Laser tag
Encyclopedia
Laser tag is a team or individual sport or recreational activity where players attempt to score points by tagging
targets, typically with a hand-held infrared
-emitting targeting device. Infrared-sensitive targets are commonly worn by each player and are sometimes integrated within the arena in which the game is played. Since its birth in 1984, with the release of the Star Trek Electronic Phasers toy manufactured by the South Bend Electronics brand of Milton Bradley
, laser tag has evolved into both indoor and outdoor styles of play, and may include simulations of combat, role play-style games, or competitive sporting events including tactical configurations and precise game goals.
Laser tag is popular with a wide range of ages. When compared to paintball
, laser tag is painless because it uses no physical projectiles, and indoor versions may be considered less physically demanding because most indoor venues prohibit running or roughhousing.
deployed a system using infrared beams for combat training
. The MILES
system functions like laser tag in that beams are "fired" into receivers that score hits. Similar systems are now manufactured by several companies and used by various armed forces
around the world.
The first known toy to use infrared light and a corresponding sensor was manufactured and marketed in 1979 as the Star Trek
Electronic Phaser Guns set.
In 1982, George Carter III began the process of designing an arena-based system for playing a scored version of the game, a possibility which had initially occurred to him in 1977 while watching the film Star Wars
. He opened the first Photon
center in Dallas, Texas
on March 24, 1984. George Carter was honored by the International Laser Tag Association on November 17, 2005 for his contribution to the laser tag industry. The award is engraved "Presented to George A. Carter III in recognition for being the Inventor and Founder of the laser tag industry".
In 2010, a news article appeared claiming that Lee Weinstein developed and opened the first commercial laser tag facility. In June, 2011, the ILTA posted the results of a public record request from the City of Houston showing the opening date for Star Laser Force to be April 16, 1985.
In 2011, the International Laser Tag Association developed a webpage dedicated to its museum and the origins of the laser tag industry.
In 1986, the first Photon toys hit the market, nearly simultaneously with the Lazer Tag
toys from Worlds of Wonder
and several other similar infrared and visible light-based toys. Worlds of Wonder went out of business around 1988, and Photon soon followed in 1989, as the fad of the games wore off. Today there are laser tag arenas all over the world bearing various names and brands, as well as a large variety of consumer equipment for home play and professional grade equipment for outdoor laser tag arenas and businesses.
that runs the equipment, the integration between the player's equipment and devices in the facility, the environment, and the configuration of the software that runs the equipment.
The resulting game play mechanics can result in anything from the highly realistic combat simulation used by the military to far-fetched scenarios inspired by science fiction
and video games.
Rate of fire
, objectives, effects of being tagged, the amount of lives, and other parameters can often be altered on the fly to provide for varied game play.
Specialty games include:
Capture the flag
– This where a player steals the opponents flag and takes it back to their own base in order to score a point or win the match (depending on score system).
Protect the VIP
– The team with the VIP must hide and conceal him for a set length of time while the opposing team tries to eliminate the VIP within the given time limit.
Stealth or Invisibility matches – Where the lights indicating a player's target sensors are deactivated.
Base-centric matches – where a team must defend a base while simultaneously attacking the opponent's base.
"Borg" matches – where players on a team share a pool of commonly held resources.
Juggernaut Matches - One player is allocated as the 'juggernaut' and gains points for staying as the juggernaut. Other players attempt to eliminate this player and thus become the juggernaut themselves. Similar to Domination-style games.
Elimination matches – where a player can become eliminated if tagged a certain number of times.
Domination Matches – where a player gains points for possessing a field target for certain lengths of time.
Role-playing
or Character Class
Matches – where each player's equipment performs a different function.
In all but the most basic of systems, the infrared signal sent by the laser when it fires is encoded with information such as the identity of the pack from which it originated. This coding allows for scoring and may also act to discourage interference from unauthorized devices in the playing area.
The dimensions of an indoor laser tag arena makes for close quarters
, so there is a large design focus on performance and game play under these conditions.
