Aidyn Messerschmidt, a 19-year old is all set to launch his own arcade called Galaxy VR Arcade on the coming 27th February. The young man graduated from Hartland High School only last year. By this year, he became an entrepreneur launching his first venture. His VR arcade is located in the Country Corners mini mall at 4088 E. Grand River Avenue in Genoa Township.
The first-time entrepreneur stated that during the lockdown, virtual reality became his only reality. During the period, he bought a standalone VR headset, which he describes as a cheaper version of Oculus Quest, and spent a significant time with the VR game equipment. In the process, he voraciously explored all possible routes of VR and now, he wants to share them with the world. His objective is to provide entertainment for people using virtual reality and he emphasizes that it is much needed at this current timeline.
During the interview with Livingston daily, Aidyn recounts his childhood days. He says that he spent most of his time playing video games with his dad, Brandon Messerschmidt. He reported that Mr. Messerschmidt is also contributing to his new venture by sharing his expertise in store management and helping Aidyn to set the business off. While planning for the arcade, Aidyn wanted to get the best quality VR headsets and let people use them for immersive gaming experiences at a very affordable rate. As he is gearing up to open the doors of his arcade, he says that his dreams of having an amazing VR gaming space have almost come true.
The arcade
The arcade, as of now, has 6 gaming stations, featuring almost 135 games of different genres, such as sports simulations, first-person shooting, fitness games, horror adventures, and educational experiences. Some of the games are interactive while in others the users can experience a 360-degree world of virtual reality but they don’t interact. Aidyn describes the experience like that of a roller coaster. One particular game, which is likely to become popular soon, lets the users visit famous landmarks all over the world, including mountains, caves, canyons, and temples.
Virtual Diving
Tammy Saxton, Aidyn’s mom, reported that her favorite game was the one that lets the users experience virtual diving under the ocean and swimming with a giant manta ray. Aidyn himself prefers first-person shooting games which allow him to be immersed in the virtual world. A youngster in real life, Aidyn fantasizes about getting to be in those digital worlds.
Costs
The cost for one person to play for 15 minutes on a weekday is $10 and $100 for a four-station multi-player session for 60 minutes. Prices for weekends are higher.
The arcade also has virtual space stations and space-themed games. Also, space is one of the major themes of the place. The décor includes several prints of the space on dark canvases and collectibles from the sci-fi franchise, such as the Star Trek and Star Wars series.
Aidyn said that he and his father Brandon visited many VR arcades to get an idea of the business drew up the plan how their arcade will turn out.
