Hey Guys! Blake here, back again with another VR game center review. For spring break this year, I decided to take a family trip to New York City to check out some of the newest and most cutting-edge virtual reality experiences the city has to offer.
On our second day, after scarfing down some delicious bagels and pizza, we made our way over to a super cool virtual reality gaming center called Immersive Gamebox. I had read some great reviews online about their state-of-the-art VR tech and interactive games, so I was really excited to try it out with my family. The Immersive Gamebox location we visited was on Essex Street in Lower Manhattan, right across from a lively indoor market. As soon as we stepped inside the modern-looking venue, I could tell this was going to be an awesome experience.
After a quick and easy check-in process, a friendly staff member named Rey gave us an overview of how the Immersive Gamebox rooms work. Basically, each room has projection mapping technology covering all four walls and the floor, along with motion-tracking cameras that follow the positioning and movements of up to 6 players wearing special visors. This allows you to see the game graphics respond in real time to your body motions. So cool! The games available ranged from battling ghosts in Ghostbusters to surviving treacherous challenges in Squid Game. We opted for the 60-minute Squid Game experience, not realizing what we were getting ourselves into!
Stepping Into the Game
Once we chose our game, Rey led us into one of the Gamebox rooms, which was decked out with huge floor-to-ceiling screens on every wall and six special visors lined up and ready for wearing. Jenette immediately grabbed one and put it on – that girl doesn’t waste any time! After Patty, John, and I geared up, Rey gave us a quick tutorial on using natural body movements like stepping side to side or waving our arms to control the on-screen avatars. Then he started up the game, wished us luck, and closed the door. Suddenly, the screens came alive with the sights and sounds of Squid Game.
“Hello, players!” boomed a voice. It was the creepy Front Man from the show, explaining the dangerous challenges that lay ahead of us over the loudspeakers. I’ll admit, I was already getting chills down my spine. Were we really about to act out this insane life-or-death contest like in the brutal Netflix series? Jenette and John seemed excited, while Patty appeared slightly nervous. “Just remember it’s only a game,” I assured her with an uneasy chuckle.
The first challenge appearing on-screen was the notorious Red Light Green Light game. Our player icons appeared at the starting line of a track while the giant murderous doll from the show stood menacingly at the finish line. When the Front Man shouted, “Green light!” we all began side-stepping down the virtual track, moving our bodies and waving our arms to shuffle our avatars along. But when he yelled, “Red light!” we had to immediately freeze in place. If your avatar moved at all, you’d hear the eerie sounds of being shot by the doll’s laser vision.
“This is intense!” I shouted as John cracked up from Patty panicking and nearly failing the red light. Miraculously, we all made it past the doll to finish the first round. Jenette threw her arms up and cheered while the rest of us let out sighs of relief. Just like contestants in the show escaping a deadly fate…for now, at least!
The next several rounds followed a similar pattern of bringing challenges from the show to life in creative ways – the sweet yet sinister Dalgona candy game, using coordination to win virtual marbles, an intense two-on-two virtual tug-of-war battle, navigating panes of lethal glass, and finally the iconic squid game itself. Some games relied on teamwork, while others pitted us against each other. Jenette turned out to have lightning-fast reflexes, squeaking out wins against her slowpoke dad on more than one occasion!
Throughout the chaos and absurdity of it all, we couldn’t stop laughing. Somehow, fumbling through near-death encounters from the show as a family brought us closer together. At one point, Patty even gave John hints to help him win at marbles when I wasn’t looking (so much for integrity!). As the timer finally expired, the screens displayed our grinning sweaty mugs and declared, “Congratulations players. You survived Squid Game!” Rey popped back in as we removed our gear, raving about how much he loved watching groups and families enjoying the experience.
My Thoughts
Stepping back out onto Essex Street, the four of us were still riding high from the thrill of conquering Squid Game as a family. Sure, it was surreal acting out twisted challenges from an ultra-violent TV series, but the Gamebox staff did an incredible job adapting things in a lighthearted way. Taking turns panicking over freeze frames or battling in tug-of-war side by side was way more fun than just sitting on the couch watching passively. Even Patty admitted that while it was pretty terrifying at first, working together to overcome obstacles made her feel more brave and adventurous!
While catching our breath on a nearby bench, I reflected on the highlights that made our Immersive Gamebox session so memorable:
Engaging Technology
The motion-tracking visors paired with responsive surround screens covering the whole room made it feel like we were inside the game. I especially loved how certain challenges relied on waving arms or shuffling side to side to control your character. It was a nice change of pace from games that only use handheld controllers or keyboards. The graphics and audio were top-notch notch too – at times, I really felt transported to creepy locations straight out of the show. Major props to the game developers!
Great Adaptations
I was thoroughly impressed by how Immersive Gamebox managed to transform quite disturbing scenes of violence and trauma from the Netflix series into delightful family fun without losing the core spirit. Swapping a gory shooting spree for frantic real-life movement brought welcome comic relief. And the tug-of-war with just four of us still induced laughs and trash talk! My favorite adaptation had to be the iconic honeycomb candy game. Using simple arm movements to carve shapes from virtual candy hanging on the wall was ingenious. One tiny shake too many, and oops – guess I wasn’t destined to become a billionaire after all!
Quality Bonding Time
While I love lounging on the couch at home, binge-watching shows with my wife and kids, pausing a drama like Squid Game so someone can grab snacks or use the bathroom kind of ruins the tension. But inside the Immersive Gamebox rooms, we were thrust together to actively work through challenges with no breaks. Collaborating on strategies, coaching each other’s movements, and celebrating victories left us feeling more united than ever. I’ll never forget Jenette determinedly biting her tongue in concentration during the glass bridge game or John giving me a congratulatory high five when I managed to win a round of marbles. After an hour of laughing, panicking, and strategizing together to survive, I felt closer to my family than I had in ages.
Room for Improvement
As awesome as our experience turned out, a few things could be tweaked to make future Gamebox visits even more enjoyable:
Pricing
$43 per person for a 60-minute game, felt slightly steep, especially for families with multiple kids. Offering discounted combo packages or reducing weekday rates could make the attraction more accessible.
Tech Issues
During the marble game, my tracker started glitching, which caused some confusion. Thankfully staff quickly provided guidance to fix it, but ensuring gear calibration minimizes tech hiccups.
Food & Drinks
Allowing small snacks or beverages inside the rooms would be a nice perk, given how thirsty the physical activity made us! Adding vending machine options could boost revenue as well.
More Games!
While we loved roleplaying Squid Game, experiencing fresh themes like rescuing Adventure Bay with PAW Patrol or outsmarting mafia bosses sounds amazing too. Rapidly expanding the game portfolio will keep visitors coming back.
Wrapping Up
Even considering a few tweaks here and there, our family agreed Immersive Gamebox provided 60 minutes of delightful interactive entertainment we won’t soon forget. Acting out Hollywood blockbusters or iconic shows as customizable multiplayer games is an absolute winner concept. As virtual reality technology keeps advancing, I can only imagine the creative digital worlds these rooms could simulate down the road.
Soon, we were strolling down bustling Canal Street, munching on hot pretzels, already reminiscing about funny moments from our thrilling Gamebox showdown. Jenette begged to know when we might return to try out other themed adventures together as a family. Maybe ghost hunting or space exploration? One thing I know for sure — this definitely won’t be our last mission with Immersive Gamebox!