Photon was the original laser tag. Invented by George Carter III and launched commercially with the opening of the first Photon center in Texas in 1984, Photon became an iconic part of the 80s and started the laser tag industry as we know it today. In a Photon match two teams would maneuver throughout an arena with players wearing equipment including a helmet, chest sensor and carrying a phaser that would register points when a player targeted an opponent or the opposing team's base. 

 

At the height of the popularity of the laser sport the Photon brand was expanded as marketing moved towards a younger audience. A home laser tag game and numerous licensed merchandise items accompanied a new vehicle for promoting the Photon laser tag centers in the form of a space-themed television show of the same name.

 

The Photon television series was filmed in Tokyo, Japan in 1986, a project of DIC Entertainment, and aired in the United States. It centered around a teen Photon phenom named Christopher Jarvis (known by the player identity of Bhodi Li) who is recruited to become part of the Photon Guardians, an elite team of the best Photon players from planets across the universe who use their exceptional Photon skills to fight for the light in the battle against the dark forces of the universe.