Imagine stepping into a live action video game and participating in a space age battle that is taking place all around you. That might give you an idea of what it was like to play the game of Photon. Photon was the granddaddy of the laser tag industry and the original laser sport launched commercially in Texas in 1984. Two teams of players (joining either the red team or the green team) would maneuver around a large, maze-like arena while wearing an equipment pack that included a chest sensor, helmet and battery belt (weighing approximately 15 pounds) while carrying a phaser that would transmit a signal when aimed at a target. The target could be an opposing player's chest sensor, helmet or the opposite team's base heralded by a tower of the same color.

 

A match would last for six minutes with space-age music setting the scene for an athletic competition to achieve the highest score. League play was very popular among players, typically in their teens or twenties. Photon paved the way for the laser tag industry as we know it today.