Laser tag is a team or individual sport where players make points by engaging targets with hand made infrared light devices. Infrared sensitive pads are worn by each player and are also sometimes integrated into the arena where the game is played. However like paintball it can be played outdoors or indoors. It is also used prepare soldiers for getting involved in a real war combat. Some dudes call it phaser tag.

The recreational gun is not really a laser – it is more like a television remote. Although it has a light emitting diode the targeting device is an invisible infrared beam that identifies the target pad when it is hit by the laser. The target also records the signal when the beam to assist the player in aiming and to create an ambient explosion when a target is hit. It is also similar to paintball and also simulation shooting or targeting sports. As the devices are dependent on a computerized control device, there will be a period of time that is very short during which the player cannot be hit or shot at again.

Real lasers are generally not used except to aim.  The visible light beam assist the player in aiming and Laos makes the game more flashing. It is a very similar game to paintball or other simulation shooting or targeting sports. The format of the game can also constantly be changed.  You can switch the equipment from programming a solo play game to a team play game. You can also use software to accommodate siege style rule or other types of war like behavior. Many modern laser tag systems allow for even greater customization.

The game can be expensive if you are trying to outfit yourself. The guns are not cheap and some manufacturers want to buy everything from mines to bases to full physical arenas or the software inside these Star Trek type guns may not work.  You can find instructions online by hobbyists for making your own equipment.

Even though the sport is not that new there is no such thing as a professional laser tag player. There are many amateur tournaments in different countries. Some of these tournaments feature multiple laser tag systems.  The game is usually played in large dark rooms that look like arenas and it is also quickly becoming archaic!

In the seventies and eighties the U.S. army developed a system using infrared guns for training soldiers. It is called the MILES system. It is similar to laser tag in that beams are fired into receiving pads that then score the hits on the originating remote. Similar systems are now manufactured by several companies and used to train various armed forces around the globe.