The eye-catching photo below was published in 1985 to illustrate what future arcade games might be like. The lasers were set up by a technician at Laser Images Inc. (the company founded by Ivan Dryer, inventor of Laserium® planetarium shows and arguably the father of the laser show industry).

Simulation of arcade game, 1985, by Laser Images

I’m not sure why the boy is wearing a helmet, or how the lasers enhance his game (especially since most are behind him) but it is a great photo!

It reminds me of a real-life laser arcade game. At the November 2007 IAAPA convention in Orlando, the company Funovation presented their “Laser Maze Challenge” game:

Laser Maze Challenge from Funovation

The game involves trying to get through a maze, similar to those seen in caper movies like 1999′s Entrapment, where the heroine has to wiggle her way around lasers:

Entrapment movie

The Funovation booth at IAAPA was very popular. It was a timed run; you had to get through the laser maze as fast as possible without tripping a beam. It definitely was challenging. I didn’t do it myself, not being as lithe as Catherine Zeta-Jones. My 10-year-old son Patrick did run the maze. He was pretty fast although of course he didn’t have as much body to get in the way.

Later I spoke with the Funovation people about laser safety. I do not think their IAAPA booth was certified, although it was clear they took safety seriously. For example, breaking a beam would stop that laser’s emission. It will be interesting to see if they do get FDA/CDRH approval for usage in the United States.

Links and credits:

The 1985 laser arcade simulation photo is from the Paleo-Future blog, which has more details.

The Laser Maze Challenge game is described in more detail at Funovation’s website.

The Entrapment image is from CeskyPooh’s blog.

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