system in their house (and multiple ones at that), just about everyone has a phone and there are a myriad of amazing games on phones. Most computers, including Chromebooks have access to awesome games, but if you really want to have an incredible experience try GameTruck @ Home. The contactless event will drop off a suitcase full of Sanitized Nintendo Switches at your house for a half day or a full day rental. The rates are reasonable (check gametruck.com for pricing and availability in your area). With GameTruck @ Home, you can get the whole family in on the fun and try out some amazing games like Mario Kart, Fortnite, RocketLeague, or Smash Bro’s Ultimate.

Regardless of how you do it, I can’t encourage you enough to make the time to sit down and reconnect with your child using video games. In no other domain of human activity do adults completely abandon kids like video games. I believe we can, and should make the effort, to do better. Your kids will want you there, and they will appreciate more than you know that you made the effort to join them in, “their” world. Plus, you just might get the chance to help turn that “waste of time,” into a bridge for their future. Today more than 200 colleges and universities offer tuition assistance for Esports (competitive video gaming) and 47% of Esport competitors major in STEM degrees.

Who knew?

(well I did, which is why I’m sharing it with you!)

Seriously though, it is more than fun. Building connections, especially in the family, has never been more important.

GAMETRUCK PARTIES – IT IS MORE THAN PLAYING VIDEO GAMES

What made GameTruck work however, what really made it take off were two parallel ideas. First, the configuration of equipment we brought – enough TV’s, consoles, controllers, and copies of the video games – were super hard for people to assemble themselves.

When I first started working on GameTruck in 2005, I focused on playing the best games with your best friends. As I have written about in many other places, it was my frustration with the “Family Entertainment Center” concepts that sparked my desire to do better. I wanted to recreate the fun and excitement I used to share with my friends at the arcade. In the 70’s and 80’s arcades held the latest in video game entertainment. What’s more, they were designed (most of them anyway) to be shared. When arcades died, much of gaming became about a personal, isolating experience.

With GameTruck, I focused on the best multiplayer games. Initially I wanted this to be a structured experience. Something the kids would have a hard time doing at home. I was concerned that people would look at video game consoles and think they could throw their own party at home. In truth, many still do. What made GameTruck work however, what really made it take off were two parallel ideas. First, the configuration of equipment we brought – enough TV’s, consoles, controllers, and copies of the video games – were super hard for people to assemble themselves. The very few people that invested in a set up like ours were “legendary” – meaning they were statistically irrelevant and not really our customer.

Most people would not spend that kind of money to invite over 15 friends once a year to play games. In fact, most of these “man caves” tend to focus on 3-4 people – everyone getting their own screen and console. Just showing up with everything 16 to 20 gamers needed to play turned out to be special. However, that wasn’t the only thing, let alone the most important thing.

What made a GameTruck party work was that we designed it for the parents. While the kids were connecting with their friends, the parents could do the same. As a recent AT&T ad joked, “word of mouth was what they did before advertising” – they could have easily said, “word of mouth is what saves entrepreneurs from not understanding marketing.” Mom’s told other mom’s how easy this party was to throw. I had been to just about every concept you can think of, and money aside, my biggest complaint – and the complaint of many of my friends? The mind-numbing amount of time you spent sitting around doing nothing.

American adults hate to waste time. A GameTruck party gave parents time. They could have their own party, or they could join their child in the trailer and play games. I recall one happy mother beaming because her son’s party gave her the two hours she needed to clean her house!

The gift of time for the parents, and a great experience for the players were enough to make GameTruck grow nationally into the company it is. However, over the last 5 years I have been watching and studying what makes for a great party. So many times, our talented Game Coaches and owners would say, “It’s the experience!” Well, there are lots of experiences. Someone running up and kicking you in the shin is an experience. Not one you want to have, but certainly it qualifies. What ever was happening for parents and players, it was remarkable for them. This summer, I think I got an insight into what is happening, and why our business has remained so strong for so long. Nathan Ullyot the Director of Parks and recreation pointed me to an amazing statistic. More kids are falling out of team sports at a younger age, faster than ever. In 2013, 45% of 15 year-olds had stopped playing team sports. In 2016, 70% of 13 year-olds had stopped playing team sports. According to the Aspen Institute, by 2020, 70% of 11 year-olds had stopped playing team sports.

Across the country, more kids are playing fewer sports at a younger age. What’s more, online gaming and social media can create the perception of an infinite supply of “disposable friends.” These are one-sided relationships that meet a specific need for a short period of time, but there is little to no expectation on the part of the child to reciprocate. What’s more, if the relationship becomes strained the children can “walk away” and find someone else to play with. With fewer and fewer children playing team sports, but nearly 90% playing video games – a GameTruck party takes on a whole new meaning.

Whole New Meaning

First and foremost, with a GameTruck party, nearly everything happens face to face and in-person. What is more, the Game Coach fills a very rare and special

role for the children. Video games are unique in that most adults have completely abandoned their kids to them. According to Jane McGonigal, 9 out of 10 parents will go watch a child play a sports game, but only 1 out of 10 parents will play a video game with their child. Children are crying out for mature adult leadership, recognition, and value in this area they are so passionate about. The Game Coach is not merely knowledgeable about the games, they are also an adult who cares about gaming. One of the top responsibilities of a coach is to help the players negotiate what games they are going to play together. The trailers only bring out multiplayer games. The kids will have to play together. What’s more, we have a policy of no lone wolves. Every child at a party is invited into a group and encouraged to play.

Of course, the environment encourages this type of behavior, but specifically it is the coach, their unique personality, compassion, and attention to the players that makes all the difference. Early on I recognized that when we hired Coaches, we wanted to seek out gamers with a “musician” personality. Musicians care about developing personal competence and skill, but they also hope to entertain others. Musicians also have another key skill. They are concerned with and focused on creating positive emotional experiences to share with others.

The combination of inclusion, recognition, and an emphasis on a positive emotional energy has made the GameTruck staff virtually legendary over the last 15 years. It is not uncommon for kids who attended a party to ask for a coach by name. Children remember for years who worked their party.

Think about that.

Can you even remember the name of the person who assisted you at the pizza-arcade near your house? In my experience the staff are hardly distinguishable from the equipment.

Conclusion

While GameTruck has delivered great parties for fifteen years, the shifting social dynamics of our children’s lives have never left them so isolated. I am firmly of the belief that friendships are made shoulder to shoulder, in the strive toward common interests that unite us. Through a long organic process, we have learned that our Coaches play an integral role in helping players unite interests and expand their friendships through play. We have so few opportunities to do this today, I for one, really appreciate the work of our dedicated owners and staff that care so deeply about making this happen for every child we throw a party for.