What is Zone Laser Tag:

Are you serious, your asking me what Zone Laser Tag is? The ultimate laser tag adventure created in 1988 in Australia by the electronics engineer Pat Holmes. The biggest worldwide laser tag franchise, known under the Zone-Empire banner of P&C Micros, as different brand names, such as Darkzone, Lasermaze, Lasershots, Laserzone, Megazone, PhaserStrike, Ultrazone, Zone3, Zone4  and other brand names.

All the Zone Laser Games Logos shown here, and the images shown in the article lower down, are the copyright of their respective owners.

Well… Zone laser tag is:

Well… Zone laser tag is futuristic adrenalin pumping laser game, where by players wear electronic equipment known as a pack or laser vest, which has a gun, known as a phasor or laser pistol, connected to the vest by a cable.

The laser pistol or phasor when fired by the player shoots an infrared shot, which is a data communication similar to your home television or video remote, and  a laser pulse which is a visible laser sight which helps players shoot the target, and symbols a laser shot.

Players use their laser vest with its laser pistol to tag other players and score points, by shooting their laser pistol, and aiming for sensor areas located on the front, back, the shoulders of an opponent’s laser vest, or the sensors on the opponent’s laser pistol.

Players who successfully shoot an opponents players laser vest or laser pistol, will receive a certain amount of points for successfully hitting the different sensor areas. The usual amounts of points for the front chest sensors are worth 200 points, the back 100 points, and the shoulders & laser pistol are worth 50 points each.

If a players laser vest is hit on one of its sensor areas by a laser shot from an opponents laser pistol, the players laser vest will be deactivated or stunned for certain amount of time, and depending on the equipment & game format a small amount of points will be possibly be deducted from their total score. Deactivations are the result of the laser vest receiving a laser shot to the front or back sensors, while stuns are the result of the laser vest receiving a laser shot to the sensors, on the shoulders or laser pistol.

Typical Game Formats:

The average time span of a standard zone laser tag game is 15 minutes, though games formats can be easily adjusted to have larger game time. There are many different types of zone laser tag game formats, with the standard formats being an Elimination, Solo or Team.

Elimination formats are where by players can have a limited number of lives, and are eliminated once there lives are depleted. Solo game formats are where by all the players are playing for them selves, and can tag any player regardless of an opponents laser vest colour. Team game formats are where by players are placed in teams of the same coloured laser vest, and can not shoot their own team colour, and must work as a team to defend their home base or destroy opponent teams bases.

Game formats can be customised to form many different styles of laser tag games, such as limited lives, limited ammo, custom game times, custom base configurations & more, which can be used for competitions, tournaments or just fun games.

Playing Zone:

Players are given a briefing before they are equipped with there zone laser vests, so that they are aware of the rules & any safety guidelines. Typical rules, no running, no swearing, no physical contact, no shooting people in face, no climbing, no lying or sitting on the floor.

The games of Zone Laser Tag are usually held in a large indoor dark environment known as an arena or maze, which is a large room with a floor space of around 4600 plus square feet as recommended by Zone Laser Games. The floor space is often made in to a large maze or a combination of a maze & sections, with every zone laser tag centre having a unique arena layout. The theme of the arena can depend on the site, but most common themes dark futuristic sci-fi themes, or spooky industrial themes.

The arena of most zone laser tag centres will often contain three bases, for the three teams that are standard with most zone laser tag equipment. These bases will be placed spaced apart from each other and will contain a base device, which can be destroyed by opponents from other teams by shooting the base device three times, if not defended by the home team. Point for destroying a base can vary, but often its something like 2000 or 2001 points, though when the player shoots the base they loose 500 points for each of the first 2 shots, and on the third shot they are rewarded 2000 or 2001 points.

After a Game of Zone Laser Tag:

Once a game of zone laser tag completed, the players leave the arena in an orderly fashion, and replace their zone laser tag vests to the mounts provided for the vests in laser vest kit up room, making sure they have remembered there laser vest name or number, and correctly secured their laser pistol to the laser vest with the clips provided.

Players then continue to the reception area where the scoreboard is usually located, and where they can receive there zone laser tag score sheet. The score board shows typical information relating to rank, score, team score & top three players, which is good, but for detailed statistics & laser game results relating to a players laser vest, the player requires their unique score sheet.

Players should not forget their unique score sheets, and should ask kindly at the reception desk, because some sites will give a discount on a players next zone laser tag game, from a voucher on the bottom of your score sheet. but also because a score sheet is something for players to show their friends & family, and is a good method to rate whether your improving or not, and a keep sake to help you remember your adventure to a zone laser tag centre years after you played.

Zone Laser Tag is a Fun, Futuristic Laser Game for all Ages, so have Fun while keeping Fit & Healthy.

Written by R4IDER -- 09-SEPT-2009