Tagging in Modern Photon Style

I was on an early morning flight bound for New Orleans with one specific goal in mind. I wanted to spend International Laser Tag Day celebrating the 40th anniversary of Photon by playing Photon emulation on a modified Photon-inspired field. At this moment there is only one place on planet earth where this could be accomplished and it is at Game On Social Hub in Kenner, LA. Louisiana, here I come!

I really love this arena. It is definitely Photon-inspired, but also has a really contemporary feel and takes my breath away every time I visit. I met up with Scuba and headed into the vesting room (I needed to wear the Tivia avatar today for certain).

Using Laserforce Gen 8 gear we were able to experience a game emulating the elements of Photon, which is exactly what I came here to do. :)

There is something really special about tagging around these towers.

As iconic as the atmosphere is, this is not simply an homage to the original. It is fresh and current, even going so far as to incorporate completely custom new elements. These hexagon targets (14 scattered throughout the arena in total) are a nod to the use of specific shapes within the theming, but they are a completely original approach created by Elias from the Game On team to integrate with their game system. This is incredibly innovative!

As the definition of “photon” itself describes a particle of light, it’s incredibly appropriate that in this arena they have opted to let light be the very thing that creates the theming (as opposed to decorating the walls with with extra images or props) and this is incredibly effective in setting a specific mood. It evokes a chill, classic vibe and I was intrigued about how it was accomplished. The short answer…THOUSANDS of LED pixels!

When I asked about the number of lights (and length of light strips) incorporated into the arena Elias told me that there are 8196 individually controllable LED pixels in the main tower alone!

There are 550 meters of LED strip on the walls, 200 meters of lights in the towers equaling 3/4 Kilometer of lights inside the arena, so roughly 1/2 a mile of LED lights. He also told me they are pleased to have the most individually controlled pixels of any arena in the world. That is no small statement, but then again, this is no ordinary arena either.

Davor and his family have put so much into this arena that really speaks to me, but particularly on a day that was all about remembering the past and celebrating the evolution of four decades of laser tag. Thanks to Davor and Pat, Ricky and Christi, Scuba, Elias and everyone at Game On Social Hub for making sure The Light Still Shines…literally!