Many people are surprised to find that GameTruck is popular with Churches. This is usually because there is so much negative publicity around video games that it is easy to get the wrong impression and think that all games are unacceptable.

The truth is that video games are a form of mass entertainment, like movies, books or music and there is something there to meet everyone’s needs. Let’s not forget, GameTruck can bring more than video games. Here are just a few of the kinds of events that we help host at Churches, Synagogues, and Camps around the country.

• Late night laser tag matches
• Gelly Ball battles for teens
• High school lock in graduation parties
• Video game fun for summer camps
• Tournaments of all sorts

What is so great about GameTruck is that we adapt to help support your local community values. If you want a completely Mario experience, we can do that. Minecraft? We have it. If you want to focus on sports and host a Madden, NBA2K, or FIFA tournament, we can do that too. And of course, with GameTruck @ Home, you can separate games for age appropriateness. The teens can play Fortnite in the Gym while the younger gamers can play Mario in the trailer. 

However, it is not the equipment that matters. The reason so many clients book with GameTruck year after year can be summed up in one word; Professionalism. Our coaching staff has an enormous positive impact on gamers. As adults who care about games, they often create a connection and validation for the players that is hard to come by. Our coaches understand the games, and the players passion. What is more, their professional approach to working these events makes it easy for your organization to host an event.

We understand that playing at Church or Temple is different than playing at home. Respect, fairness, and fun are all part of the package. Understanding that it is important that the whole program proceed in an orderly, predictable way is part of what people are looking to buy.

They don’t want equipment. They want happy, engaged kids, often times from different age groups. The dedication of our staff meets that need. They understand player interests and how to help them all play together and have more fun.

Whether GameTruck is part of a carnival, or the stand along attraction, our staff know how to manage moving players through the games at a steady pace to make sure everyone gets a fair turn. We have done events, morning, noon, and night.

Whether it is for a Young Life Laser Tag Camp Day, or a Reach the Teens game night, our staff can create an experience that gets everyone playing together in some good wholesome fun.

In all our events, we always strive to make gaming an easy option.

This might be why so many organizations have elected to put their entertainment faith in GameTruck.

We deliver stress free fun in a wholesome format.

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.