I’ve noticed lately that my stories that are shared on LinkedIn are getting a bit more attention than I tend to get on other social media sites that have several times more followers, so I guess a lot of the audience here likes to use LI instead. No problem there, but in using the site more often, I’ve been finding more stuff from within the industry, which includes today’s story, the Playbox by Playmind.
Ball-throwing carnival-style games aren’t new, but the good thing about timeless classics like carnival games is that they can be adapted and renewed in a myriad of ways. Recently we did cover a new game that uses similar technology by Adrenaline Amusements – ball throwing with a video screen to make for a more interactive and versatile experience. The Playbox looks to use that idea and expand on it to cover several players, and they offer more than just ball-tossing.
Their product page has a quick summary of what they are aiming to do:
Playbox is a game platform played on a giant LED screen designed with entertainment in mind.
People play by throwing soft low bouncing balls, or other soft projectiles.
Guests can play alone, as a group in teams or individually against each other.
It is fun, collaborative and competitive which drives repeat business and faster ROI!
Looking at the website they have three models available – the “Indoor” which has been designed for FECs and is compatible with card systems (I assume coin doors would be possible too); Mobile which is pretty much the game integrated into a trailer bed; And the Outdoor that is adapted for use in theme parks and any other outdoor entertainment venue.
Each model comes with a separate control and leaderboard kiosk that allows players to choose from one of several games that have been created just for this platform. You can browse the latest available games here; They have also designed their games to work for kids or adults – You can set up a game like the Zombies! as an E-rated game or an M-rated one, depending upon the audience. Finally, they’ve also set up these games to work with other soft projectiles than just balls. The trailer below shows soft axes as one option:
The price isn’t mentioned on the site, nor are distributors, although I did discover this from a LinkedIn post from a distribution salesperson so I assume they must have one or two available. They do mention a licensing model, so it’s possible that they are mainly working on this as a revenue-sharing piece, which eliminates any big up-front costs for operators, along with some of the risk.
What do you think about this from what they have shown to be available?
the axes is a unique concept. i like the duck panic and think it would be good with hand held slingshots too