Short answer: You, the parent decides.
In Depth: The vast majority of our games are ESRB rated Everyone, Everyone 10+ and Teen. We do have a few select titles that are rated Mature 17+ however it is worthwhile mentioning that some find these categories to be arbitrary, or even unhelpful at best.
An interesting observation? Throughout our years of experience, thousands of youth passing through our game trailer, what genre of game would You guess is involved with the most direct and immediate expression of "less than desirable" behaviors? Instances where we might be called upon to make an intervention.This could be heightened emotions, raised voices and excessive noise, disruptions, disagreements and sometimes.. even conflict. Hint. It's not the 'Mature' titles.
Sports games.
But rest assured, the decision on game selection will be entirely yours, and is final. If there are certain games in our library you wish not to be played then we will dutifully enforce those restrictions.
Short answer: The optimal age for 3D video gaming begins at around age seven or eight and upwards. Children between the ages five and seven can participate however there are some special considerations to keep in mind.
In Depth: At around the ages 7 - 8 children come into full stride developmentally with skill sets fundamental to the enjoyment of 3D video gaming. Milestones begin to fall in rapid succession; neurological development, intellect and perception, hand eye coordination and fine motor skills, reading comprehension, and even motivational drivers.
These developments are what distinguish children of this age from younger children and enable them to play extended periods of time with minimal assistance, manage complex game interactions and combinations of game input controls, and where instead of frustration they find enjoyment and accomplishment in overcoming challenges of coordination and timing, solving puzzles and deciphering "hidden" game mechanics, all of which are an integral part of the immense enjoyment and sense of self-reward that defines video gaming.
In contrast, children ages 5 - 7 generally have a shorter attention span and can lose interest when faced with some of the difficulties and challenges inherent to 3D video game play. They also have fewer games available to them; not with regard to age appropriate content but rather, defined by the number and complexity of controller inputs necessary to play the game. For the youngest of children 1-3 inputs is ideal, teachable and within their mastery. Games offering this level of simplicity represent a smaller subset of our total game library.
This is not to say these youngest of children cannot successfully play and enjoy video games with us, they can. But they do require considerably more help; in fact, near continual "one-on-one" guidance and assistance. With these factors in mind we recommend a shorter event length (1½ hrs) and a smaller maximum group size (10 or fewer) in order for our game coaches to be able to provide the optimal learning setting, personal attention and quality of experience for these children. Note* 'Outdoor Games' as an add-on can be a valuable compliment to video game play with the very youngest of children.
*For the Curious
As a point reference regarding game complexity; a standard game controller has between 18 - 20 unique potential inputs in the form of joysticks (4 inputs), triggers (4 inputs), primary buttons (4 inputs), directional pad (4 inputs) and accessory buttons/touch pad (2-4 inputs).
Core gameplay on the 'average' game generally requires management of between 4 -10 of these controller inputs.
The most difficult and complex titles can potentially make use of All available inputs, even going so far as to introduce combinations; whereby 2 - 4 inputs (typically) need to be 'chained', meaning executed with rapid precise timing and in exact sequence in order to achieve the desired effect or outcome.
Short answer: Most often not. We conduct 95% of our events conveniently and safely parked curbside at the front of your home.
In Depth: Ordinary residential driveways are generally far too short to accommodate truck and game trailer which have a combined length in excess of 60ft; think larger than a Greyhound bus.
Additionally, for liability reasons we cannot uncouple game trailer from truck during use, and with weight considerations in mind the game trailer can only be driven and parked on hard packed or paved roadway type surfaces. Grassy lawns or fields are off limits.
When operating curbside, the entrance to our game trailer is protected and situated at its rear, while our outdoor game consoles are always facing toward your lawn and home away from street side exposure. We mark out safe zones and warn passing motorists with large custom reflex safety signs and road markers. We've never had an unsafe incident occur during one of our arrangements. Not one.
*In the rare event of obstacles hindering ordinary curbside parking, our game coach will examine accessibility issues with the aid of map and satellite tools, determine feasibility, and discuss the options open to you in advance.
