[OT] Anyone ever get addicted to Q-ZAR/Quasar in early to mid 90's?

[fett527]

Just got thinking about this after my post to the ENWWC. My friends and I worked a few years at the Dayton, OH and Cincinnati, OH Q-ZARs as managers. We loved it and were addicted and had the owners not been such jerks probably would have worked there a long time. I know some of the stores are still around, but the glory days were in the mid 90's when there was a national tournament held at a different store several times a year it seemed. I was only able to attend two tournaments and play in one. It was easily the most fun I've ever had in a job. What's your experience with the ZAR if any?

 

[Ashy]

Wow - it must be something in the Q-Zar manager's badge that makes them that way. I used to work at the Q-zar in Bham and it was great fun, until the managers started making marshalls pay for games and kept us from going in and playing with customers, etc... That sucked and I then realized that the only reason I was working there was for the free games, and so I left.

 

[fett527]

Yeah, we had "marshal games" where we would play after the store closed for free. Those were THE MOST fun. It was awesome to get in the arena and play whatever music we wanted. They started limiting those and limiting play with customers. The biggest problems were the hours they forced us to work and the wage they paid us.

 

[Ashy]

Same here, fett, exactly....

 

[fett527]

I can't believe nobody else out there reading these boards has had a close experience with Q-ZAR! There a ton of them across the south. Two in Nashville, two in Atlanta (i think), Memphis, Orlando, Gatlinburg, Augusta others in Texas (corporate used to be Dallas). There were 4 in Ohio at one time, Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Toledo. I'd really like to hear from other people (besides Enkhidu and dshai527). Thanks for the support Ashy!

 

[Ashy]

::chuckle:: I dont know if I would call it support..... but hey - whatever floats yer boat!

 

[Gizzard]

There were a couple places in LA that ran the same sort of deal in the late 80s. They weren't Q-ZAR (TM), they might have even been called something as simple as Lazer-Tag? (Or was that the one you could buy in toy stores?)

Like anything else, they attracted a crowd of hardcore players who would tend to monopolize play and push out newbies who came along to see if the game was fun. (I bet that the managers restricting "marshalls" is the same deal; if you are trying to run a business you dont need your staff driving out paying customers.) I notice the Battletech Arena here in the Bay Area went through the same new->grow->ossify->die off life cycle.

Anyway, I played a couple times, but it rapidly got expensive for a poor college student. Perhaps working there would have changed the dynamic.

Also, I could have sworn that I saw a Q-Zar a couple of years back near the Embarcadero in SF. I wonder if its still in business.

 

[Celebrim]

Huntsville, AL.

Been there. Done that. Bought the T-Shirt.

 

[JDragon]

Their were 2 in the east bay(sf, ca) that I know of, one in Dublin and another in Concord, I think Concord is still open.

Played some, but just didn't do a whloe lot for me, espaically after I played paintball. Plus as mentioned before, it wasn't much fun playing against employees, since they had all sorts of time to pratice for free, as a paying customer most of just didn't stand a chance.

As for Battletech, I spent most weekends, the spring of my senior year there. (walnut creek, CA) Played a couple tournys and such, even won one. Virtual World (its real name) did a much better job of keeping the employees out of newbies games so they would have fun. Now the regulars, were fair game for a thrashing.

JDragon

AKA

Dragon Boy of the Samurai Perverts

 

[Daniel Knight]

Okay, this'll probably strange some of you out, there used to be a Q-ZAR is Fremantle of Western Australia (maybe still is). Used to be a lot of fun.