With the worthy aim of bringing people together through shared immersive experiences, the Electric Playbox represents London’s latest and most exciting gaming experience, with a series of virtual adventures that are perfectly suited to multi-player fun.
The Southwark venue, which opened in October 2019 under its previous name of the Electronic Theatre, is home to four bespoke adventures, which all combine the latest in virtual reality technology in the hope of delivering the best possible user experience.
On entry, participants are handed a visor filled with sensors. The device not only allows the wearer to enter into the world of the game, but also to interactive with other users while negotiating the challenges of the virtual world.
The four experiences are:
1) ALIEN APTITUDE TEST: LONDON ’84
It’s 1984 and aliens have invaded the capital. These guys are not here for the theatre, musicals, or shopping, however. No, the little buggers are busy grading Londoners (from E- to A+). Get a good grade and the aliens treat you well. Fail to impress the aliens, however, and…well, let’s just leave it there.
2) RESCUE THE ROYALS
This game sees participants battling to save Her Majesty. You’re the Queen’s only hope. “The year is 2026. Britain has ceased to be a constitutional monarchy and has been converted into one big game show. The royal family have been taken captive… Can you and your team rescue them?” says the blurb for the game.
3)TICKET TO MARS
This adventure is set on ‘New Sweden’ – “a forward-thinking new colony of Mars”. The object of the game is to search and collect a rare mineral which was discovered by Elon Musk!
4) ALIEN APTITUDE TEST: NEW YORK ’87
The aliens are back – and now, they’re heading for New York!
The blurb for the game says “Having successfully taken over London in the early 1980s, the aliens have now set their sights on late-80s New York. They are here to grade all humans from E- to A+ again, this time with a brand new series of tests. Can your team impress the aliens?”
Electric Playbox is the brainchild of Will Dean and David Spindler. The pair are the creative team behind Tough Mudder, the endurance focused obstacle course. Following the massive success of that venture (Tough Mudder now has a worldwide turnover of $100 million pounds) the two turned have their attention to virtual reality.
“Our mission is to make screen time social again. Electric Playbox asserts that play is about much more than just having fun. Shared play in particular has the power to bring us together, create bonds and remind us of what it means to be human” says the venue’s website.
So, are you ready to get your game on?!
You can read more about Electric Playbox here.
For information on other great activities in London, please click here.
