2008 Woodie Awards
Gunfight in Smith Auditorium
Mike Rohrssen
Issue date: 2/2/05 Section: Features
Laser tag - the lights, sounds, and everything involved captivate people young and old, and introduce them to this game of strategy and marksmanship. On Thursday, January 27, the Social Life Commission at Manhattan College put on a laser tag extravaganza in Smith Auditorium; however, it did not live completely up to expectations.
The setup did not resemble the laser tag that many have seen years ago when it was more popular, or even in a place like Lazer Park in Times Square; rather Smith Auditorium had a large inflatable dome in the middle of it with over a dozen Jaspers waiting in anticipation for what would be awaiting them inside. Inside the dome was near darkness with the occasional strobe lights or flashing colored light spheres as well as many different passageways that gave plenty of opportunities to find stakeouts to use the gun as a sniper would. The inside also included openings, where were about shoulder level, that one could use to see almost halfway across the dome for long range attacks. Despite its less than stellar look from the outside, inside was actually quite roomy and interesting to maneuver around while aiming at all others inside the dome.
The major drawback however, was the actual equipment used by each participant in the dome. Unlike most laser tag arenas around the country the only piece of equipment available to the combatants were guns. There were no vests, gloves, or any other equipment to attach to the body. The guns themselves were crude pieces of equipment that were not new by any stretch of the imagination and it took several minutes for the guns to actually turn on. Shawn Gennaria, a senior remarked, "The guns were obviously made circa 1950 as indicated by the number 2000 on the side of the gun, which in modern times would not be used to make the gun sound futuristic." It was also a difficult to determine who the victor was from each contest, because there were no score sheets or running tallies of the point totals. Rather, various numbers on the screen of the gun that were hard to determine what they actually meant. One student even believed that they were making up statistics because his numbers had not changed from one game to the next.
Despite the lackluster equipment and the less than abundant turnout it seemed a good time was had by most who attended. Senior Hanni Liliedahl was quite enthusiastic, "I love laser tag and I'm so glad it's in Smith auditorium...laser tag rocks!" It was a nice break from getting back to the drudgery of classes and a fun and cheap way to spend a couple of hours. Peter Smith, a sophomore, emerged from the inflatable dome stating, "It was really boring, but I won." Blair Lampe, Vice President for RSA was more optimistic however, "I thought it was a great event but I wish it was better attended." Indeed, the laser tag within Smith was an enjoyable event and an excellent way for Jaspers to get together and have fun.
The setup did not resemble the laser tag that many have seen years ago when it was more popular, or even in a place like Lazer Park in Times Square; rather Smith Auditorium had a large inflatable dome in the middle of it with over a dozen Jaspers waiting in anticipation for what would be awaiting them inside. Inside the dome was near darkness with the occasional strobe lights or flashing colored light spheres as well as many different passageways that gave plenty of opportunities to find stakeouts to use the gun as a sniper would. The inside also included openings, where were about shoulder level, that one could use to see almost halfway across the dome for long range attacks. Despite its less than stellar look from the outside, inside was actually quite roomy and interesting to maneuver around while aiming at all others inside the dome.
The major drawback however, was the actual equipment used by each participant in the dome. Unlike most laser tag arenas around the country the only piece of equipment available to the combatants were guns. There were no vests, gloves, or any other equipment to attach to the body. The guns themselves were crude pieces of equipment that were not new by any stretch of the imagination and it took several minutes for the guns to actually turn on. Shawn Gennaria, a senior remarked, "The guns were obviously made circa 1950 as indicated by the number 2000 on the side of the gun, which in modern times would not be used to make the gun sound futuristic." It was also a difficult to determine who the victor was from each contest, because there were no score sheets or running tallies of the point totals. Rather, various numbers on the screen of the gun that were hard to determine what they actually meant. One student even believed that they were making up statistics because his numbers had not changed from one game to the next.
Despite the lackluster equipment and the less than abundant turnout it seemed a good time was had by most who attended. Senior Hanni Liliedahl was quite enthusiastic, "I love laser tag and I'm so glad it's in Smith auditorium...laser tag rocks!" It was a nice break from getting back to the drudgery of classes and a fun and cheap way to spend a couple of hours. Peter Smith, a sophomore, emerged from the inflatable dome stating, "It was really boring, but I won." Blair Lampe, Vice President for RSA was more optimistic however, "I thought it was a great event but I wish it was better attended." Indeed, the laser tag within Smith was an enjoyable event and an excellent way for Jaspers to get together and have fun.