The Second Zone World Laser Tag Championships were staged at Megazone in Tampere, Finland over 30 May - 4 June 2009, with teams including Australia
, Sweden
, USA, and the host country, Finland
.
Results:
The 2011 International Championships are being held in Syracuse, NY, America. The dates for these events are the 5/11/2011 - 11/11/2011.
, with corporately-owned sites across North America, have operated the North American Challenge (or NAC for short) since 1995 and many local tournaments throughout the year. LaserForce has also maintained an international tournament scene for many years. LaserTron has also supported a tournament program for the past three years.
LaserStorm may have the most successful tournament scene, as they have regularly held ongoing regional tournaments in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado, Michigan, Florida, Kansas, California, Wisconsin, and New York for the past decade. The "LaserStorm National Championship" has also been played for over a decade, with the best teams from those regions traveling to one chosen host site every summer for a week long tournament to crown the yearly National Champions, and the best player in the country. The most recent Laser Storm National Tournament took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in August 2009, with Pennsylvania team "Dump Shuttle" taking the 1st place title. This was the 13th annual national-level Laser Storm tournament. Darkzone (the Australian name for Ultrazone) has recently had its 10th annual National tournament also cementing it as one of the most stable competitions running in the world.
Armageddon, a multi-system tournament has operated since 2000 giving players of many diverse systems the opportunity to play against each other in 10 or more different systems to see who is the best "cross-system" player. The tournament was founded by Ricky Vega in Dallas, TX and changes location every few years. In 2000, 2001 and 2007 the tournament took place in Texas
, in 2002, 2003, and 2006 it took place in Maryland
, in 2004 and 2005 it took place in Ohio
, New York
and Canada
, and in 2008/2009 it was held in the NY-NJ-PA region. Armageddon will take place in the OH-KY-IN region in 2010. U.S. Armageddon takes place every year on the week of July 4. 6–8 teams of 8 players per team compete over a four day period on these different systems. Armageddon is now also held yearly in the United Kingdom and in Sweden. Many Armageddon players frequently play in international, national, regional, and local tournaments for multiple systems and may travel to the multiple Armageddons through the year.
There are Laser Tag groups across the globe in many countries. Most clubs have some sort of site taking advantage of tools on sites like Yahoo, Google, Facebook, and Meetup, and a few have websites of their own. The largest most international website in the community is LaserForums.com. There is also a community wiki site, appropriately named www.lasertagwiki.com.
, claiming that they trivialise and encourage violence. It retracted this assertion a few days later.
Tag (game)
Tag is a playground game played worldwide that involves one or more players chasing other players in an attempt to tag or touch them, usually with their fingers. There are many variations...
targets, typically with a hand-held infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
-emitting targeting device. Infrared-sensitive targets are commonly worn by each player and are sometimes integrated within the arena in which the game is played. Since its birth in 1984, with the release of the Star Trek Electronic Phasers toy manufactured by the South Bend Electronics brand of Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley , an American game pioneer, was credited by many with launching the board game industry in North America with Milton Bradley Company....
, laser tag has evolved into both indoor and outdoor styles of play, and may include simulations of combat, role play-style games, or competitive sporting events including tactical configurations and precise game goals.
Laser tag is popular with a wide range of ages. When compared to paintball
Paintball
Paintball is a sport in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by tagging them with capsules containing water soluble dye and gelatin shell outside propelled from a device called a paintball marker . Paintballs have a non-toxic, biodegradable, water soluble...
, laser tag is painless because it uses no physical projectiles, and indoor versions may be considered less physically demanding because most indoor venues prohibit running or roughhousing.
History
In late 1970s and early 1980s, the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
deployed a system using infrared beams for combat training
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
. The MILES
Miles
Miles is the plural of mile.Miles may also refer to:- People :*Miles Brothers, American cinema pioneers* Miles ** Miles Browning, World War II admiral** Miles Davis, jazz trumpet player** Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver...
system functions like laser tag in that beams are "fired" into receivers that score hits. Similar systems are now manufactured by several companies and used by various armed forces
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
around the world.
