Here is your virtual nickel tour of
Star Laser Force, adapted from my original posting on a
Yahoo group in 2009.
Star Laser Force was the first commercial laser tag venture in Houston, Texas. The facility had one indoor arena.
The building was a double sheet metal
warehouse. Initially you could walk in the front door, and the
waiting room was up front; later a much larger waiting area was
finished and I think there may have been picnic tables for parties.
When you came in the back door from the parking at the rear you
passed through a dark tunnel and through the Stargate, a “chamfered”
science-fiction doorway illuminated from within... well, really it
was a black wooden channel with aluminum foil and Christmas lights.
The whole of the interior of the
building except bathrooms and employee areas was painted flat black.
There were some benches for people to wait for their turn. They
always had a few arcade video games. I
remember an old Space Wars early on, and later,
in the large waiting area, there were titles such as Gauntlet and Bomb Jack.
You had to fill out the one-sheet sign
up form to play. It had a brief and barely adequate legal
disclaimer. They made cheap laminated photo IDs. You'd pay your $3.00 to
play (initial price at opening), and games were initially 7 or 8 minutes as I recall. If you paid in
advance (and you really had to), your receipt would get you into your
game's time slot, and if you were serious about playing the game your
team would sit together and work out strategy while waiting for your
chance.
