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Two In Tow & On The Go | Shoot your shot in Ocean5’s laser tag arena

 

“Once in a while, I’m blindsided (FFFWOOOSH!) and know that (I’ll) … be out of the game for a few seconds. Slipping around a corner … I duck into a passageway. Each player seems to take on a persona. I practice my Clint Eastwood moves: planting my feet at shoulder width, I take aim with both hands … wishing there were time to say, ‘Make my day.’ There isn’t. The game is over. … I am covered with sweat and a little pale … The scores appear on a computer monitor. (My score) could be improved. I’ll be back.”

–Austin American-Statesman / John Schwartz

… Sounds like the kids and I had one heck-of-a laser tag sesh at Gig Harbor’s Ocean5, right? But, no, that heart-pumping firsthand account is actually not my own. Instead, it’s straight outta 1984 when former Austin American-Statesman freelancer John Schwartz darted and dashed through the nation’s very first commercial laser tag arena — the now-closed “Photon Laser Tag Center” in Dallas — and wrote about it for the Texas newspaper.

But, crazy thing is, I could’ve written exactly that. Because minus a few charmingly-well done sound effects (“PPSSHEEOH!” “BAPIPPPSSHEEEOH!” “FWOOOSSSH!”) that Schwartz creatively used in his story, my own laser tag experience here in Gig Harbor was almost identical — a whopping 40 years later!

Last month, I suited up in illuminated backpack-style combat gear in good ‘ol  2024 with Bowen, the kids, Gig Harbor Now’s very own Vince Dice and his son, Dean, at the mega-cool Ocean5 entertainment venue at Olympic Towne Center off Point Fosdick Drive.

While I don’t have a ton of previous laser tag experience to compare it to, I can say with certainty that Ocean5’s laser tag arena is epic. And a for sure best-bet for indoor big-kid (and adult!) fun this side of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. 

Ocean5’s Laser Arena

Games of Ocean5’s specifically-titled “Laser Challenge” are available Wednesdays to Sundays at $15 per person for 30 minutes That half-hour session, or at least it was with ours, is made up of four, 5-minute rounds of play for a total of 20 minutes in the “Laser Arena” plus an additional 10 minutes of prep-time spent in the “Briefing Station” to watch an instructional video and to strap on player chest plates and phasers. Teams can be up to 20 players each of mixed ages and genders, and can include anyone — not just members of your party.

We duked it out with fun strangers in Ocean5’s surprisingly hidden two-room indoor arena just off the arcade. The deceptively large two-story battleground behind the otherwise mysterious flashy light-up door includes a high-energy* two-team game complete with wearable gear, sound effects, and even slick code names if you so desire — all in a glowing LED landscape of red versus green. It’s designed by New York-based manufacturer, Lasertron Inc.

Sporting tall towers to aim at, maze-like panels to hide behind, and sloping ramps to navigate, teammates work together in a point-nabbing mission “to offensively attack the opposing team’s ‘Base Targets’ while defending their own” to outscore opponents, according to the Lasertron Team Base Game video everyone watches together beforehand.

When your Laser Challenge reservation time opens up, players are led in one large group through that mysterious light-up door you may have always wondered about in the arcade into the elusive Lasertron “Briefing Room.” There, everyone finds their player number and corresponding gear, then shimmies it over the top of their heads before clicking their vest

straps into place at the chest and waist. While that happens, an instructional video plays on a flat screen on the north wall. The video’s instructions go fast, and I admittedly missed a few key points on how to operate my Phaser when I played there for the first time in 2022. But lucky you —I dug up that official Lasertron video (or one close to it) online so you can watch it and pre-game its edge-giving intel before you go.

You can thank me later with nice compliments and free coffee (just kidding). And, even with that extra prep, you’ll still have to watch the video on site every time. There’s no cutting corners in this high-stakes game of war!

