Skee-Ball and Lane Master

We stopped at the Mulligan Fun Center in Temecula CA on the way home from our trip.  We enjoy just about every kind of game, and how games cross our lives in other ways.  So stopping at a family fun center and trying out all the games is just another kind of gaming.  About the only kind of gaming we DON'T do is casino gaming or gambling.

Skee-Ball is a favorite, because it is so simple.  Just roll the bowl up the ramp to where it jumps and has various targets to land in.  I don't really care about the score, or how many tickets come out.  It's just fun hitting a few of the better holes.



Some years ago, a kind of virtual bowling game started appearing in these fun centers.  The one we show here is called "Lane Master".  I like the smoothness of the transition from real-world to on-screen balls.  Really, you are just rolling a ball a short distance, and it falls into a groove and comes back, but the screen detects where the ball hits and puts the video ball at that rough location in the video game.  For your $1 or $2 of credit, you get to complete two frames, then there is a golden bonus level with about 100 pins, then a third frame.     

Between these two games, we probably played 15 sets.  There's no real thought involved, but a little bit of skill could be acknowledged.  But these are engaging and fun, and it's nice to get away from the laptop, get off of our phones, and away from the kitchen table.  It felt good to get out, walk a mile or two, and toss some balls.

The final part of the game when we go to one of these fun centers, is that we get the cheapest game card, enjoy the games, then give the card to some family with kids.  We don't need any of the junk from the ticket redemption area.  But saying hi to the mom and giving them those extra 638 points feels good.  Of course, everyone is somewhat defensive at first, but hey, here's some free stuff for you.  We do get a little conversation.  We're nice people.  And today, it was that boy's birthday.  Why not?  I was that kid, once upon a time.

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