Planning Past the Summer

As the United States begins to open again and people return to meet with friends and family, it seems fairly obvious that there is one area of our lives that many will miss out on the big reunion this summer. Schools. In many parts of the country, schools never quite got back to full in person classrooms and they ended just as summer arrived. With more people being vaccinated, we are looking ahead to anticipate what school will be like in the fall. While many are still being cautious, it feels inevitable that students will be returning to campus, following the lead of the major universities.

I bring this up now, because six to eight weeks from now is when school will be back in full tilt. In all my years of GameTruck, I have never seen a summer like this. Demand remains remarkably high as people reconnect and reunite. It stands to reason that the same thing will happen once school starts up in September around the country. This will impact not only schools, but also birthday parties. When parents return from family vacations, that is the time to celebrate with friends from class.

GameTruck Goes to School

There’s no doubt that GameTruck is ideal for birthday parties, however over the years we have really dialed in the experiences for schools as well. School events are fundamentally different from birthdays in a number of important ways.  First, fairness and everyone having an equal turn is of utmost importance in school events. 

Having games that appeal to both boys and girls in equal measure is also very important. A birthday party can be a rowdy riot. However, at school no one wants a party to get out of hand. Therefore, our coaches work to keep everything fun, but orderly. The goal is to create a safe environment where all the kids are welcome to play.

To pull all this off usually means extra setup and tear down time to allow for entering and leaving school property. Pulling into a crowded school parking lot is quite a bit different than pulling up in front of someone’s house. The main point is that the GameTruck staff understand these differences and they work to make sure the event is accessible, orderly, and most of all fun for as many players as possible.

More than Video Games

The other reason to plan ahead, is that many GameTruck franchise locations offer a wider variety of services, from LaserTag, to Gelly Ball, some have Soccer Darts, and GameTruck @Home (which can be brought inside a facility). Planning ahead can allow a school to secure all of these services.

By maximizing the number of kids who can play at the same time, schools can really stretch their engagement dollar. 

Conclusion and Takeaway

As the reopening sweeps the country, more people than ever before are rushing to reunite and re-engage with friends. One critical part of our children’s lives missed this wave – the schools. While the fall semester may feel far away, in just 6 to 8 weeks, kids will be back on campus. 

Sooner than you think it will be time to start planning fall festivals, team celebrations, and fall birthdays. Leveraging our unique experience and staff, you can have an amazing event that brings people together through play.  

So, mark your Calendars and don’t wait until the last minute.

One of the most commonly asked questions I receive is, “how did you think of GameTruck?” What people really mean is how did I come up with the idea for the game theater. The reason I think it’s so surprising for people is that they experience GameTruck in the exact opposite order I thought about it.

Here’s what I mean. When you see a GameTruck mobile video game theater pull up in front of you house what do you notice? The giant billboard being pulled by a massive 3/4 ton pickup truck right? It’s this HUGE box. Then we open the door, and you get to look inside. Most people gravitate to one of two things first – either the first TV (because it’s playing an awesomely colorful video game in high definition) or the game wall, which is covered with scans of the video games available for kids to play.

Once you step inside the trailer, nearly everyone says one word, “Wow”. They now see all the screens. What’s more they see a huge couch (no arm rests) so all the players can pile inside together and play. Then they notice all the video game consoles. The combination of light and sound with so much choice immediately captures everyone’s imagination. Only after that do most people even notice the coach standing there, ready to help deliver an incredible party.

That is how the vast majority of the people experience GameTruck – from the outside in. However, that is not how I designed or thought of GameTruck. In fact, I started with something you can’t see. How a party will feel to gamers. When I ran Rainbow Studios, we had virtually none of this. We were a bunch of nerds playing games in our offices on a conference line over the local area network of the company. 

When I began to imagine GameTruck, my goal was break down barriers – like a truck crashing through walls. I wanted everyone to be together. (One of my fondest memories was playing ATV Off-road Fury in Robb Rinard’s office until 4 in the morning as the game neared completion and the tuning was near perfection). Playing games together was fun. When I started thinking about video game parties, it was not arcade cabinets or personal computers that captured my imagination of powerful new home video game consoles. How could I get these all-in-one spot? And how could I hook them up so they could play together? Halo could system link 16 players together on just four screens. Mario Kart Double Dash on the game cube could do something similar with the GameCube. Even Ratchet and Clank on the PlayStation 2 had a system link mode. Yes. That’s how long GameTruck has been running.

My point is playing together was, is, and will continue to be, the heart and soul of a great video game party. Once I had the prototype built in my garage, my next question was, “how on earth am I going to move this thing around?” In other words, once the experience was designed, we had to create a room for it. Preferably a room on wheels. The very first trailer was a 24 foot long two behind with generators in the back of the pickup truck. We learned quickly that was not an ideal situation as plugging, refueling, and managing separate power was a problem. Then we moved to goose neck trailers – ones that could be towed like a 5th wheel (for a fraction of the cost). At one point, we deployed class C motorhomes custom built by Jayco, the legendary RV company because most people are more comfortable driving an RV.  Think of how amazing our GameCoaches are! Pulling a 30-foot trailer can be intimidating!

