When long-time local resident Susann Gardner realized last fall that there was a missing market in Madison for “gamers” like her family, a lightbulb went off: she could fill the gap and bring the most high-tech version of virtual reality and other games right here to North Alabama.
Once the idea was born, she and her business partners never looked back. Your Altered Reality and Game Center is underway is the former Crossroads building on the corner of Highway 72 and Nance Road and is aiming for a mid-August opening day.
Your Altered Reality | Virtual Reality in Madison, Alabama
“If you’ve played with virtual reality before, you’re in for a whole new experience when it’s connected to a computer,” shared Gardner.
“We will have top of the line newest technology with eye movement capabilities. You’ll be able to visit places too! It’s not just games.”
Currently equipped with eight stations that are all 10×10 feet, Your Altered Reality will open with just four stations to ensure that they are going above and beyond to meet CDC guidelines.
Here’s how it will work.
- Guests will visit the Your Altered Reality website ahead of time and reserve a station and time slot. The option to pay online will also be available.
- Guests are allowed to bring just one additional person with them per reserved station to keep crowds low.
- Time slots are available in 30 or 60-minute increments.
- Guests will have a slew of options to choose from to play with during their session, with a sampling of experiences already listed here on their website.
- Guests can switch between experiences and swap users (two users max) as often as they’d like within the window that they’ve reserved.
- Guests must be at least eight years old.
- Masks will be required until further notice and temperature checks will be performed.
- A UV cleaner will be used in each station and on each headset in between use, and paper inserts for headsets will be available to use as well upon request.
Gardner expressed that this facility is for everyone and that they are working hard to make sure that it’s inclusive for those with all kinds of situations that may hold them back from participating in a place like this.
Though Your Altered Reality will open with just four standing stations, they hope to eventually open all eight soon which includes a sitting station for wheelchairs. There will eventually be complete rooms for groups to compete against each other as well.
Prices begin at $20/half hour Tuesday – Thursday and $25/half hour on the weekends. The longer you play, the cheaper the price becomes per half hour.
To stay up to date with more opening details, keep on eye on All Things Madison social channels or follow along with Your Altered Reality on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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