Laser tag invades Frist

At 8 p.m. on Friday night, students began to gather in the basement of Frist Campus Center. Huddled in groups of five, they discussed rules and strategies and waited for the chance to prove themselves. The organizers called out pairs of teams with names like “Five Guys” and “Team Awesome” to enter the multipurpose room and attempt to destroy one another.

This is laser tag. The sport, a less dangerous version of paintball, involves shooting a laser gun across a room to hit the other team. And from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, thanks to the Frist Center Stage Board, Princeton students had the chance to play for free.

This student board, currently composed of 16 members, meets for an hour each week on Wednesday evenings to plan and discuss its programs, which include crafts, sports and movies. Their programs are free and targeted to all members of the campus community.

My team — hastily assembled in the half-hour before the event began — was lucky enough to play an early round. After a quick discussion of our strategy, we entered the multipurpose room and received brief directions on how the game would be played. Each of us had nine lives, and the goal was to eliminate the other team. After each 50 shots, there would be a pause for the laser to “reload” — meant to simulate the amount of time the act of reloading a real gun would require.

The laser tag arena consisted of a series of inflated barriers. At each end of the room was a fort — essentially a small artificial cave, and the safest place to hide out. Our team decided that none of us would stay there; instead we adopted an aggressive strategy. Though no one was allowed to cross the center line to the other team’s side, we would get as close as possible.

I picked up a laser gun, which was surprisingly heavy for something that only shoots out light. Two sensors, attached to the front and back of my shirt, provided targets for the other team.

The game itself went by in a blur. Players sprinted to position themselves behind barriers, some lying on the carpet to shoot around them, some boldly leaning over the top. Lasers fired in every direction. Three screens with flashing videos added to the excitement and confusion as players slid and dove between different hiding places. Benedict Wagstaff ’14, better known as DJ Wagsta, provided fast-paced music that combined with the constant soundtrack of lasers firing and made communication between teammates an even greater challenge.

After playing, we compared our battle scars — a bit of rug burn from the quick slides across the floor — and discussed the game over cheese pizza and lemonade.

Last year’s version of laser tag in Dillon Gymnasium proved popular; having learned how to organize and run such an event, Center Stage decided to host an independent version this fall. Part of the intention was to gauge interest, with the possibility of holding further events throughout the year. More than 20 teams participated on Friday, and the organizers, having deemed Friday a success, are now planning future laser tag events. As Center Stage board member Emilly Zhu ’13 put it, “Who doesn’t like laser tag?”