The number one question we are asked by parents these days is, “What are your COVID procedures?” or “What events do you have that are “COVID friendly?”

The good news is we have good answers. Safety has always been a priority with GameTruck, going back to the very beginning of the business. In part, I created GameTruck because I wanted to create a party where my kids, and their friends could play together.

No one else. No strangers.

Not to be paranoid, but it is much easier to relax as a parent when you know three things.

1. Where are your kids?
2. Who they are with?
3. Who is watching them?

Now, we can add a fourth item to this list. Is the environment clean and safe?

I don’t know if it is possible to guarantee safety anymore, but what we do, and we have done is everything we can to keep our game trailers and equipment sanitized. We have been doing this since the beginning. While COVID might be new, kids spreading germs is not. All the same, our COVID Procedures are documented on our GameTruck website.

In a nutshell, keeping your family and friends and our staff safe is a partnership. There are some things we must do, and somethings you and your gamers need to do. If that sounds like too much, I will outline some other COVID safe options.

The steps we take to ensure a safe gathering are going to no doubt sound familiar. There is one other advantage to GameTruck, however. The trailer is not a public access facility, so you can fully control the guests who come into contact with your children.

What we do

Here are the steps we take:

• Limit capacity to 10 or fewer guests so everyone Social Distance. We do not allow packing the trailer with people. Your booking agent or local franchise owner can tell you how many may safely play together per CDC guidelines within the equipment available in your market.
• We always wear masks inside the trailer. (I hope I don’t need to explain this one)
• We wipe down every controller after each use to ensure cleanliness.
• We clean our hands with hand sanitizer frequently.
• We sanitize after every party – so the trailer is clean.
• Ask our staff to stay home if they are not feeling 100%

These can all be summarized in the following infographic:

What we ask you to do

While we do everything possible to ensure the game trailer environment is clean and sanitary, COVID-19 has taught us that safety is a community responsibility, and we all have a part to play.

Therefore, we ask our hosts and gamers to do the following:

1. Provide masks to guests.
2. Limit your guest list to 10 or less.
3. Ask all gamers to wash hands before and after the event.
4. Use hand sanitizer during the event
5. Make sure your mouth and nose are covered
6. Avoid touching your face (this is how most germs are spread)

Finally, if anyone is feeling ill, or developing cold or flu like symptoms, we ask that they minimize the spread of infection to others by staying home.

If you think you or your child have been exposed or may have symptoms of COVID-19, call your healthcare provider immediately.

We continue to pray for the health and safety of all our gamers and hope this situation improves soon.

Note: Regardless of whether you have received the vaccine, we will be holding these protocols until the CDC and local government officials change guidance.

Over the last year we have seen several people who do not wish to be inside for an event at all.

This is totally understandable, which is why we have two more options for “COVID friendly” events.

The first option is Laser Tag which is a great outside party I have written about before. It gets your gamers up and moving and it is more popular than ever.

The second option is really a twin option. In the fall of 2020 we launched GameTruck @HOME, our first contactless video game party. The concept is simple. We drop off at your home a case of video game equipment, cleaned, primed and ready to go. You play the games in your own home or backyard, and we retrieve the case for pickup when your party is over.

Recently, Nintendo partnered with us to expand the program to bring you GameTruck@HOME featuring Nintendo Switch – a completely Nintendo Switch focused version of this program which you will be hearing more about in the coming months.

Finally, if you feel you need assistance, we have a staffed version of GameTruck @Home called Gameplex. This option is similar to @HOME in that we bring the consoles and games to your house but this time, one of our professional game coaches accompanies the delivery and stays to manage the party. Game play is at your home, garage or backyard, and not in the trailer.

Conclusion

I hope over the course of this article, I have been able to give you a clear answer to the two questions most frequently asked by parents. Namely, what are your COVID protocols, and what COVID friendly party options do you have? We take safety very seriously, and we always have.

When our kids were young, I would joke with my wife that they were “petri dishes”. They always seemed to bring something home from school. I never imagined we would take cleaning with such solemnity. However, keeping the game equipment sanitized is nothing new to us. In fact, I am glad that people are paying attention. Community health is a mutual responsibility, but so is mental health.

I started GameTruck to play the best games with your best friends. Social isolation, and the pain of loneliness is no laughing matter.

Whether it is with GameTruck, or any other company, or privately, I believe we are healthier together. We run a human connection company, dedicated to helping you celebrate the some of the most important, most memorable birthdays in your child’s life. We take that very seriously, which is why we work so hard to keep you, and our staff safe.