Light-Hearted Game Play

Except, you’re not actually soldiers. In fact, there’s really no ‘war-feel’ to this game at all. And, for that I’m grateful. As a parent of an 8- and 10-year-old, one thing I really loved about our Ocean5 and Lasertron experience is it’s not steeped in sentiments of adult-like real world combat.

Much like the non-violent vibes of the Planet Photon of the past, Ocean5’s game of Laser Challenge is truly that – just a game designed for some playful fun. It’s effective in this design by creators who were mindful not to use words like “war” or “guns” or “bullets” in its play features.

Instead, in Lasertron lingo, players use “Phasers” to tag other players’ “Sensors” on chest, back, and shoulder plates. Tagging is done via bright-light “Laser Pulses” that blast from the Phasers. When you’re low on “Energy Units” (ie: health), you don’t “die.” Instead, you’re temporarily unable to use your Phaser until you “Recharge” via a quick dash back to your color-coded home base tower. Your vest makes a happy sound and then … viola! You’re back in the game.

There are even specific rules designed with safety in mind:

• Don’t run
• Don’t climb
• Don’t lie down
• Refrain from physically contacting other players/stay 5 feet away from them
• Don’t shield your vest sensors
• No gum chewing
• Refrain from vulgar language

Vince Dice’s Faves

For Dice, his favorite aspect of the game was watching the joy on his son’s cute wittle face:

“Laser tag is about his favorite thing to do among our semi-regular outings (like Ahoy Kitsap, the video game arcade in Bremerton, etc.),” Dice said. “He literally spends most of the time in the laser tag arena giggling while he’s running around …”

(Um. Adorbs!)

Then, in true newspaper editor form, he also gave a well-balanced answer of a pro with a con when asked for additional thoughts on their father-son laser tag experience:

“I like that it’s not super-expensive,” he said. “And they give you a solid amount of time. Thirty minutes – that’s pretty good. The only downside is, it gets very hot in there.“

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Two In Tow Tips

VEST & PHASER FEATURES

1. Tag Sensors – where you tag or get tagged with the phasers. Sensors  are located on the vest: Front, Back + Left and Right Shoulders. (The video says the phaser itself has sensors on the sides of it as well – but Idk if that means they’re tagging sensors or something else? I’ve never tried to tag someone’s phaser before – I’ve only aimed for the vest locations).
2. You’ll know it’s a successful tag when a burst of white light will emit from your opponent’s sensor area (or yours).
3. Speakers are located in your Vest Shoulders. The shoulder speakers say: “Great Tag!” after you successfully tag your opponent.
4. You also know you’ve been tagged when your vest vibrates and makes a sound – so take cover when you feel it!

LASERTRON LINGO REFRESHER:

• Phaser
• Phaser Special Modes
• Vest
• Tag Sensors
• Trigger
• Energy Units
• Laser Pulses
• The Ocean5 employees who start your game are called your “Referees.”

THE PHASER

When you go, the back of your Phaser has a small rectangular display screen that shows your Player ID, your score, and your current number of Energy Units (health) and Laser Pulses (ammo blasts).

PHASER SPECIAL MODES

You can change the firing modes on your Phaser to activate your vest with special abilitie such as:

• “Rapid-Fire”: releases a super-charged burst of laser pulses at your opponents sensors for maximum damage
• “Spy”: your vest takes on the opposing team’s color for a few moments so you can better sneak into their zone to score points. Wyatt used this on me and I totally fell for it!! That little stinker.
• “Freeze”: temporarily hinders an opponent’s Phaser.

FINDING THE SPECIAL MODES MENU

1. Pull the Phaser’s trigger for three seconds without pressing any other buttons. 
2. Continue to hold the trigger once a menu appears on the little screen on the back.
3. Locate two small round buttons on the front barrel of your Phaser 
4. Press the left-front button to scroll down through the little digital screen menu. Use the right-front button to scroll up. 
5. Scrolling through the modes, land on the one you want (make sure it’s highlighted) then release the Phaser trigger to select and activate the mode.
6. Tag away!

