Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Indoor play zone draws kids, grown-ups alike

Inflatables, laser tag and a widescreen TV await at the new venue. There's even free wireless Internet access.

By PAUL SWIDER
Published August 16, 2006

Growing up in St. Petersburg, Keith Glasgow said his only outlet for indoor play was the Boys Club in Pinellas Park, so as an adult he wanted to create something more accessible.

"If I didn't have that, who knows how I would have turned out," said Glasgow, 49, owner of Game On, a new family entertainment venue at 301 38th Ave. N. "If kids don't have anything to do, it can cause some issues."

Glasgow knows how idle hands can run amok. Before starting Game On, he spent 26 years as a St. Petersburg police officer, including work in schools and with children through an assignment as the community police officer in Shore Acres where he lives.

"The kids always told me they had no place to go," Glasgow said.

Glasgow also knows the demands of parenting, being the father of three himself, none older than 3. He said he created Game On to give children what they want and parents a place where their children can play safely out of the weather.

Neighbors of the business were concerned it would become a place where teens would hang out and cause trouble, but Glasgow said that's the last thing he'll allow.

"I took everything I had and put it into this," said Glasgow, who remains a reserve officer with the police department. "It's not like I'm going to let kids cause problems."

Game On is the only venue that provides both inflatable play equipment and a laser tag site in all of Pinellas County, Glasgow said. The 10,000-square-foot facility includes 3,000 square feet of various inflatables, a dining and party room, a kitchen, and another 3,000 square feet of Indiana Jones laser tag.

Glasgow said in the mornings he puts up some simple inflatables and sets out coffee and bagels for groups of mothers that bring their toddlers to play. In the afternoon, he changes the inflatables and starts to get a crowd for laser tag. In the evenings and on weekends, he has more groups and parties for all the activities.

Kids can play all day on the inflatables for $6. Each game of laser tag costs $7. Game On also serves dinner, including pizza and hot dogs.

Glasgow has various packages for groups and is offering the facility for $350 an hour to corporations looking for a team-building exercise. He also works with neighboring businesses so parents visiting can leave their older kids to play at Game On.

Glasgow has made the facility adult friendly, too. There is free wireless Internet access, so parents sometimes come in, cut the kids loose and sit back to work. He's also installed a widescreen TV and has had groups of dads watching football while the children run themselves ragged on the laser tag.

Glasgow ran a business of portable inflatables for three years before selling that off last year. By the time he got out of that business and got into this, he had 20 inflatable units and 500 rentals a year for parties and other get-togethers. But he heard there was a demand for laser tag as well.

The laser venue is a large darkened room with black lights and phosphorescent accents on walls and obstacles. During each 10-minute game, Glasgow pumps fog into the room and plays dramatic music. He describes it as an intense experience.

Glasgow said he is cautious to make sure children of similar ages play together on inflatables, but anyone can play against anyone in laser tag. He said that the lasers are not harmful to the eyes and the environment is safe for smaller children. In fact, he said, the little ones do well. Last week the police SWAT team brought families and the kids won.

"The kids just tear them up," he said. "They're just a little bit quicker. Plus the dads got too much into police mode."

Paul Swider can be reached at 892-2271 or pswider@sptimes.com or by participating in itsyourtimes.com.

[Last modified August 15, 2006, 21:46:06]