Beginners Guide to Laser Tag

What is Laser Tag?

Laser Tag is a shooting game similar to paintball and air soft. The biggest difference between Laser Tag and other sports, however, is that Laser Tag is safe and clean. You’ll never have to wear safety equipment because players don’t shoot pellets or paint balls; Instead, Laser Tag uses completely safe beams that will never hurt anyone. Not using pellets or paint balls also means that there won’t be any residue or cleanup involved after playing.

Laser Tag is a fun sport that a person of any age can play. Steradian laser tag is flexible with its game design, allowing it to fit any group or setting. It is perfect for parties, family events, corporate retreats, indoor arenas, paintball or air soft fields, etc. It can also appeal to any type of player, whether it those looking to have fun, or a competitive group wanting a challenge. Whatever you have in mind, we’re sure you can use Laser Tag to add fun and excitement. If you’re interested in learning more about the equipment, check out the link below.

Laser Tag Equipment 

Your First Game

For a full explanation on starting a game, you can use the online manuals or the manual included with your equipment.

The most important things to understand when playing for the first time are the equipment and the rules you have for your play area. Once you have a good understanding of both, it is important to be able to communicate the same ideas with your players. Players that understand these things will have a much better play experience than those that don’t.

To get an idea of what to know, here is an example of the explanations and rules we go over with newer players when we play Laser Tag. For a deeper look at these, check out Rules and Equipment in the next section.

• Explain how the equipment you are using works. Guns, Targets, Bases, or any other equipment you’re using.
• Explain any Safety Rules and Game Mode Rules.
• Go over play area boundaries, where players start and where players go if they are eliminated or if the game ends.
• Ask if anyone has any questions.

Explaining these only take about 2-3 minutes, and players appreciate it. We often have a referee in the play area to help players if they are having problems and to enforce the rules.

For your first game mode, we recommend that you try one of the beginner game modes such as Team Elimination or Immortal Arena. These are great for newer players because the rules are simple and easy to understand. To look at all of the game modes, click the link below.

Laser Tag Games 

Rules and Equipment

Here are some explanations and rules we use to help Laser Tag games run smoothly. Rules will change based on your play area and goals, but feel free to use this as a general guideline.

Gun Explanations

• Show players how to wear the Sunband. Show players how to tighten and loosen the Sunband. Explain how the Sunband lights up when you hit another player.
• Show players how to shoot their gun. Make sure players hear the shooting sound.
• Show players how to reload. It is slightly different between the S-7 and the Eclipse. Explain the sound a gun makes when you need to reload.
• Show players the Health and Ammo display on the gun. Explain the sound a gun makes when you are hit.
• Explain the sound a gun will make when the game starts.
• Explain how a player is eliminated. (A player is eliminated when they lose all of their hits. In some game modes players can not be eliminated.) Give an example of the sound a gun makes when a player is eliminated.

Safety Rules

• No climbing trees.
• Try not to get within 5 feet of another payer. If you do, back away from each other and resume playing. (This helps prevent players from running into each other. )
• If anyone falls or is hurt, everyone needs to stop and help that person.

General Rules

• Do not leave the boundaries of the play area.
• Do not put your Sunband under any hats or clothing. Also do not hide your gun sensor with a hand.
• When you are eliminated, put your hands and gun up in the air to let other players know you are out. If needed, shout “I am out!” to let other players know you are out.
• When you are eliminated, do not give your team any information about enemy players. As the old saying goes, “Dead men tell no tales.”

Aiming and Target Practice

Aiming is an important skill in Laser Tag. Having good aim will let you help your team and be a better player. However, shooting a laser tag gun can be strange for newer players. Often, they will struggle to aim and not be able to hit very many people. A great way to help newer players is by having a Steradian Target set up for players to shoot at before their game starts. This allows them to get used to the gun and have a chance to understand how it works.

Steradian Laser Tag guns do not fire a visible shot. In paintball, you can see the ball, where it hits, and adjust your aim to get closer to your target. A Laser Tag shot, however, is invisible. This makes it important to understand how to aim, since you won’t be able to adjust your aim by looking at your shots. To help imagine what the shot would look like if you could see it, look at the picture below. The red circle represents the IR beam shot at a player. As you can see, the further away your target is, the more carefully you have to aim! 

The best way to get better is to practice. Here are some things you can do to help yourself improve.

• Shoot a Steradian Target at a variety of ranges. This lets you get used to the sights and difference in distance.
• Shoot from a variety of positions (standing, kneeling, lying down).
• Shoot while running or leaning around cover.
• Start with the gun pointed at the ground, and then aim and shoot as quickly as possible.
• Practice shooting at either your opponent’s gun (which has a sensor in the barrel) or the Sunband (worn on the head).

Teamwork and Tactics

Most laser tag game modes involve two or more teams. While it is possible to play successfully and have fun without teamwork (most groups of young children will have fun just running around and shooting), teams that work together toward their goal will usually win the match. Here are tips to help and encourage players develop teamwork and tactics.

• Help all players on a team understand the goal of the game mode they are playing. The winning condition will often change with the game mode. It may be a good idea to give tips and suggestions to players or teams that aren’t sure what to do.
• With different winning conditions, the tactics a team will use will often change. Give players enough time before a round to talk between each other. This will help them to make a plan that they can all agree with and do together.
• Have a map of your playing area placed somewhere for all the players to see. Being able to look at a map can help players understand where to go and what to do.
• Try assigning or encouraging players to take on different roles. When a player has a specific job or role, they can feel more confident while playing. For example, in Team Elimination, its usually a good idea to have players spread out in the play area to make sure no one can get behind your team. Assign a player to watch the sides or to scout out enemy players.
• Try having a player be the leader of a team. If you have enough players, you can also form small groups with leaders. This encourages players to listen and work together, rather than playing by themselves.
• If your field is large enough, walkie talkies are a great way for teams to communicate and work together. Having a few players on the team focusing on relaying information to each other will help your team respond to the enemy.

Learn about equipment

Now that you have learned the basic of a game, let’s learn more about the equipment. Head over to theX-Series page or the Classic Series page to learn more!

X-Series 