Bang Bang Into The Room: Blaster Empire Brings NERF Wars To Life

War is not a game. NERF wars, however, are a thriving business.

What better way to get to know your classmates and co-workers than to shoot them with a foam dart? Forget conventional retreats and lame games of Bingo; get together for a competitive shootout match!

Blaster Empire is making this happen with an array of NERF guns and props that simulate a real-life battle scenario, minus the icky stuff. With 3 different packages to meet the needs of anywhere from 10 to 30 players, Blaster Empire is here to revolutionise company retreats and even birthday parties.

While the concept of simulated gunfights have been in the background for years, laser tag and paintball tournaments can be a costly affair. The NERF wars offered by Blaster Empire start from $289 (for 10 pax), an affordable luxury that’s sure to please everyone. Even better: they’re currently running a Groupon deal that’s offering a whopping 40% off their regular rates! More details at the foot of this piece.

Some members of the DANAMIC.ORG team took to the Somerset Skate Park in the wee hours of the morning (8AM is tough for some of us, alright) for a taste of what Blaster Empire is offering. We don’t look like we know what we’re doing, even though half of us are/were military personnel.

We also spoke to Brandon Neo of the Blaster Empire team about this exciting venture.

DNM: Hi Brandon! So how was Blaster Empire formed?

Brandon: [Co-founder] Bryan Tan and I are both NERF hobbyists. We met through the army, and we realised that we both collect NERF guns.

Eventually we hung out and started playing in groups, so we came up with the idea of creating this service to allow people to come forward and play. It’s something like Laser Tag but it’s gonna be more fun with the flying bullets and more.

Initially we had our army friends to join us [for a trial], and they said they had a lot of fun, so we found that this idea is going to be very feasible. We started the company and we started buying more guns than we ever had, and we imported some barricades to set up the gameplay.

DNM: When was Blaster Empire formed?

Brandon: Blaster Empire has been around since April 2016.

DNM: Who do you think would enjoy this service best?

Brandon: To use an army term, cohesions for companies [Editor’s Note: office retreats or bonding activities]. We had customers who are families, like two families and they enjoyed a face-off.

We’re also looking to market our service to teenagers. Young children love what we do as well; they’re a bit rowdy, but we can handle [their energy].

DNM: You mentioned that there are two venues that you guys are using right now; that’s the Somerset Skate Park and the Rivervale (Sengkang) MPH. According to these venues’ environments, how would you recommend them to customers?

Brandon: We chose Somerset because it’s located in the heart of the CBD, so it’s easier to for our clients from company cohesions to come over. Sengkang is more of a relaxed venue, so it’s better suited for families and friends.

DNM: Do you have any plans to go to different venues?

Brandon: Yes, we actually offer the option of custom venues, but of course that comes at an additional cost. We’re very mobile; we transport all our equipment around in our van.

Get in on the Groupon deal at $126 for 6 pax here.

Find Blaster Empire online: Facebook | Official Website