During all this time, the vehicle did not matter. What mattered was the experience inside the box. For a little while we flirted with trying to charge different amounts for different trailer configurations but in reality, that had more to do with how we saw the equipment, not how the customers experienced the games or the party. What’s more, the different sized trailers were really tailored to make it easier to get places without compromising the play experience.

In short, I never cared much about the truck, or the configuration of the box – what mattered most was the experience we delivered to the birthday VIP and the guests. Why? Because people don’t rent a truck and trailer from us, or even video games. 99% of parties are booked by one person trying to make another person happy. No, more than that, they want party VIP to feel loved and cared for. We are not selling equipment but an emotional experience of love and wellbeing. I mean, when was the last time you woke up without a care in the world? It’s probably been a long time, right? And then someone says to you, “you get to do your favorite thing in the whole world with people who love and care about you.” How awesome is that? This is the business we are in. Helping people demonstrate through play the love and care they feel for the most important people in their lives. 

The simple truth is like a book, or most people, you can’t judge a book by its cover. The shape, towing configuration, and mechanics of the trailer and tow vehicles are, and always have been a means to an end, not the end in themselves. That is not where the fun is. The fun is inside. The fun is where the gamers play. And this is why we have been in business for 15 years and have helped more than 10 million kids play together. Because no matter the shape, size, or look of the outside of a GameTruck video game trailer, they all deliver awesome on the inside. 

If you are thinking about hiring us to help you throw an amazing party for someone you love, don’t get hung up on the equipment. It’s not the box, but what’s inside that makes it such a special party.

It feels good to get out. And while I don’t have any hard and fast numbers, on a recent trip to the airport, I can see that a good number of people are also feeling “free to move about the country.” There is of course, one caveat to that. Summer Camps. For a long time, summer camp was where working parents dropped off their kids, and they could experience fun, hands on programming and field trips. This year however, the loss of field trips has created a gap for many summer camps. It can be challenging enough to provide enough programming to fill a week but losing field trips has only made a challenging business even more challenging.

GameTruck @CAMP

This is where GameTruck and our GameTruck @Home program have really been a bright spot for camps and summer programs. Perhaps I should call it GameTruck @Camp! With students being kept on sight for safety reasons and to allay health concerns, GameTruck has been called upon more than ever to provide that much needed spark of interactive engagement. 

Here is what Miss Figs had to say about arranging GameTruck for her students:

Wow! What an amazing experience for our students. We had 2 weeks to plan for an end-of-year party. I called around and GameTruck promptly responded. No wait time which is crucial due to the amount of paperwork required. We booked, the owner sent the paperwork, and we were able to get approval at the last minute! This was exactly what we needed! Prompt, courteous service. On the day of the event, it was pouring outside. I asked the GameTruck staff if they could move the truck AFTER they had already set up to give the students coverage as they waited in line and the coaches moved with no complaints. The students had so much fun and not one complaint from the students. Bravo! Job well done. Made our last minute event a success!

Camps are Different from Birthday Parties

Providing services for organizations and businesses is often completely different from providing events for birthday parties. Believe it or not, the relationship of the group often affects the perceived experience of the party. Birthdays? They happen with family and close friends. The birthday VIP is treated… well like the very important person they are. This is inherently unfair! But we like it that way for a birthday celebration because it is a form of recognition and respect to let the birthday child pick their games, sit where they want, basically be treated like a King or Queen. If everyone has a great loud raucous time all the better! 

However, for schools, camps, churches, the dynamic is different in important ways. First, communication and organization is important. Second, fairness, everyone getting an equal turn is a high priority. Third, game selection is largely not up to the players, but must be reviewed and approved by the host.  Games are set up maximize player participation and to be inclusive.  

This is one reason our Game Coaches make such an important difference. They understand how important a smooth-running operation is.  They have the experience to know what games kids will love to play, and they can move players in and out of the games quickly and efficiently.   What’s more, as in the example above, they are accustomed to going the extra mile to make an important event work for the clients.

In addition to the traditional video game trailer, GameTruck also offers video game systems that can be brought inside and setup. The Nintendo Switch is especially popular. This enables kids to rotate through a “game room” and play and have fun with minimal line up and transition time. What’s more our staff are present to help get players into games and have a great time. 

Conclusion Takeaway

GameTruck has spent more than 15 years learning how to create amazing events that engage and entertain players of all ages.  While our signature birthday parties are legendary, we also provide awesome services to Summer Camps, Schools, and Churches.  These events are managed with the same care and dedication that we pay to birthdays.  The player dynamics are different, and the games available to them are different.  We do a lot of work for organizers who care deeply about kids but know very little about video games.  Our goal is to make the organizer who said yes to video games look like a hero.  This starts by knowing what the kids will play that also meets the hosting organizations guidelines.

If you’re looking for something fun and engaging to fill the holes in your summer camp lineup, give us a call, GameTruck can help.