this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2025
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[–] BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 55 points 1 day ago (8 children)

Laser tag.

It's really dropped off as a sport over the last thirty years. I think kids get the same rush from video games these days.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 34 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I think it was the cost. We would go do it but it was a bit pricier than seeing a movie or bowling or hanging at an arcade. Was great though. Super fun and great exercise. Our photon had coin operated guns above the arena so you could not just try and sit and snipe. I remember this guy who was so rediculously good at the game he beat my friends and I and his team was a bunch of kids.

[–] Zonetrooper@lemmy.world 8 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

I think it was the cost.

It was this. In fact, it was awkward all around. The dollar cost was high, you were stuck with the arena's schedule and openings, you had to add in time for travel to the site and waiting to get in, going through the suit up... or you could just log onto Call of HaloField Tournament 3 and get a similar hit but with more animated explosions and stuff.

I remember towards the end a few companies sold consumer lasertag kits for home use. I think one of them even had a "rocket launcher" with a little radio thing in the "rocket" to register hits? But they were also super expensive, never cross-compatible so good luck making a big team, and if one broke you were SOL because they only came in big packs.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 3 points 16 hours ago

I actually had the consumer ones. both the original and an updated one. Both on clearances (and pretty cheap). Played with my friends but it was not the same as playing together against another group of friends or random people that got grouped together.

[–] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 3 points 18 hours ago

There is outdoor laser tag now. I also haven't tried this, but apparently with a couple of Quest headsets you can play laser tag in VR in a large enough space.

[–] setsneedtofeed@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Airsoft has grown massively. While it is more of a whole day event, it fills that same niche but better in many ways.

Most lazertag places I remember seeing were inside or connected to arcades, and those really aren't a thing for kids these days either so it makes sense the lazertag places aren't as widespread as they used to be. If you're specifically going to travel to just do lazertag, you'll probably just travel to do airsoft or paintball.

[–] Zonetrooper@lemmy.world 4 points 20 hours ago

I really wish there was a good airsoft group nearby me, but it seems like the only ones who are close by don't play on a schedule that works for me. It's really frustrating.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

It's still big for kids. At least one kid per class did a laser tag birthday every year throughout elementary school.

omg my dad used to take me to laser tag so much when I was a teenager lol. it was fun

[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 day ago

Blazertag in Austin, Texas has been open for ever.

[–] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I played laser tag once and it was so incredibly underwhelming. I thought you'd see the laser in the air and I didn't see that. I much prefer airsoft. You'd probably have more fun playing airsoft with tracer rounds in the dark

[–] Vegan_Joe@lemmy.world 3 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Uh... every laser tag I've ever been to (even the cheap ones) had a visible beam as you shot.

[–] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 3 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

I probably went to one of the only ones where you couldn't

[–] 5too@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Iirc, the beams need to have smoke machines or foggers or something running in the arena to be visible. The machines where you went might have just been off.

[–] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 2 points 4 hours ago

Yeah there weren't smoke machines that was probably it.

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 day ago

last time I played neither my gun nor vest was working right, major bummer