This White Paper summarizes the assistance that the Delta Strike team provide to prospective owners of new Laser Tag Centers all over the globe. Delta Strike consultants have supported hundreds of laser tag businesses through the planning and design stages.
What Rooms are Required?
Foyer
The foyer is the first impression your customers will have of your center. This area should include score screens for players to review their results, membership kiosks for sign-ups and check-ins, league charts to promote competitive play, a photo board showcasing player moments, event notices highlighting upcoming activities, and CCTV monitors for security oversight.
Reception Area
The reception area is the operational hub of your center. Key equipment includes:
- Point of Sale (POS) system
- Phones
- Cash register
- LAN connection
- Printer
- Brochures and marketing materials
- Membership kiosks
Vesting Room / Armory
The vesting room is where players gear up before entering the arena. Plan for approximately 10-12 square feet per phaser pack to allow comfortable movement. This room should be equipped with phaser pack racks for organized storage and easy access, as well as lockers for players to store personal belongings securely during their game.
Briefing Room
The briefing room is where game marshals explain the rules and prepare players for the experience. Allow approximately 8 square feet per phaser pack for capacity planning. The room should include a DVD/TV setup for playing instructional videos and bench seating for players to sit comfortably during the briefing.
Service Area
A dedicated service area is essential for maintaining your equipment and infrastructure. This space should house:
- Spare parts inventory
- Workbench for equipment repair and maintenance
- Lighting and sound controllers
- Network racks for server and connectivity hardware
Office
The office is the administrative center of your operation. It should be equipped with a desk, CCTV monitoring station, and booking software for managing reservations and scheduling.
Restrooms
Restrooms must comply with ADA accessibility requirements and local building codes. Ensure adequate facilities for your expected customer volume and that they are conveniently located relative to your main customer flow areas.
Birthday Party Rooms
Birthday parties are a critical revenue stream - 50-60% of customers come for birthday celebrations. You can choose between an open plan layout or multiple dedicated rooms. If opting for separate rooms, plan for approximately 300-350 square feet per room. Consider your expected volume of simultaneous parties when deciding between these approaches.
Kitchen
If you plan to serve food, a kitchen area will be needed. Key equipment includes:
- Commercial refrigerator and freezer
- Microwave and/or oven
- Food preparation surfaces
- Dishwashing station
- Storage shelving
- Ventilation and exhaust system
Ensure your kitchen meets local health department regulations and food safety standards.
Arcade Area
An arcade area is a great way to generate additional revenue while customers wait for their game session. Plan for approximately 60 square feet per game. Each arcade machine costs roughly $10,000 per game, though revenue share arrangements are available with many arcade distributors, which can significantly reduce your upfront investment.
Observation Areas
Observation areas allow parents and non-players to watch the action from outside the arena. There are two main options: a same-level glass partition that provides a window into the arena, or an above-arena observation deck that gives a bird's-eye view of the gameplay. Both options add value for customers who want to watch friends and family play.
Design and Planning Process
The design and planning process will vary depending on the scale and type of your facility. Below are examples of common layout configurations:
Small FEC Layout
A small Family Entertainment Center typically features an arena of approximately 2,000 square feet. This layout is ideal for operators looking to add laser tag as a complement to existing entertainment offerings.
Large Standalone Layout
A large standalone laser tag center typically features an arena of 5,000-6,000 square feet. This allows for a more immersive experience with higher player capacity and more elaborate arena designs.
FEC Setup
A mid-range FEC setup typically incorporates an arena of 4,000-5,000 square feet, balancing arena size with space for complementary attractions and party facilities.
Room Priority
When planning your facility, rooms can be categorized into three tiers:
- Essential Rooms - These are required for operation (arena, vesting room, briefing room, reception, restrooms, service area)
- Efficiency Rooms - These improve operational flow and customer experience (office, foyer, observation areas)
- Income Rooms - These generate additional revenue streams (birthday party rooms, kitchen, arcade area)
Game Flow
Understanding game flow is critical for efficient operations. A typical setup processes two groups simultaneously:
- Group A - Currently playing their game in the arena
- Group B - Being vested and briefed in preparation for the next game
While Group A is in the arena, Group B moves through the vesting room and briefing room. When Group A finishes, they exit and review scores while Group B enters the arena. This cycle maximizes throughput and minimizes downtime between sessions.
