Activate is here in the US! More specifically, as LA locals, in Los Angeles. Although they have many locations, we will be focusing on the one in Culver City as it just opened up.

So, what is Activate? Off the website it says it is the “world’s first active gaming facility” So basically, you get the best of both worlds. You get to play a game while working out (mentally and physically), There is a lot to go into so let’s get the disclaimer out of the way.

Disclaimer:

The F10$$ Series is written in an informal tone meant to sound conversational. It includes a DIML (“Day in My Life”) style with opinion. This review is not sponsored by Activate! Okay let’s get into the review and my experience with this ticketing! (pictures and edits coming soon!)

One last thing, if you haven’t seen this series (F10$$), we go to a lot of places/events. If you have a place, you want us to review next, recommend it to us! Okay let’s activate the review!

Going to Activate

First, you need to sign a waiver which was easy to fill out. Then when you enter the building, just check in. Whoever in your party reserved the timeslot will be the one to check in. By the way, it’s best to bring 3-5 people to play as most games work better that way. Though they can split the party if there is more. It’s best to have the required number of players.

For us we had 3 this time around. The employees were there. And it was pretty smooth after we got things clear. After you check in, you get your bracelets. These bracelets you will need to check in (each player), play, and check your stats! It only took a couple of minutes, and we were in.

THE GAMES

There are 11 games to choose from. And they have different variations of the games. You can tell which ones are more popular due to the que line to wait for them. We were laughing at some point waiting in line as we knew our game will probably end quicker as someone else was waiting for it. Each game is between 1-3 minutes according to their website.

One thing I really was happy about is some of the games had more than one room. I think the most popular games has to be between Mega Grid and Mega Laser. I am considering people lining up outside the rooms from different parties as popular. There were a few rooms under maintenance, so we don’t know what they were. Hoping for more of the popular rooms.

Lines were never really long which is a plus when you’re on the outside. However when you’re on the inside of that room, you hate when the game tells you to leave within 5-10 seconds. But it leaves you wanting more. You can line up of that same game again and it allows you to go back to the next level. If not, you can try another game. No matter what, I think you can have a good time. So, it’s a fun cycle.

Cons and Pros

Honestly there are so many pros here, but there were also some cons.

Cons:

• The location we went to is a smaller space. I wish that there was more space in there. However, it’s still enough space to roam around. I just wish there was at least 2-3 rooms of the games. Especially the most popular ones.

• It got extremely hot in there really quickly. By our first game, everyone was sweating.
• There is a place to rest, but it’s not too big.
• Some games did go into Maintenace unfortunately, but there were so many games that it was okay.

Pros:

• A diverse number of games with different skills required.
• Multiple games with different options
• Easy tutorials with video demonstrations
• Plenty of time to play other games (or the same if you want)
• Little to no wait between games.
• A great work out and completes recommended amount of time to exercise
• A place to rest just in case you need it.
• Easy to get a small prize to take home to remember.
• Stays open very late. Which leaves so much time to play.
• I love the time slots as it gives enough room for other players as well

Final Thoughts

For a limited time from September 4-6 there is a grand opening special. What is the special? Free admission (one admission per person)! Unfortunately, all of the slots are full for this weekend, but if you do find a slot, you don’t want to miss it.

Even if you don’t do the promotion, I believe that it is worth the price. For an hour, it will cost you around $30 (not counting tax). And for an hour and a half, it will cost you around $40 (not counting tax). In my opinion for more than a day of play, you should so the 60 minutes. If you are going for one day, get the 90 minutes. I think then you can do each game a handful of times and bring a prize home to remember that day.

They also have a tournament there so I would recommend that. As well as leaderboards. If you are competitive like I am, you are going to want to return often.

Overall, I would give this place a 10/10 and would definitely return again.

HOST POV

Wait for the host pov really soon! As well as the rest of this article!

So, what are your thoughts on Activate? Will you give it a visit? If you do, let us know how it went. We want to hear all the details. And if you are planning to go after reading this, tell them we said hello! Anyways, I hope you enjoy your weekend and make sure to do something for you this week! Whether it’s treating yourself to a fun round of games, enjoying some of our content, or even just an extra hour in bed, do something you enjoy! Alright. We’ll see you very soon with another article! 🙂

Written By: A.P.