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.
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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 1984. The first franchisee opened in Toronto in June 1985.[1] The architect for Photon was J.C Collins.
The home units were introduced in 1986, as were the Lazer Tag brand units of competitor Worlds of Wonder. Both companies were very successful in the Christmas shopping season of 1986.[1]
By 1987, 70 franchise licenses had been sold and 45 arenas were operating.[1]
In 1989, lack of financing and loss of franchise revenue forced the corporation to sell off its assets and cease operations.[1]
In 2007, a new Photon center was constructed in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. It opened on July 1, 2008 but on September 9, 2008, after less than 9 weeks, lack of business revenue and interest forced the center to cease operations and sell off its assets.
While primitive compared to technology today, entailing wearing 18 pounds of battery packs and 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, mazes, and an observation deck from which people not participating could cheer their friends in the game, or get target practice by shooting players from special token-operated emplacements. (Shots from observation deck guns did not affect the game in any way at most arenas.) This contrasted sharply with competing laser-tag centers, whose fields were small, single-level, composed of clusters of free-standing painted cardboard barriers, and typically contained no observation area of any sort. Also, in Photon, players were allowed to roam at will through the entire playing field rather than be restricted to team-specific zones.
Photon players joined either a red or green team (solo games were not an option), and played in an arena. Dramatic music, strobe effects, and smoke machines were used in the arena during games to enhance play. Players gained points for shooting other players and for shooting the enemy team's base. Players lost points for being shot ("zapped" in game terminology) or by shooting teammates. (A player "zapping" a teammate would lose a massive amount of score and be automatically "zapped" himself.) One feature of the game was that no player could be "zapped" more than three consecutive times by the same player. This forced players to vary their targets. When "zapped", a player's weapon would be inert for five seconds and then reactivate automatically, with no need to "charge up" at a base as was required in the games of competitors. At some locations, the amount of time a player's weapon would be inert would vary based on score. A player would a high score would have an inert weapon for up to 10 seconds. For safety reasons, referees would try to enforce a rule that you must be at least 5 feet away from an opponent that you are shooting.
Customers joined by purchasing a photo ID badge (ranging in price at different areas from $10– $35), and then paid a per-game fee (or a blanket fee on special nights that allowed unlimited play). Games lasted six minutes, with cues from the soundtrack that regular players could utilize for more strategic games. During game play, monitors on the observation deck and in the waiting areas showed scoring, with players listed under self-chosen handles.
In many franchises, Photon leagues were formed, with rules somewhat more complex than in general gameplay, and tournament games were held regularly.
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 Laser Sport. XP reportedly stands for eX-Photon.
An attempt at a 'new' Photon center, owned by Jim Strother, was constructed in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. This was the first Photon branded field since the closure of the first iteration at the Laurel location in 1998. This location opened on July 1, 2008.
However, on September 7, 2008 after only nine weeks, this location was forced to close due to lack of interest.