"I Enjoy Shooting at My Friends"

By Gordon M. Henry

As the Alpha Green and Alpha Red armies prepare to do battle, a female voice intones, "Welcome Photon warriors." Neon lights begin pulsating, and eerie, pounding synthesizer music envelops the room. Then, after a countdown ("Five-four-three-two-one"), the two sides engage in combat, seeking to hunt down and zap their opponents with ray guns. Following a 6 1/2-minute cosmic Shootout, the soldiers are told that their "strategic maneuvers" have been completed. Fire ceases, and the teams file out. In the lobby, two Photonites shed their gear and revert to Tom Hoy, 25, and Kelli Saul, 22, both of Denver. Says Hoy of life on Planet Photon: "It's like being in a movie."

Indeed, Star Wars, to be more precise. Photon has fused science fiction, warfare and computers into a high-tech game that is now a fast-growing franchise business. Invented by Entrepreneur George Carter III, Photon was born after Carter saw Star Wars and began thinking of a way to let would-be Luke Skywalkers shoot each other with laser beams, or the next best thing. Carter set up the first Photon operation in Dallas in 1984. Since then, franchises have opened in Houston, Denver, Toronto and Kenilworth, N.J. Carter has already sold 94 others and expects them to begin operating at the rate of one a week by spring.

Planet Photon is a cavernous bi-level room with tunnels, bunkers and towers that spew Martian mist. Space cadets roam the terrain on foot. They are divided into two battalions, the red and the green, with up to ten members each. Every soldier wears a helmet that flashes tiny red or green lights for identification. All carry phaser guns, which emit an invisible, infrared beam; chest pods that read the phaser beams and keep track of each hit; and battery packs that energize the guns, helmets and chest pods. The helmets also produce mechanical sounds: a zing tells the warrior he has scored a hit, a drone that he has been hit. The object is to shoot the enemy and bombard its home base.

Photon resembles a space trek in price as well as style. Start-up costs for an outlet are a hefty $500,000. The money pays for not only sophisticated lighting and computer gear but also indoor moonscaping. Says Carter: "This isn't like building a soft-drink stand." Still, franchise owners say the profits are celestial, and they expect to recoup their investments easily. Denver Co-Owner Neil Jarvey III says his costs run $50,000 a month, but he believes that revenues will be twice that.

For Photon addicts, the game is not a cheap habit. Players must pay a onetime fee of between $4.50 and $6.50, depending on location, for a lifetime passport, and then plunk down from $3 to $3.50 for each battle. The costs soon begin to add up since many warriors keep trying to improve their performances. Denver Stockbroker Joe Bates, 26, suits up about every other night and plays two or three rounds. Says he: "It's the competition I like."

Play is restricted to people taller than 4 ft. 6 in. because anyone smaller is considered too weak to carry the 13 lbs. of battle gear. About 80% of the warriors are men, and most are under 30. Regulars relish the game's martial qualities. Says Samm Wiggins, 32, owner of a Houston delivery service: "I enjoy shooting at my friends."

Perhaps Photon's only problem is that old soldiers might just get bored and fade away. Complains Denverite Bates: "They need to change things from time to time." But Carter's empire is ready to strike back with new technology. Within a year, helmets will be equipped so that warriors can communicate with each other and receive running scores during the game. Ultimately, of course, Carter thinks he will prevail, because the Force is with him. --By Gordon M. Henry. Reported by David S. Jackson/Dallas and Robert C. Wurmstedt/Denver

With reporting by David S. Jackson/Dallas, Robert C. Wurmstedt/Denver