Inside the Circuit

About a year and a half ago I remember Larry Kirschner from Blacklight Attractions telling me all about a laser tag arena he was working on near Dallas. He sounded very proud of building a unique creation and I promised to visit once the location opened. It took me awhile to return to Dallas, but it was well worth paying a visit to EVO Entertainment in Southlake, TX to see what had been built.

When I arrived I was greeted by not one, but three managers (astounding because I had not told anyone I was coming) and I was led to the arena where I suited up with Lasertron gear.

Then I got my first peek at an arena that really is different from anything else I’ve seen. It looks like you have entered the inner workings of a circuit board and you get to tag inside the circuitry. Very clever!

While at the Amusement Expo earlier in the week, Larry had commented to me about the ways he makes a smaller space feel like a much larger arena. I paid attention to the feel of this space and could see how he had applied techniques including a raised platform to create a second level without a full second story…

Chain link fencing that makes an open barrier that is both like a wall, but also like open space to tag through…

And I also took note of the unique cutouts including triangular windows.

A group of young players joined me for a game and it was plenty of fun to do team shields up/down Tron, but the arena itself was what made the biggest impact on me.

After the game I was right on time to grab some dinner in town with Ricky and Jessica and by this point in the evening it was nice to just relax and visit for a while.