Singapore just embraced the virtual reality revolution with a new VR arcade.These arcades, which have started to spring up across the globe, offer virtual reality games for a one-time or hourly rate. Just like standard arcades, these gaming centers have first-person shooters and fighting rings, but they also offer more calm options—like 3D painting.Roy Koo, Ignite VR founder, recently launched Singapore's arcade. He told Singapore media network The New Paper he started the arcade to help more people experience virtual reality."What makes me most excited about virtual reality is that it actually makes you feel like you're in another world, and inside this world, anything is possible" Koo said. His arcade has four stations for games where you can play as a soccer goalie, a restaurant cook and a professional boxer.In Calgary, Canada, arcade Level1VR has two stations for virtual reality games ranging from zombie shooters to a Portal spin-off. The arcade branched off from a puzzle room, a popular entertainment venue among techies that puts a team into a room with complex puzzles and only one hour to complete them to escape.Sphere Virtual Reality in Lima, Ohio, states they often get visitors of nearly every age—all the way up to seniors in nursing homes.
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However, not all arcades can be expected to succeed at such a new form of technology. Immersion Arcade in Illinois, for example, shut down after a few months of operation, but new arcades continue to open across the globe.Get six of our favorite Motherboard stories every day by signing up for our newsletter.