laser quest
I'm a volunteer at a kids group and a few summers ago had the privilege of organising a day trip for 20 7-10 year old girls. Being an adventurous sort I decided that I would let them spend a few hours running around in the dark shooting each others with lasers. After all they were young ladies in training and what harm could it be.
After we're all kitted up and shown what to do I divide us into a few small groups and the cry goes out to let the games begin. We run around aimlessly for the first few minutes as the girls get to grips with these strange gun things and find their way round the dark course.
One by one the groups head off and start making bases around the lower levels of the course and all that can be heard is whispering girls and in the dark it is the most unnerving thing you can hear. I head off on my own thinking my age and size is sure to protect me when I suddenly find myself falling over a fairly large obstacle. Within seconds I'm pinned to the ground by 20 girls and one by one they spend the next 5 minutes repeatedly shooting me. After much negotiating I was freed and allowed back into battle. When we finally finish and the printouts are handed out the man behind the desk comments on the ridiculously high number of hits I took when a voice pipes up "We had it all planned out for days, I lay on the floor and tripped her over and everyone else waited to pin her down". These girls are now 14-17 and if they could plan such a great strategy at such a young age imagine what they could do now!
(NotSaying lurking is fun, Mon 4 Jun 2012, 21:02, 2 replies)

I can imagine,
just imagine. That's not a sin is it?
(the other guy not the one that gave you coochie warts, Tue 5 Jun 2012, 1:26, closed)

many years ago...
as a card carrying Grauniad reading parent, I was determined not to let my kids have guns in the house, play war, or anything like that. Until dear daughter had her birthday party at our local Laserquest.
It was awesome!! I went from 0-guntotingloony in about 5 seconds, running all over the place, rolling behind obstacles chasing targets, having a generally fantastic time of it. So much so that I'd not had that many sore muscles since I used to run cross-country at school!! Damn-near life changing event! It was also brilliant watching the girls get organised in this way..
(Beer Elf Thought this was like a campfire, anyhow, on, Tue 5 Jun 2012, 15:46, closed)