Virtual reality arcade opens in city
Vrkade offers virtual reality games for players of all ages, levels of experience
Imagine travelling around the world, exploring different universes or fighting off giant spiders with a bow and arrow, all within the confines of an eight by eightfoot space.
Vrkade, a virtual reality arcade, allows you to do just that. Using a headset that covers the eyes, headphones for the ears and two handheld controllers, users are placed inside a computer-simulated experience that lets them interact with characters, objects and other players.
The arcade began as an innovative startup when it was founded in Lethbridge in November 2016 by Steven Bandola, Jason Van Hierden and Micah Wever. It was a way for the group and their friends to hang out and play virtual reality games without each of them spending thousands of dollars for equipment.
They eventually set up a mobile rig at the University of Lethbridge to test it out and realized it wasn’t just gamers who were interested but also the “cool kids.”
Located in Deerfoot Meadows, Vrkade is the second virtual reality arcade to open its doors in Calgary. According to its marketing manager, Riley Grieveson, it’s the first to focus only on virtual reality. The other venue, Level 1, also offers escape rooms.
Grieveson said it’s the largest virtual reality arcade in North America with 20 stations available.
“What makes us stand out is our arcade experience,” said Grieveson. “No matter what, we would never compromise the customer experience in order to profit.”
Vrkade has two to four tech support people available during the gaming experience, in case assistance is required.
“We’ve had complete newbies that come to virtual reality. They’ll ask us what game they should play and we know how to ease them into the virtual reality world because it’s a pretty chaotic experience,” said Grieveson.
For beginners, they would suggest mostly stationary options, such as shooting games. Once a user gets used to the experience, he or she can begin moving around and attempt options such as climbing walls.
“If they jump into it right away, then we would see (some of ) them get motion sickness,” said Grieveson.
The arcade currently has six games available, with different quests available within each game. Players are provided with some of the best technology in the industry, such as the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive.
They hope to eventually own around 20 games for players to try.
According to Grieveson, virtual reality is being seen as a new kind of date idea for 20-somethings and teenagers, yet many families come in as well.
“It’s very unique because it’s tailored to every type of person. We’ve had people that are 60-something come to play and we’ve had people as young as seven,” said Grieveson.
He also said it’s more enjoyable when friends play together.
“There’s a microphone that connects each of the people to each other so they can compete. They can see each other in the virtual world.”
It’s tailored to every type of person. We’ve had people that are 60-something come to play and we’ve had people as young as seven.