When we were invited to try out Electric Gamebox during its opening week, we were not sure what to expect. Learning more that it was a virtual reality experience, we expected to be wearing headsets over our eyes. Then when we saw that we had outdoor tickets, we expected it to be cold.
We arrived at the facility in Ballston and were immediately blown away. First was the cost of parking. It is really rare to only pay $1 for three hours. Then was the view when we walked in the door. There were lots of bright colors and screens. There was also a room with colorful visors hanging on glass walls. We were greeted by a super friendly helper that got us signed in, showed us the lockers where we could put our things, and then sent us into that glass room. We were instructed to each pick a visor: red, blue, and green, one color for each of us. The visors had antennas on it and we looked like we were playing alien dress-up.
Right now, the kid is really into the ’80s so this experience was right up her alley. We played a series of video games that we played in the ‘80s while listening to ‘80s music. The kid’s favorite was dodge ball, mom liked Pac Man, and dad’s favorite was Pong. What was really special about this was that our bodies were the controllers.
This was an activity that was truly for the whole family. The goal was to work together to get the most points. Some of the games were two players while the third one watched. Some were just one person at a time. There was one game that all three of us played at once. We looked silly in our hats and were a little timid about cheering at first but soon we were encouraging each other in our outdoor voices.
It can be hard to find an activity that everyone in the family enjoys. Electric Gamebox did just that. We had so much fun that we couldn’t believe that 60 minutes was over. We had the option to book another adventure right then for 20% off. Although we didn’t book again right away, there is no doubt that we will be back. Next time, mom will wear sensible shoes and we will be ready for an hour of exercise and more laughs.
