It was all smiles and excitement Wednesday afternoon as a new interactive gaming center opened in the DFW metroplex.
Activate Games opened its brand-new gaming center to the public in Plano on April 19, and The Dallas Express was on hand to experience the one-of-a-kind gaming experience.
The event also had free and delicious food from local eateries such as Ruthie’s For Good food truck and Dave’s Hot Chicken.
Activate Games combines physical activity with the thrill of gaming and the joy of strategic play in an interactive gaming setting.
The company went viral in 2022 with a video of a player completing a mind-blowing run at one of the company’s most-played games.
@activategames
The video garnered 62 million views and was filmed using a drone.
Fusing technology with physical activity is becoming a standard in gaming experiences, and getting people moving is one of the many goals of Activate Games.
“Getting people to come to places like this to be active to have fun, I think that’s a huge thing that’s missing in our society nowadays. This is a new way to play,” Will Gray, director of marketing for Activate Games, told The Dallas Express.
The new gaming experience will cost each player $24.99 to play and last 75 minutes, with over 500 challenges to choose from.
Running shoes are recommended.
The game rooms require at least two people, but the rooms allow a maximum of 10 players.
Each group is able to create its own private gaming experience that lets them maximize the interactive gaming excitement.
Activate Games owner Bryce Anderson spoke to The Dallas Express regarding what he loves about this new gaming experience.
“Being a part of growing this company, getting to bring people together in a way that we think is healthy physically, healthy emotionally, healthy relationally … it’s a fun way to spend time with family while you put your phone down. Turn off your shows, which we all love, and spend 75 minutes working towards a goal,” Anderson said.
“Seeing people cheer and celebrate together is what makes it all worth it,” Anderson added.
Anderson told The Dallas Express that the Plano location is the first Texas location and the biggest Activate Games location so far. He added that he wants to bring more gaming centers to Texas and around the U.S.
Activate Games is already working on building locations in Houston and in Atlanta, with a location opening in Chicago pretty soon.
Thursday, April 20, was the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for Activate Games, and the company was joined by City officials from Plano and the Plano Chamber of Commerce.
Activate Games partnered with Best Buddies International to donate 10% of all sales during its grand opening celebrations to the nonprofit, which aims to end the social, physical, and economic isolation of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