The first known toy to use infrared light and a corresponding sensor was manufactured and marketed in 1979 as the Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
Electronic Phaser Guns set.
In 1982, George Carter III began the process of designing an arena-based system for playing a scored version of the game, a possibility which had initially occurred to him in 1977 while watching the film Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
. He opened the first Photon
Photon: The Ultimate Game on Planet Earth
Photon was the name of the first commercial lasertag arenas. The company also came out with a home lasertag game, and there were various media tie-ins: a TV show also called Photon and a series of novels by Peter David.- History :...
center in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
on March 24, 1984. George Carter was honored by the International Laser Tag Association on November 17, 2005 for his contribution to the laser tag industry. The award is engraved "Presented to George A. Carter III in recognition for being the Inventor and Founder of the laser tag industry".
In 2010, a news article appeared claiming that Lee Weinstein developed and opened the first commercial laser tag facility. In June, 2011, the ILTA posted the results of a public record request from the City of Houston showing the opening date for Star Laser Force to be April 16, 1985.
In 2011, the International Laser Tag Association developed a webpage dedicated to its museum and the origins of the laser tag industry.
In 1986, the first Photon toys hit the market, nearly simultaneously with the Lazer Tag
Lazer Tag
Lazer Tag is a brand name for the infrared pursuit game generically known as "laser tag," "lasertag," or "lazertag."The brand name was created by the toy company Worlds Of Wonder in 1986, appearing at approximately the same time as the home version of the Photon brand.The Lazer Tag brand name was...
toys from Worlds of Wonder
Worlds of Wonder (toy company)
Worlds of Wonder or WoW was a 1980s American toy company, founded by former Atari employees, including Don Kingsborough and Mark Robert Goldberg.Their products included:* Teddy Ruxpin, a story telling bear, in 1985...
and several other similar infrared and visible light-based toys. Worlds of Wonder went out of business around 1988, and Photon soon followed in 1989, as the fad of the games wore off. Today there are laser tag arenas all over the world bearing various names and brands, as well as a large variety of consumer equipment for home play and professional grade equipment for outdoor laser tag arenas and businesses.
Game mechanics
Laser tag systems vary widely in their technical capabilities and their applications. The game mechanics in laser tag are closely linked to the hardware used, the communication capabilities of the system, the embedded softwareEmbedded system
An embedded system is a computer system designed for specific control functions within a larger system. often with real-time computing constraints. It is embedded as part of a complete device often including hardware and mechanical parts. By contrast, a general-purpose computer, such as a personal...
that runs the equipment, the integration between the player's equipment and devices in the facility, the environment, and the configuration of the software that runs the equipment.
The resulting game play mechanics can result in anything from the highly realistic combat simulation used by the military to far-fetched scenarios inspired by science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and video games.
Rate of fire
Rate of fire
Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. It is usually measured in rounds per minute , or per second .-Overview:...
, objectives, effects of being tagged, the amount of lives, and other parameters can often be altered on the fly to provide for varied game play.
Specialty games
Along with standard team or solo matches, where one team or individuals try to tag the members of the other team or players repetitively, many laser tag venues will feature specialty matches. These matches vary based on equipment manufacturer and the level of technology of the system. Often they have various objectives and missions and demonstrate the technological capability of each system.Specialty games include:
Capture the flag
Capture the flag
Capture the Flag is a traditional outdoor sport generally played by children, where two teams each have a flag and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base," and bring it safely back to their own base...
– This where a player steals the opponents flag and takes it back to their own base in order to score a point or win the match (depending on score system).
Protect the VIP
Regicide
The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a monarch. In a narrower sense, in the British tradition, it refers to the judicial execution of a king after a trial...
– The team with the VIP must hide and conceal him for a set length of time while the opposing team tries to eliminate the VIP within the given time limit.
