When one thinks of laser tag, he or she probably thinks of a dark, expansive room with black lights that illuminate neon accents and decorations suggestive of outer space. The game is usually played with any number of players entering an arena and â€œshootingâ€ their opponents via wireless transmitters. Although the traditional aesthetic of the game is somewhere between â€œStar Trekâ€ and â€œAlien,â€ Xtreme Laser Tag Combat, based out of Xtreme Asylum, is offering a different kind of game. Gone are the clunky vests, and in are guns fashioned to resemble real battle rifles.

â€œWeâ€™re not from the 80s,â€ asserts Operations Manager Matt Reinsmone. â€œWeâ€™re your favorite video game. The arena is set up like a modern battlefield. Thereâ€™s not a dinosaur in one corner and a panda bear in the other.â€ Tony Horn, laser tag coordinator agrees, â€œHere, you can play a video game in real life.â€ The two have been part of developing Xtreme Laser Tag Combat since January and are thrilled about the arenaâ€™s imminent opening.

Asylum Xtreme is generally known for its Paintball Asylum offering year-round and its multifaceted haunted house attraction every October. But when they noticed the indoor paintball arena wasnâ€™t getting much use, the team had an idea to not only make use of the space but also cater to a wider audience. â€œA lot of people come in with younger children who want something to do,â€ Reinsmone explains. â€œAnd this really opened our horizons as far as involving more of the family. And not everyone wants to go get dirty and run around in the woods.â€

And now that alternative is nearly ready to make its public debut. The arena and guns are set; all theyâ€™re waiting on is a headband, which is worn like a crown and replaces the traditional vest. Equipped with LED sensors, receivers and transmitters, the headpieces will create a sort of aura for players and allow for more in-depth interaction. Until then, the team is perfectly content to use the sensors contained within the guns to test the rest of the system.

You enter the arena, which is within an enclosed outdoor space, similar to a green house, and immediately feel immersed in a 21st century first-person shooter video game. Instead of alien tanks and rocket ship lookalikes, there are walls covered with graffiti and ammo crates piled to create cover structures. A discarded van sits near the entrance of the arena, suggesting an urban warfare setting.

Horn describes the development process as an unending quest for realism and crispness. â€œWhat we used to say is, â€˜If this place existed at Disney World, what would it look like?â€™â€ The attention to and passion for detail is evident. From the second story catwalk that runs the perimeter of the arena, players can aim their guns through the barred windows and target an opponent crouching behind a discarded oil barrel.

The realism is exceptionally palpable and makes for a laser tag experience unlike anything ever before. Whatâ€™s more, every game can be different as the technology allows for each aspect of the game to be customized â€“ from lives and time to magazines and bullets. Additionally, players have the option of switching their weapon. The physical piece remains the same, but it can have the range, effect and capacity of a shotgun, machine gun and more. Reinsmone contends that the site can replicate a HALO game to give players the ultimate video game in real life experience.

Furthermore, scattered about the arena are small digital boxes waiting for players to discover them. Each one has a button, and what happens after a player pushes the button is different every time. Some are an explosive, immediately costing you a life. And some simulate finding a weapon and subsequently upgrade what youâ€™re shooting with, just like in a video game.

The Xtreme Laser Tag Combat Arena canâ€™t open until the headbands are acquired, but Horn assures that that should be any day now. So get your kids off their Xbox and take them into the arena where they can (safely) start to experience their onscreen activities in real life. VT