If you – or anybody you know – is on TikTok, then there is a ridiculously high chance you’ve heard of the viral Activate! The most expansive immersive gaming experience you can get in Canada has just recently opened up a new location. The new facility, located at 30 Weston Rd, Unit C209, is a whopping 19,218 square feet of physical gaming goodness.
Activate blends gaming, cyberpunk aesthetic, and physical exertion in a way that is both fun and rewarding. The Stockyards location boasts 19 game rooms, including the TikTok famous Mega Grid (which just so happened to be mine and my friends favourite game.) Other games include Lasers, where you make your way through a laser maze like Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible; Push, a game where you have to find a certain pattern in a rounded room with 452 light-up buttons; Strike, a game where you have to throw balls at a large series of screens, and many more.
The first thing you’ll do at Activate is setup your profile, and yes, that includes your gamertag. Once your name is chosen, you’re given a wristband that keeps track of your score and allows you access to each room. Each room has different games you can play in them. For instance, Lasers has a game where you move through laser mazes, and it also has a game where you shoot lasers at targets. When you scan your wrist at the door of each room you’ll be able to select which game you would like to play and which level of difficulty. Each time you complete a level you get bonus points that gets added to your overall score. Bonus points act as a great incentive to come back a few times so you can place higher and higher on the leaderboard!
I actually went twice to Activate over the last few weeks. I went with my girlfriend for the media event and we had a blast! We finished first and second place in the media event tournament – not to brag. We were then told that we would get a discount if we came back within a two-week period and it was at that moment I realized I was hooked. All I wanted to do was go back! So, that’s exactly what we did. My girlfriend and I went back, but we also brought two of my closest friends along with us. We had already done each of the games with two people, so I wanted to see how easy and fun it would be with four.
It should be no surprise at all when I say this, but playing with a group of four was awesome. Halfway through our playtime we were all drenched in sweat and having a total blast. It was a fun bonding activity for us, and it acted as a great vehicle for some new hilarious memories that I’ll cherish! That brings me to my favourite thing about Activate – the games aren’t “family-style.” By that I mean you can play with two or four people in a room without strangers joining in. Each room is private for the time you’re in there. Once somebody else requests the room, the all-knowing voice above will tell you to leave the room. It’s a nice way to make sure that everybody gets a turn and that you don’t have to play games and act a fool with people you don’t know. Shy people can thrive at Activate!
There really is something for everybody at this location. For people who enjoy basketball-meets-trivia or basketball-meets-Simon-says, there’s Hoops! Maybe you’re into quick thinking and teamwork, you could give Portals a try! Or if you’ve ever dreamed of running cardio while playing a giant Gameboy, then maybe Control is more your speed! The only game we couldn’t quite get a handle on was Hide. It felt a little difficult to figure out what exactly was going on, and no matter how much we changed our strategy we couldn’t get past the second level. But that was probably just on us!
There wasn’t a tournament the second time we showed up, but it was nice that my points carried over and it further cemented my girlfriend and I as forces to be reckoned with on the leaderboard! Speaking of leaderboards, there are little checkpoints you can scan your wristband at to see how many points you have and your overall experience. Each time you level up you get a new reward on your way out. I’m so close to the basketball, I can smell it! I’m hoping to get the t-shirt and sweater soon! Sometimes when you scan you’ll get a lootbox with a prize in it. It’s usually just some extra points or experience to your next overall reward. There might be some crazier stuff you can get, but I haven’t seen anything like that yet.
Prices start at $29.99 for 75 minutes of playtime and $14.99 if you want to add an additional 30 minutes. You want to make sure you book ahead so you can get a good timeslot. They try their best to make sure it doesn’t get too crowded. I think Activate is absolutely worth every penny! I will definitely be going back to claim that basketball!
You can book a timeslot over at Activate’s official website.