Stealth or Invisibility matches – Where the lights indicating a player's target sensors are deactivated.
Base-centric matches – where a team must defend a base while simultaneously attacking the opponent's base.
"Borg" matches – where players on a team share a pool of commonly held resources.
Juggernaut Matches - One player is allocated as the 'juggernaut' and gains points for staying as the juggernaut. Other players attempt to eliminate this player and thus become the juggernaut themselves. Similar to Domination-style games.
Elimination matches – where a player can become eliminated if tagged a certain number of times.
Domination Matches – where a player gains points for possessing a field target for certain lengths of time.
Role-playing
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
or Character Class
Character class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
Matches – where each player's equipment performs a different function.
Equipment and technology
At their core, laser tag systems typically use infrared signaling to track firing of the laser. In indoor play, a visible laser combined with theatrical fog typically provide the visual effect of firing, while having no actual role in transmitting the fire signal.In all but the most basic of systems, the infrared signal sent by the laser when it fires is encoded with information such as the identity of the pack from which it originated. This coding allows for scoring and may also act to discourage interference from unauthorized devices in the playing area.
Indoor equipment
Indoor laser tag is typically played in a large arena (may be dark or may not) run by a commercial laser tag operator. The packs are tightly integrated with the devices inside the arena. The arena devices, and the packs themselves may be linked into a control computer for scoring and control over game parameters using radio equipment or infrared links. The game computer often serves to control other game effects and to manage player scores.The dimensions of an indoor laser tag arena makes for close quarters
Close quarters battle
Close quarters combat or close quarters battle is a type of fighting in which small units engage the enemy with personal weapons at very short range, potentially to the point of hand-to-hand combat or fighting with hand weapons such as swords or knives...
, so there is a large design focus on performance and game play under these conditions.
Outdoor equipment
Outdoor equipment requires different design concerns from indoor equipment. The equipment is generally expected to function well at longer ranges, even in daylight, so higher output power and specially designed optics are often a requirement. Operators typically either run games like indoor laser tag where you count the number of times you tag other players, or scenarios often approximate real-world combat, or a laser tag version of paintball games. Many paintball fields are adding laser tag to attract and groom players who are too young to play paintball. Some theme parks are adding outdoor laser tag facilities.Competitions and Tournaments
Competitions and tournaments are staged for local, regional/state, inter-regional, national, bi-lateral international, and international levels.International
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, USA, and the host country, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
Results:
- Team
- 1st - Legends (USA)
- 2nd - Finland 1 (FIN)
- 3rd - Finland 4 (FIN)
- Team Eliminator
- 1st - Legends (USA)
- 2nd - Finland 1 (FIN)
- 3rd - TAPSA (FIN)
- 4th - Aus Boom (AUS)
- LoR ("Lord of the Rings")
- 1st - Snoopy (USA)
- 2nd - DoT (USA)
- 3rd - Sevron (USA)
- Doubles
- 1st - Plaag & jor (FIN)
- 2nd - Cyber & Slick (USA)
- 3rd - Homicide & Punisher (USA)
- Solo
- 1st - Dark Palladin (USA)
- 2nd - Herbicide (FIN)
- 3rd - Sinclair (AUS)
The 2011 International Championships are being held in Syracuse, NY, America. The dates for these events are the 5/11/2011 - 11/11/2011.
Bi-Lateral
Bi-lateral international championships have included:- USA v Australia
- Australia v South Africa
National
National tournaments are conducted in various countries, including:- AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- USA
- SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
- FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
Regional and local
Individual Laser Tag systems often develop active tournament scenes. Unfortunately, due to the business practice of manufacturers not owning sites, these scenes tend to last only a few years and are player-organized and run. Ultrazone, when it had corporate-owned sites, ran tournaments up until about 2000. Laser QuestLaser Quest
Laser Quest is the name of a Canadian-based indoor lasertag game based around infrared hand held units and vests, as well as the name of the company which operates each game center. There are over 140 Laser Quest centers worldwide, including ones in Canada, the United States, the UK, France,...
