Imagine being inside a gigantic game of Wii tennis. The idea is to bat the balls coming at you in the direction of targets but—and it’s a big but—you don’t use your hands to control the paddle that moves up and down against the wall.
Your entire body is the controller: You make the paddle slide by moving back and forth inside the game, and as the balls come more frequently and with greater speed, you are sliding to and fro with wild abandon, all in the name of scoring points and not looking bad in front of the others in the room.
But, of course, you gave up all pretense of that when you put the goofy space-age visor-antenna deal on your head as you entered the room.
Welcome to Immersive Gamebox, a fast-growing franchise that opened last year in Arlington, Virginia, as Electric Gamebox. (The next closest location is in Manhattan.) The games are team-building events, with players working together to complete each level. The Alien Aptitude Test: London ’84 that we played is a brisk 60 minutes. Up to six, paying as much as $49.99 each (based on age), can fit into the bright cube, with each player donning a visor that’s outfitted with motion tracking sensors.
Once you get the hang of them, let the games—including those based on Angry Birds and Netflix’s Squid Game—begin. With one eye on the scoreboard and another on the ever-moving targets, the challenge increases with each new level and game. The beer for sale may or may not improve your score.
Ballston Quarter mall, 4238 Wilson Blvd., Unit 2233, Arlington, Virginia. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. immersivegamebox.com
This story appears in the March/April issue of Bethesda Magazine.