Our MeetspaceVR Experience

It’s dark. And eerily quiet. A VR headset is firmly and comfortably fastened in front of my eyes, whilst heavy-duty earphones block almost all sound.

Around me, my comrades in arms, to my right, Jon (my boss). To my left, John (MeetspaceVR owner). No pressure then. As we stand in the perpetual darkness, waiting for the game of a lifetime, we are unceremoniously handed our weapons of war - our lifesize, suitably bulky model shotguns.

Game Time

Then, light. A virtual waiting room appears before us. No sooner have the 3 of us adjusted our visuals and checked in than we are thrust into a digital world - a world thick with fire and industry.

Gone is the featureless empty room in Nottingham city centre - we have been transported into a bustling industrial factory with molten metal spilling over and machinery clanging around us. We are playing Undead Arena, one of the seven VR experiences currently available at MeetspaceVR.

After catching up with my team, we stand on a lift that begins to slowly rise towards our arena. My body knows it’s not really moving, but my eyes and brain see the factory passing by all around as we rise up and up above it giving an incredibly convincing illusion of movement. After barely a minute of acclimatising to our machinery-ridden arena, the announcement blares that we are to be tonight’s entertainment - in a desperate bid for survival against the undead hordes.

The VR Zombie Hordes

From strategically placed lift shafts, broken doorways, and pits - the undead pours in. I’m keen to test each of my 3 weapons in turn, effortlessly switching between double-barrelled shotgun, perfect for close range, long-range, slow to load crossbow and my personal favourite, the “Jack of all trades” assault rifle. With the perfect mix of accuracy, range, and firing speed I feel right at home picking off foes from a safe distance.

Years of training from TV series such as The Walking Dead and countless hours lost to games such as Left 4 Dead 2 see me adjusting quickly to my new role as a gladiatorial combatant.

I line up my shots carefully, knocking a series of zombies down with carefully placed headshots before “ALEX, BEHIND YOU!” blares through my headset.

I wheel around, with less than half a second to dive backwards away from the towering ghoul I’ve now been confronted with. My first reaction is to smack the beast away with my weapon before my mind kicks in and I manage to gun down my assailant.

After recovering from my close shave with virtual death (and trying to downplay the pitiful shriek I’d emitted), the ensuing moment’s calm gives me time to provide covering fire to John and Jon, who have taken up strategic positions across the arena. This second’s downtime gives me the chance to test out a variety of environmental traps such as fire pits and exploding barrels - to devastating effect.

Battling our way through the gauntlet, our 3 man team once again proceeds up our industrial factory arena, as the chants of the baying mob grow ever louder.

As we reach the top levels on all too realistic (but 100% virtual) lifts, we negotiate a series of moving platforms and environmental obstacles. Whilst the back of my mind knows that I’m not truly in any danger of falling to my death, no part of me desires to find out what happens if I misstep from my allotted path, as I carefully leap between precarious beams and ledges.

Back to the Real World

Once we’d thwarted the final wave of foes, we are treated to the adulation of our virtual audience whilst our arena announcer commends us for having survived. The team and I make a mad dash to the exit portal and like that, we are transported back to the real world, removing our headgear and survival packs, revealing again the empty VR room we’d departed from only 30 minutes before. The time went by in a flash and left me hungry for more.

Our time in MeetspaceVR Zero Latency experience has left me with an itch I’m keen to scratch again, a new hobby I can see myself losing a lot of time to. Whilst you’re looking at a slightly higher price tag than a trip to the cinema, the VR experience brings a level of realism and intensity that is indescribable and incomparable to even top-end PC gaming. You really have to try this one for yourself.

With venues in London: Wembley, Nottingham, and Birmingham with a fourth venue arriving in the near future, you’re sure to find somewhere nearby – well worth a trip.

There are 6 games left for us to try, not counting Escape Rooms and the VR Arcade; as well as plenty of new games in development. With so much to keep you entertained, we couldn’t recommend this highly enough, whether you’re looking for a top-tier stag do entertainment or a high octane family afternoon.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We have also put together a list of frequently asked questions at the link below, which include some Top Tips and Did you know information, which you can use to show off with your friends and family

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We hope that you have enjoyed reading our article called Our MeetspaceVR Experience and that you have found the information above include our FAQ page helpful in deciding on which venue you to choose for your Activities and Days Out