, with corporately-owned sites across North America, have operated the North American Challenge (or NAC for short) since 1995 and many local tournaments throughout the year. LaserForce has also maintained an international tournament scene for many years. LaserTron has also supported a tournament program for the past three years.
LaserStorm may have the most successful tournament scene, as they have regularly held ongoing regional tournaments in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado, Michigan, Florida, Kansas, California, Wisconsin, and New York for the past decade. The "LaserStorm National Championship" has also been played for over a decade, with the best teams from those regions traveling to one chosen host site every summer for a week long tournament to crown the yearly National Champions, and the best player in the country. The most recent Laser Storm National Tournament took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in August 2009, with Pennsylvania team "Dump Shuttle" taking the 1st place title. This was the 13th annual national-level Laser Storm tournament. Darkzone (the Australian name for Ultrazone) has recently had its 10th annual National tournament also cementing it as one of the most stable competitions running in the world.
Armageddon, a multi-system tournament has operated since 2000 giving players of many diverse systems the opportunity to play against each other in 10 or more different systems to see who is the best "cross-system" player. The tournament was founded by Ricky Vega in Dallas, TX and changes location every few years. In 2000, 2001 and 2007 the tournament took place in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, in 2002, 2003, and 2006 it took place in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, in 2004 and 2005 it took place in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and in 2008/2009 it was held in the NY-NJ-PA region. Armageddon will take place in the OH-KY-IN region in 2010. U.S. Armageddon takes place every year on the week of July 4. 6–8 teams of 8 players per team compete over a four day period on these different systems. Armageddon is now also held yearly in the United Kingdom and in Sweden. Many Armageddon players frequently play in international, national, regional, and local tournaments for multiple systems and may travel to the multiple Armageddons through the year.
Non-Commercial Clubs & Events
Around the world clubs have come and gone with the different eras of one brand or another becoming popular and then fading again. The early Worlds of Wonder, or 'WoW', Lazer Tag brand gear sparked up clubs around the world and inspired development of other gear that is still in use today. Laser Challenge and Electronic Survivor Shot also inspired many clubs to form in the US. More recently the Lazer Tag Team Ops gear by Hasbro sparked multiple clubs across the United States. Home made or "Do it yourself" DIY gear has also been popular. In the U.K. the WoW signature is still in use by many clubs today, however much of the gear is manufactured by club individuals from scratch. In the US, Miles Tag was created as a DIY gear which was adopted by other clubs such as the Australian group that calls their gear FragTag. Although many clubs, and there events, there are a few events that have become large enough to stand the test of time. Among these are:- TagCon, UK - Annual event bringing together multiple clubs together for skirmishes and workshops.
- Dropzone, UK - Annual event, with themed Live Action Role Play adventures where the storyline is the key element and Laser Tag gear is used as a means to resolve conflicts.
- LaserStorm, AU - Annual themed event that has multiple days of military simulation.
- TagCon Midwest, USA - Annual event hosted by clubs from the midwest with the backing of Steradian Tech.
- Tagfest Northwest, USA - Annual event that draws in mostly members from clubs all over the northwest and other alumni members from as far away as the country of Bermuda.
There are Laser Tag groups across the globe in many countries. Most clubs have some sort of site taking advantage of tools on sites like Yahoo, Google, Facebook, and Meetup, and a few have websites of their own. The largest most international website in the community is LaserForums.com. There is also a community wiki site, appropriately named www.lasertagwiki.com.
German law
In May 2009, Germany announced it would ban games such as laser tag and paintballPaintball
Paintball is a sport in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by tagging them with capsules containing water soluble dye and gelatin shell outside propelled from a device called a paintball marker . Paintballs have a non-toxic, biodegradable, water soluble...
, claiming that they trivialise and encourage violence. It retracted this assertion a few days later.
External links
- Where to Play at the International Laser Tag Association
- auszone.net Information regarding the Australian Zone National Championships, and Australian and New Zealand Leagues