History of Laser Tag
Star Wars is a proud mother. From the scientific names of beetles to the conception of an actual religion; the franchise has helped create a number of cultural products. The series inspired generations of men and woman to spoof, parody and meme to their hearts content. It made light sabre combat a recreational activity and even played creative muse to poets, film makers and writers. It is safe to say that Star Wars is an inspiration machine. The sheer scale, inventiveness and magnificence of the idea behind Star Wars made it an absolute necessity for offshoots to be born. The game of Laser Tag is one such off shoot.
The Beginning
George Carter III, the inventor of Laser Tag chanced upon the idea way back in 1977 after watching Star Wars Episode 4. However, his vision was not realised until 1984 when the first arena based Laser Tag facility called Photon was set up in Dallas, Texas. The primary reason being that the technology used by Laser Tag was being developed by the US military at the time. The MILES (Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System) is an important combat simulation method that is still valued among the armed forces. It was not until 1979 that this technology was borrowed to create commercial products. The first toy gun that used infrared light and a corresponding sensor was made for home use. Irony being, they were called Star Trek Electronic Phaser Guns. Major film franchises had a way with weaving into the history of Laser Tag.
The Worlds of Wonder and Photon Era
Photon, although a pioneer in laser tag, faced stiff competition from a company called Worlds of Wonder In early 1986. Their marketing campaigns hailed laser tag as “The sport of the 21st century.” This marketing tactic was a rather attractive hook for the consumers at large as Laser Tag slowly caught on. Worlds of Wonder in particular took innovative routes with their ad campaigns; even going to the extend of suggesting that in the near future global disputes could be settled by means of Laser Tag tournaments. They even had a animated series called called Laser Tag Academy. Photon on the other hand, utilised their already existing loyal fan base they had cultivated through the company’s early years to sell merchandise as well as novels based on Laser Tag.
Going Out of Business
Both Worlds of Wonder and Photon shut down in 1988 and 1989 respectively. Both for different reasons. Worlds of Wonder ended up closing its doors because it could not survive the Black Monday stock market crash in 1987. Photon on the other hand got into hot water because their distributor, Entertech made water guns that looked like actual fire arms. Law suits followed after people began using these toy guns for robberies. Laser Tag began to lose its sheen and finally began to identify with its consumers as a passing fad.
Conclusion
Today Laser Tag is widely gaining popularity once more. Arenas are being set up across the world and the sport is more popular than it ever was. Of course, sans the goofy commercials and comics of the 1980s, the game being played today is a much different beast. And much like the new world Worlds of Wonder dreamt about with their commercials, there are international Laser Tag tournaments being held across the world. Laser Tag clubs exist that experiment with different formats of the game. DIY kits exists that will help you construct your own Laser Tag systems. It is safe to say that Laser Tag is a popular recreational sport that is not going away any time soon. And of course, Laser Tag is an important attraction of PLaY Arena. With corporates as well as private individuals enjoying the game with us when they can.