New laser tag facility aims for fun
Looking for a way to beat the winter blues? Consider stopping by one of Oconomowoc's newest entertainment options, AKA Tactical Laser Tag.
The new laser tag facility, at 1327 Wall Street, offers visitors of all ages a chance to run around and burn off some excess energy, even during these snowy winter months.
Aaron Coy, who opened AKA on Jan. 6, with his wife, Kerry Pozanski, said that the business has already seen visitors ranging in age from 6 to 26.
"It's all over the board on ages. We did a birthday party last Saturday for 6- and 7-year-olds," said Coy. "It's a great family sport, because it seems like the families will come in and start playing with the kids. And it wears you out. It's very active."
AKA differs from other laser tag facilities in that it runs set missions where participants must react to varying scenarios. Laser tag warriors, for example, may have to rescue a downed pilot, escort VIPs, capture an enemy base, or deal with radiation, terrorists, or snipers.
Coy said the laser guns at AKA are more advanced than traditional laser tag weapons and that they look and feel like real guns. To play, laser taggers don a headband with sensors and venture into a 4,500-square-foot arena themed like a deserted bunker. A new mission starts every 10-15 minutes.
Each player begins at the rank of private and moves up in rank as they become more experienced over time. Warriors top out at general.
Customers are only charged for the time they actually spend in the arena, not when they're getting ready for their mission or debriefing from their previous mission.
AKA is an ideal birthday party location, offering a full arcade along with a snack bar, and two private birthday party rooms. One is even setup like a war room.
"It's like you're in the Pentagon with an executive conference table, executive chairs," explained Coy. "It has a live feed to the arena, so they can watch what's going on. The other thing is it has a big map on the wall that's dry erase, so that you can actually draw out what you want to do in the arena."
Currently Village of Hartland residents, Coy and Pozanski had planned to open a laser tag business for the last several years, but the state of the economy prevented them from doing so until now. After researching other facilities around the country, the husband-and-wife duo went into business with Coy's sister, Jorey Wiley, and her husband, Glen. The Wiley family lives in Virginia, but they handle the technical aspect of the laser tag facility.
Said Coy, "They're in charge of the IT and all the gun programming and all the special effects - anything to do with grenades, trip wires, all the software and that side of it."
Their Wall Street facility holds up to 150 people, with between 20 and 30 people on a single mission.
So far, business has been good, Coy said. AKA has already hosted a number of birthday parties. It also plans to allow local groups and businesses to use its facilities for fundraising on off days.
Swallow School, for example is using the facility on Feb. 1, and 50 percent of the proceeds from the day will go to the school.
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