The Retroist

The Retroist

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
Lazer Tag Changes a Man
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Lazer Tag Changes a Man

Retroist's avatar
Retroist
Mar 26, 2007
1

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
Lazer Tag Changes a Man
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share

In 1986, Worlds of Wonder unleashed Lazer Tag and my world was never the same (note: In the 80s kids played with fake guns and could still carry pocket knives to school.) It was a simple enough game. Use a gun to shoot a sensor on your friend’s chest. Shoot him enough times and you win. Laser-style games are still popular in some arcades and malls, but the late to mid-80s were a golden age for the technology. My friends and I took advantage of this beautiful high techery years after they stopped running Lazer Tag commercials.

When you played this game outside at night, you could spot the blinking target from a hundred yards away. There was nothing sweeter than squeezing off a shot from behind a tree and watching your enemy scramble. Often falling over themselves to get away. Lazer Tag is dangerous, but it is also hauntingly addictive.

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, sweating, my eyes blurry with strobing red dots. I can still hear the screams of my buddies who got eliminated in the empty lot by the river. It was all my fault. Why did I have to survive! Why??

Lazer Tag changes a man. Especially when you are risking your neck on the front lines every night.

Sometimes I wonder if I might have been a different man if I had only made it into the Lazer Tag Academy.


Subscribe to The Retroist

Launched 4 years ago
A Retro Podcast, Blog, and Newsletter.
1

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
Lazer Tag Changes a Man
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share

Discussion about this post

User's avatar
The Mystery Of The Red Quarters…Solved!
Did you ever find a quarter painted red and wonder if that red served a purpose? It does.
Feb 11, 2017 â€¢ 
Retroist
45

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
The Mystery Of The Red Quarters…Solved!
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
6
Remember when Mickey Mouse decided to commit suicide?
Unless you lived in the 1930s or are a fan of vintage comic strips you might not be aware of the attempted Mickey Mouse suicide.
Aug 30, 2017 â€¢ 
Retroist
9

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
Remember when Mickey Mouse decided to commit suicide?
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Monkey’s Blood (Mercurochrome) for those boo-boos
Remember when you were a kid, and you would were out roughhousing with your friends.
Oct 23, 2019 â€¢ 
Retroist
4

Share this post

The Retroist
The Retroist
Monkey’s Blood (Mercurochrome) for those boo-boos
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
2

Ready for more?

© 2025 Retroist
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Create your profile

User's avatar

Only paid subscribers can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.