Inflatable bunkers, smoke machines and the chance to shoot opponents with lasers are all brought to students through Campus Recreation.

Three years ago, EWU Campus Recreation, in a partnership with the Eastern Residence Hall Association, purchased a laser tag system for $16,000. Laser tag events on campus are paid for with the Sports and Activity fee.

According to the Laser Tag Museum in Louisville, Kent., the game was started over 30 years ago. It originally started with a group of young adults in Dallas, Texas, and now is played in over 70 countries around the world.

Matt Pipkin, senior and student activity director for Campus Recreation, said, “[Laser tag] is good for us to have at Eastern because no one else has it. We’ve had visiting people from other universities and no other university has it. It’s something neat we have for our students that other students don’t get. It’s kind of a nice perk.”

The system includes 30 vest and gun combos along with the chargers and software to track the game. The course also includes several inflatable bunkers.

Campus Recreation has offered laser tag on campus about four times this quarter. The game is also available to special groups such as campus organizations, athletic teams and clubs. The activity has been especially popular with student orientation groups and specialized events.

“So far this quarter, we have had about 200-300 students play. The nice thing about our system is we can play indoors really anytime of the day if we can make the lighting dark enough,” said Michael Campitelli, director of Campus Recreation.

Laser tag is usually held in the Jim Thorpe Fieldhouse or MPR, and can accommodate about 20-25 students during a single game. The smoke system used produces water-based smoke that evaporates and does not cause any damage to the buildings.

“It totally makes it more cool to have laser tag with beams shining through the smoke,” said Campitelli.

The recently upgraded equipment included a new laptop with the necessary software to run the game and minigizers that will allow for mobility. With this new equipment, laser tag will be able to expand to more venues on campus.

“Spring quarter, I hope to have a laser tag night in the front lawn of Showalter. With the trees it’s the perfect location. Some of the neighbors and students on campus might wonder what is going on, but it will be a lot of fun,” said Campitelli.

Laser tag will be offered multiple times during winter quarter. Campus Recreation has found they get the best attendance during winter quarter due to it being an indoor activity.

“It’s easily accessible, but can also be fun in a competitive sense,” said Pipkin.