Photon: The Ultimate Game on Planet Earth

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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.

1 History
2 Technology and gameplay
3 Last survivor
4 External links

[edit] History

George Carter III claimed to have had the idea for Photon while watching Star Wars when it premiered in 1977. In 1982, research and development started in earnest, and the first Photon center in Dallas, Texas opened in March of 1984. The first franchisee opened in Toronto in June of 1985.

The home units were introduced in 1986, as were the Laser Tag brand units of competitor Worlds of Wonder. Both companies were very successful in the Christmas shopping season of 1986.

By 1987, 70 franchise licenses had been sold and 45 arenas were operating.

In 1989, lack of financing and loss of franchise revenue forced the corporation to sell off its assets and cease operations.

[edit] Technology and gameplay

While primitive compared to technology today, entailing wearing 18 pounds of equipment, Photon was one of the first video game-like experiences that one could play in the real world. The arenas featured multiple levels, catwalks, and an observation deck from which people not participating could practice by shooting players. Those shots did not affect the game in any way at most arenas. Players joined either a red or green team, and played in a Tron-like setting. Sometimes smoke machines were used in the arena. Players gained points for shooting other players and for shooting the enemy team's base. Players lost points for being shot.

Customers joined by purchasing a photo id badge for about $35, and then paid a per-game fee. Games lasted six minutes. During game play, monitors on the observation deck and in the waiting areas showed scoring, with players listed under handles.

[edit] Last survivor

For some reason, the franchisee in Laurel, Maryland did not cease operations when the rest of the system went out of business. That location continued operations throughout most of the 1990s. At some point, they were forced to change locations and stop using the Photon brand name, but built a new location close by with a similar arena layout under the name XP Lasersport. XP reportedly stands for eX-Photon. While original Photon arena equipment is not used daily at this facility, they do sometimes hold "retro" nights using the old equipment, and it can be booked in advance for group outings.