Vada

Founded by: Dennis Howard

Originated: March 3, 1988 Date Closed: May 7, 1991

Number of Locations: 2

Personnel of Note:

Dennis Howard, Founder

Bridget (Howard) Fraser

Christopher Howard

First Facility: Laser Strike (later renamed Laser Quest), 191 Jackson Street, Petone, Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand

Equipment Overview: A vest and two-handed phaser along with a chest piece mounted on a strap (which would be worn by draping the strap over the head) made up the Vada player equipment. The heavy phaser was made using an aluminum cast-alloy.

Historical Synopsis:  Vada Force Laser Tag was developed by Dennis Howard alongside his family member including daughter Bridget and son Chris following their time operating a Laser Strike facility (the second Laser Strike location in New Zealand) in Petone, Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Chris believed they could create a higher quality laser tag system and worked to develop a system that would include more of the features he wanted. Vada Laser Systems Ltd was the parent company of this new Vada system.

Frank Stace (co-founder of Phasor Strike) donated numerous full-color publicity photographs of the Vada laser tag equipment along with a draft sales agreement between Vada Laser Systems and Phaser Strike which would provide equipment to what would be known as the first Laser Quest, which opened on December 1, 1989. Following a visit to the Howard family’s Laser Strike location, Stace introduced the Howards to Phil Pickersgill and Simon James who were looking for equipment to open a laser tag business in Manchester, UK, which would become the first Laser Quest. Later the Howard family would change the name of their own facility from Laser Strike to Laser Quest and their family’s laser tag center continued to operate until 1997.