On April 24, 2005, Laser Flash in Carmel, will host a Regional Tournament for the LASERTRON World Championships beginning at 4 p.m. This inaugural laser tag tournament offers $10,000 in prize money to the best players from around the world.

Over 20 teams with players ranging in age from 11 to 50 are expected at the World Championships. To be eligible for the World Championships, held in Buffalo, NY in August, teams must first compete at one of the 10 regional tournaments. The locally-owned Laser Flash was selected as a regional location for the tournament from amongst 85 LASERTRON-equipped sites in the United States.

Once thought of as an entertainment fad, laser tag has surged worldwide in the past two years. There are over 600 laser tag facilities in North America alone with millions of players around the world.

"Laser tag has been around for over twenty years. It's time we created a tournament program that excites players of all levels," noted Tournament Director and long-time player, Jason Bock.

Because most arenas do not allow running or physical play, competitive laser tag is unique amongst sporting events. Often kids can be as strong a player as an adult. Previous laser tag tournaments have even featured children playing against parents.

The LASERTRON World Championships is the first tournament to offer a cash prize since the mid 1980's when one company controlled 90% of the laser tag marketplace. Many don't realize that over 30 companies built commercial laser tag gear at one time. That number has fallen in the past decade with LASERTRON remaining as one of the oldest and largest U.S. manufacturers.

"We're proud to sponsor this tournament and take LASERTRON to the next level," said LASERTRON President and Founder, James Kessler.

Laser tag is a sport where players wear high-tech vests and attempt to tag opposing players in a space-age arena. A computer keeps track of scoring to determine a winner.

Players may still sign up for the tournament at Laser Flash. For more information visit www.laser-flash.com/tournament.html on the web.