Short answer: Sometimes. This has to be determined in consultation with us in advance, on a case by case basis.
In Depth: Public parks having manned facilities such as swimming pools, clubhouses, organized sport facilities generally require express permission to operate, seldom allow outside vendors to utilize even parking lots due to insurance and liability constraints.
In the case of unmanned parks, of primary consideration is ease of access, parking and peak hours of operation. When considering a public park with paved roadways and designated parking spaces, we require a minimum of eight (8) parking spaces side by side in order to park the truck and game trailer out of the roadway. The probability of finding these mandatory parking spaces "on demand" can be very challenging during peak times of visitation, next to impossible to guarantee.
We are always willing take a look with map and satellite tools to determine the feasibility of a park you’ve chosen. We must however be able to identify multiple options or alternatives for parking in order to be able to guarantee an event.
Short answer: The show goes on.
In Depth: Our two outdoor consoles, the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Wii can need to be shuttered in the event of rain. This can be temporary in the case of shifting patterns of weather, or all together in the event of a full storm.
The bulk of our consoles and games, PS5 and Xbox Series X, are situated indoors away from the elements. Together these consoles can accommodate 16 players, with room for potential extra "observers". The trailer is quite roomy and we’ve had it unbelievably packed with active gamers and watchers, for example with larger organized youth congress events. A second alternative is to rotate groups in and out of the trailer in order to free up space and make certain that everyone gets a significant amount of chair-time/playtime.
Short Answer: Our price list products include a travel distance of up to 60 miles, that is, no additional travel cost for events within a 30 mile radius of our home base in Sarasota.
In Depth: For travel to events outside a 30 mile radius we charge an additional $2.50 per mile in excess of 60 total travel miles. Excess milage fee is calculated based on point to point distances indicated by GPS/Google maps. We travel regularly to events from Fort Myers up to the Tampa Bay Area. The following list of cities, townships, municipalities represent where we've travelled to host events during just the past year:
To the North
Land O'Lakes
Clearwater
Tampa
St Petersburg
Riverview
Apollo Beach
Sun City
Wimauma
Ruskin
Sarasota Area
Parrish
Palmetto
Bradenton
Anna Maria Island
Holmes Beach
Bradenton Beach
Longboat Key
Lakewood Ranch
Sarasota City
To the South
Osprey
Nokomis
Venice
Englewood
North Port
Port Charlotte
Punta Gorda
Ft Myers
Cape Coral
Naples
Short answer: No. A little known or often misunderstood fact; Fortnite is essentially a 'single player' game. You cannot play this game with your friends sitting next to each other sharing a single game console.
In Depth: Fortnite is one prominent example representative of the current ‘Online Only’ MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) gaming trend. Have you ever stopped to wonder why your child sits alone at home playing video games? That is because in many cases they’re forced to; this particular genre of game requires each individual player to have their own dedicated computer or game console along with an accompanying monitor or TV. Hardware (game consoles) cannot be shared simultaneously by multiple players sitting together in the same room. If we offered Fortnite or similar games (Roblox, Apex Legends being two other prominent MMO examples) this would effectively translate to a Birthday Party size of four; one active player at a time, per console, inside of our game trailer.
Short answer: No.
In Depth: As mentioned, our Mobile Video Game Party is focused exclusively on game titles developed for, and supporting local multiplayer and couch co-op modes of play. Games that can be shared together in person and do not necessarily require an internet connection. And by extension, this also insures that Only the children you've invited to your party will be participating.
Short Answer: Time and space constraints particular to VR gameplay.
In Depth: VR is a single player experience; if we allot 10 minutes of gameplay per participant this provides a memorable introductory experience but will not leave sufficient time for a larger group to cycle through. In addition, the active nature of VR gameplay requires that we create a dedicated indoor play space at one end of the trailer which involves 'removing' one of our regular indoor consoles from use. That console could otherwise be occupying up to four players simultaneously, which might be a better trade off with larger groups. The VR headset is particularly sensitive to sunlight where even momentary direct exposure can cause permanent damage to the LCD screen, therefore it can only be utilized in an indoor setting.