Oakbrook Center has recently introduced a new place to experience interactive gaming in a private, digital room. The games involve touch screens on the wall, projection mapping, and surround sound to fully immerse you in the experience. 

Signing up for it was super quick and easy. First, I went to the online website and chose the Oak Brook location. Then, it was time to choose the game and how many team members I would be playing with. I chose “Temple of Coins,” a fast-paced, 30-minute adventure game. The goal was for my team and I to make our way through the temple by dodging ghosts and collecting as many coins as possible. 

Picking a time to play is super easy. They even give you the option of switching your reservation to a different date or time if something comes up. Customers pay online, which I personally think made the whole experience go very smoothly. 

I brought my friend along for this new and challenging experience. We didn’t know what to expect, but were pleasantly greeted when we walked through the door with super friendly staff, along with a simple check-in process. All we had to do was be there 10 minutes before our reservation, so we could fill in our information on a touchscreen at the front desk. 

We were then brought into a private gaming room, where our virtual experience began. We each chose a different colored visor that would track our motion through the game. It started with a quick step-by-step tutorial that included a small practice round to teach us the game, which helped us get used to it. 

Although it took us a few minutes to catch on to all the rules of the game, it was super fun once we got a hang of the movements. In the “Temple of Coins,” we had to collect as many coins as possible and bank them in a treasure chest, while avoiding ghosts and walls. It was a game of teamwork, but also included some competition, because it counted how many coins each player had collected all together. Each round, the game became more intense and challenging, with bigger and more dangerous ghosts added to each level. 

After a short and fast-paced half an hour of running around, surrounded by cool sounds and visuals, our time was up. By the end of it, we were laughing until we were in tears and slightly winded from the high intensity of the game. We got to rate our experience and even took a fun video of us dancing, which was sent to our emails. 

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of fun I had. It was a super good bonding experience for me and my friend, and a great way to laugh at one another running from virtual ghosts and tripping over one another. 

If I had to change anything about the Electric Gamebox, it would definitely be the pricing. I was shocked by the way the price varied from weekdays to weekends. A Monday-Thursday ticket was $14.95 for a 30 minute game and $19.95 for 60 minutes, but Friday-Saturday was $24.95 for 30 minutes and $34.95 for 60. Overall, I thought it was a bit pricey.

Besides this inconvenience, however, I thought the new Electric Gamebox was amazing. It’s a great way to bond with family and friends in a fun new experience. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone in the area who wants something new and exciting to try. 

Electric Gamebox is located at 545 Oakbrook Center Unit 545, Oak Brook, next to California Pizza Kitchen and is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday to Sunday. 

3.5/5 paws