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Laser Tag History

It can’t be a Two in Two article without some fun history, right?

In a cool twist completely unrelated to our decision to play laser tag, March 2024 just so happens to be the 40th anniversary of commercial laser tag! Photon and its inventors, Texas resident George Carter and his technical engineer James Dooley, held a grand opening for their first Photon arena on March 28, 1984 in Dallas, Texas. Three months later, Schwartz, the freelancer I qouted at the beginning of this story, played at that very arena and wrote about it. 

Ever since, Carter has been a major niche-celeb in the industry. In fact, there’s a whole Laser Tag Museum about many of the “last-of-their-kind or prototype laser tag artifacts” from Carter’s 1980s franchise as well as other laser tag venues worldwide. The museum, based in Kentucky, has a Facebook Page and a website sporting all the old-school retro feels of tagging gear through the decades via “origional artwork, corporate logos, membership trophies and cards, tournament T-shirts and much more.” The group also has this free poster download with Carter prominently featured to celebrate what they say is a very special day in the industry this year. 

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The U.S. Patent

Carter and Dooley franchised and patented their Photon setup, named after a fictional planet where teams battle for points. (Ps. Did you know you can search for patents online at the United States Patent & Trademark Office?  I only recently found out, and what fun that’s been for a crazy researcher like me!) Photon Patent No. 4695058 describes their invention of commercial laser tag as a: “simulated shooting game with continuous transmission of target identification signals.”  

And how cool is the accompanying laser tag illustration included on the patent filing?! Upon a quick glance, it looks very similar to Lasertron’s Ocean5 arena, minus the original helmets and spacestation-y tunnels and tubes.

The 20/20 Episode

Carter’s Photon inspo first came to him in 1977 while watching everyone’s galactic pop-culture fave, “Star Wars.”

Seeking more about his thought process on that, I poked around the internet and found Schwartz’s 1984 article. But I also found another retro gem for your viewing pleasure – a YouTube video of consumer reporter John Stossel’s origional news coverage of Photon and the fascinating league folks who played there. In  ABC’s classic “20/20” television show, Stossel plays a sesson of Photon, interviews league players, and later sits down with Carter. The young businessman is asked to pinpoint the exact moment the idea for Photon came to him. And the year was 1977:

“In the movie Star Wars, the scene where they’re running down the hallway of the ship shooting the phaser pistol at each other with all the laser beams zapping down the hallways — (I was like), ‘Hey, that looks like fun,'” Carter told Stossel in the clip. “That’s the same game I used to play as a kid. But after an hour, the game would always degenerate. … I’d say, ‘I got you!’ And the other kid says, ‘No, I got you first!’ And with every argument, the game would end. And I thought, ‘Well we need to put this in some sort of context and get rules and keep score.'” 

Carter goes on to say that he couldn’t manufacture Photon gear and its physical arena back in 1977 because of something to do with the limiations of consumer microchip technology at the time. But then came the golden era of the 1980s (heck, I’m a 1982 baby myself) when Carter was finally able to make Photon a public reality. Intensive backend work began for the system began in 1982, followed by the first Photon arena debuting in Dallas Texas in 1984 and three years later the official laser tag arena patent was finalized in 1987. That same year, Wikipedia tells me that 70 franchise licenses for Photon were sold. Of them, 45 laser tag arenas popped up around the U.S. and in two other countries. Sadly, just two year later in 1989, a group called the International Laser Tag Association reported that “a lack of financing and loss of franchise revenue forced the corporation to sell off its assets and cease operations.” Photon-related comebacks apparently happened since that time, and in 2021 a documentary about it aired on the internet. You can see the trailer here.

All in all, the moral of this week’s column is twofold:

1. The 1980s produced some pretty cool stuff! 🙂 
2. You should definitely take your family to Ocean5 in Gig Harbor for a $15 game of Laser Challenge!

See ya there!

 

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