Creating the Magic: Arena Design
Arena Layout
Several factors influence the ideal arena layout, including the overall shape of the available space, ceiling height, and whether to build a single-level or multi-level arena. Multi-level arenas provide a more dynamic experience but require additional structural considerations and safety measures.
Arena Size Chart
The size of the arena will influence how many players you can have playing comfortably at any one time. The following chart indicates the number of phasers that you can expect to accommodate in a certain sized space:
| Arena (Square Feet) | Arena (Square Meters) | No. of Phasers |
|---|---|---|
| 7,000 | 650 | 34 to 45 |
| 6,000 | 558 | 29 to 40 |
| 5,000 | 465 | 24 to 34 |
| 4,000 | 371 | 20 to 26 |
| 3,000 | 278 | 15 to 20 |
| 2,000 | 185 | 1 to 14 |
Flooring
There is no single ideal flooring material for a laser tag arena. However, the most common options are listed below with their pros and cons.
Concrete
The most common arena floor is concrete. Robust, easy to clean and easy to paint, concrete is perhaps the most versatile of the options available. If you are renovating an existing structure, there is a good chance it will already have a concrete floor, saving you time and money. A concrete floor must undergo sealing, either with a lacquer concrete sealant or floor paint. Unpainted floors will produce concrete dust, which is not only uncomfortable but also harmful to your customers.
Timber
Often used for mezzanine floors, but occasionally on ground floors as well, timber is strong and versatile. Care should be taken to reduce open cavities below it. Timber floors tend to be the loudest if not solidly constructed. Timber is also easy to clean.
Carpet
Although carpet is more expensive to install and maintain, it has a number of benefits over hard flooring. It mutes sounds, providing a much quieter arena by reducing echoes and footsteps. It is also softer, helping reduce the injury rate of players. The main issue with carpet is cleaning - it must be vacuumed, which takes more time than sweeping. Consideration should also be made when planning to use haze machines as they create moisture.
Rubber
Recycled rubber can provide a cheaper alternative to carpet in some countries with similar benefits. It is soft, mutes sound, and cushions falls. Rubber is also easier to clean, as the smooth surface can be swept like concrete. However, it is more expensive than concrete and can get slippery when wet. Texturing the rubber surface can help with the latter issue.
Partitions and Boundary Walls
MDF (Medium-Density Fiberboard) is the most commonly used material to clad boundary walls and partitions. We recommend 3/8 inch (1 cm) minimum, with 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) for areas you expect may sustain high-impact knocks. MDF also provides a good mounting surface for arena components.
We strongly advise against using drywall to clad partitions. Even "high impact" drywall products will break under the rigors of laser tag play. If your center already has drywall boundary walls, you can clad MDF sheets against the drywall itself.
Ceiling
The ceiling should be painted matte black above the lighting grid. This eliminates reflections and light spillage, creating the illusion of infinite height and enhancing the immersive atmosphere of the arena. Matte black ensures that the focus remains on the lighting effects and arena theming below.
Lighting
Arena lighting typically consists of two main categories:
- Emergency Lighting - Required by fire codes and building regulations, providing illumination during power outages and emergencies. Also useful for cleaning and maintenance.
- UV (Blacklight) Lighting - The primary ambient lighting during gameplay, creating the signature glow effect that brings arena murals and player equipment to life.
Haze vs Smoke
There are two main choices when adding fog effects to your arena. Although they are very similar in description, they operate very differently.
| Feature | Haze Machine | Smoke Machine |
|---|---|---|
| Effect on lights | Enhances laser beam and illuminates | Light cannot penetrate clouds, hard to see through |
| Chemicals used | Invisible mist in the air, minimal residue | Leaves oily residue, difficult to see through |
| Activation | Self-timer, manual trigger, or Delta Strike software | Manual trigger or timer |
For most laser tag applications, haze is preferred over smoke. It provides a consistent atmosphere that enhances lighting effects without compromising player safety or visibility. Smoke can be used for specific special effects but should not be relied upon as the primary atmospheric effect.