Ruckers

As the busy students we are, we were in search of an activity to do to recharge. Ruckers was appealing to us, because of their affordable prices, convenient location, entertaining games, and positive online reviews. Whether you are at the center to try out a new activity or for a friend’s birthday party, the arcade games offered are endless and can appeal to everyone! The center includes air hockey, deal or no-deal, ice ball, race car driving, and even laser tag and a virtual reality ride. As students, we chose the center for the games mentioned, but also because we recognize the importance of taking study breaks to increase focus and reduce stress. The center was a fun and eventful experience for us and can be for children and teenagers who are visiting the city as well. With the friendly staff, fun energy and atmosphere, and amazing drinks, treats, and stuffed animals to win, there is no doubt that children and teenagers will leave without having a great experience.

Ruckers, Kamloops, BC

Fun Factor

The Fun Factor family arcade is located on the north shore area of Kamloops, BC. It is certainly the largest arcade facility in the Kamloops area, so if you were thinking to plan any kind of event in the future this may be the place to look at. Fun Factor has a large arcade area along with a glow in the dark mini golf course and laser tag. Nelson, a member of our group, has done the glow in the dark mini golf before and it was truly an amazing experience. The contrast between the neon paint and the dark makes trying to put a hole in one very challenging. The downside to the Fun Factor is that its location makes it less accessible for students. Being on the far end of the north shore it will take you around 10 -15 minutes to get there by car. If you don’t have a car you would have to take at least two buses, heading there from Thompson Rivers University, which would take around an hour at least. The Fun Factor is really out of the way for students considering that Ruckers’ arcade is only a ten-minute walk away from TRU. Ruckers is very similar to the Fun Factor but is missing the glow in the dark mini golf. Unless you are set on getting on the putting greens, we suggest Ruckers to students. If you are looking to plan an event of any scale, we would tell you to go to the Fun Factor.

Fun Zone Rentals

Fun Zone Rentals’ parent company, Cotton Coin Company Limited based in Kamloops BC, was founded in 1973 and one of the original partners is still active in day to day activities associated with the business. Their business primarily consists of coin-operated amusements in various establishments throughout the BC Interior. In 1990, they were the first location in the BC Interior to open a large-scale fun centre dedicated to providing a smoke-free, clean, bright and family oriented attractions to the citizens and tourists of Kamloops and opened “THE FUN FACTOR FAMILY FUN CENTRE” located at 910 Tranquille Road, in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Their infrastructure still houses the operations of their three associated business arms:

• The Fun Factor Family Fun Centre:
  Kamloops Birthday Party Headquarters which also features a laser tag arena and party areas
• Fun Zone Inflatable Party & Event Rentals:
  The BC Interiors Largest & Most comprehensive supplier of inflatable attractions & more!
• Cotton Coin Company Limited:
  Operates Coin Operated Games in various other establishments throughout the BC Interior & Okanagan.

They have a variety of rental items including inflatables, arcade machines and carnival games, dunk tanks etc. These rentals are perfect for kids and teenagers. The cheapest inflatable we could find is a standard bounce and slide which is a bright, fun bouncy castle featuring some interactive features inside the bouncing area, as well as a fun slide to exit the fun. It is priced at $255.00 (Kamloops residential rate) for 4 hours. Another type of rental is the traditional sit-in Photo-booth and they can personalize each photo strip with your custom logo, text or other creativity! for example, it could be rented for a grad event at Thompson Rivers University where students can click individual and group pictures with custom TRU templates.

The only downside is the price point these rentals start at, which is from $255, all the up to $1250, that to just for a few hours and an extra $30 for every additional hour! In a nut shell, these rentals are great for Birthdays, Schools, Grad Events, Corporate Events and Fundraisers.

E-Exit

For the uninitiated, escape rooms are rooms that you, and people joining you, are locked in a room for an hour; to get out of the rooms there are puzzles that you need to understand and solve to be able to escape. E-exit is one of the two escape rooms in Kamloops, it is located very near to Aberdeen Mall.

There are four different escape rooms at any given time, all varying from difficulty, amount of rooms, and the number of maximum players. The payment is standard across all rooms: 25$ per person. There is a possibility to rent the full facilities for private events. Each room is not the same experience, as the passwords and codes are changed, and the people you go with influence your experience. E-exit offers something different from the other entertainment places, which is a puzzle that surrounds you, every nook and cranny is intentional, and dividing time between the processes of solving and searching is essential since there is very little to no help. The escape room requires active thinking as a group to achieve the goal of escaping from the trapped room. The gratification of being able to solve puzzles and decipher codes is unlike any other.

E-Exit, Kamloops, BC