My 600th Laser Tag Arena!

When I was deciding which laser tag arena to choose to be my milestone 600th arena played I knew it had to be something special. I was hoping to play somewhere unique and that’s why I chose Ultrazone Portland (formerly known as Clackamus Ultrazone) in Milwaukie, Oregon.

At the beginning of this year my friend (and former Zone Nats teammate) Noah had taken over ownership of this site, which further sealed it that this would be my choice. However, the fact that this arena is an original Ultrazone site that has been operating for approximately 30 years (since 1995!) made it all the more interesting to me. Simply put, they don’t build them like this anymore!

It literally took me all day to fly across the country from NY to OR to have this experience, and I assure you it was absolutely worth it! When I arrived I met up with another west coast tag friend, Than from the LF community and we went inside to meet up with Noah. I love that I was able to share this milestone with tag friends!

Towards the end of the night there were still several groups of players rotating through games. We were immediately able to join with this group for the game that would make it official.

We began with a briefing session where all the elements were explained alongside visuals up on the monitor in the briefing room before picking up our Helios Pro phasers in the vesting area.

On the wall just to the side of the risers is a picture window observation area to give a peek into the game in progress.

However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. When I got my first look at the arena it was a “wow” moment! First of all, I love crystals, so to walk into a space themed with giant crystal structures was pretty cool!

But the game had started, so I didn’t have time to stop and stare (yet!) and instead I set out to explore the over 5000 square foot arena and locate the bases. Found them! :)

If you notice the blue hexagonal light shapes moving above me, those are some of Noah’s recent lighting additions to make the space a bit more dynamic. This theme appears throughout the arena in different ways, such as this cool overhead structure in the middle of the lower level.

Lighting effects enhanced the base areas, all distinctively identified by unique base housings with proper entrance/exit routes for playing properly.

One of the most prominent areas to play, particularly for base defense, is the upper-level hallway.

It’s accessible by two ramps and gives access to the back of the red base with a good angle for defending the green base as well.

It wraps around with a catwalk leading to a balcony-style platform with a grated floor for tagging between the upper and lower levels.

There’s an excellent view of one half of this arena from above.

And it also allows for multi-level gameplay to be a little more interesting.

The Helios Pro beams were vibrant in this arena.

Of course that is particularly true when the thick blast of fog hits!

Most of the games were packed with larger groups, but I have to say, the final public game of the night was really delightful. Than and I went in with a small family group of a father and his two kids. I announced that I would be playing on the green team and asked “who wants to play on my team?” And both little ones excitedly ran over to the green packs to join me. Than and the dad picked up red packs. We played purely for fun and I loved showing those kids how to shoot the base and giving high-fives at the end to celebrate their success. THAT is what makes for special, memorable experiences for everyone. It’s not always about playing hard and competitively. It’s good to remember laser tag is simply fun for all ages, abilities and levels of interest.

However, once the public games were done for the night we stuck around for some special “after hours” late night games with the staff and a few local players ready to up the challenge with some special format games, which was really fun and I got to experience something different with this group.

Back to the vesting room!

We began with a game called “Insanity”, which was aptly named. This was my first time playing this format where the packs randomize to 4 teams…and then randomize every time you get tagged too! This means the colors are changing constantly throughout the game, which was in fact a bit of in-game Insanity. :) A few more special format games were played and everyone had a blast.

This was so much fun and in a lot of ways it felt really reminiscent of my first home arena (which was also a former Ultrazone in Syracuse), so this was a really special game experience. It had all the nostalgia blended with well-maintained equipment (no surprise, since Noah knows the tech part inside and out). This just feels like a laser tag experience is supposed to. Noah is doing a great job with this facility.

In fact, the entire place has the right blend of styling to appeal to players who have been coming here since the 90s (I think I see some hints of Q-Zar inspiration in this front counter and concession area).

But it also has a full arcade with about 30 games that grab your attention as soon as you walk into the lobby game room.

The three party rooms are cool, but the glow party room was by far my favorite.

I’m delighted to hear that this place stays very busy with birthdays and party groups, which are introducing the game and the arena to a new generation of laser tag players.

I am glad that Ultrazone Portland is the site I got to play as my milestone 600th. I’m equally happy to see that a legacy facility like this with a thirty year history of offering laser tag will continue to thrive under its new ownership. Portland, OR has a really special gem of a facility…and I’m not just talking about the crystals!