Enter a virtual reality at the UK’s first VR Park Playground

Have you ever wanted to escape from everyday life and into a virtual reality?

Having found success in Belgium and The Netherlands, Park Playground is now adding the UK to its list of countries that can experience virtual reality in an exciting space – and Leeds is the very first city to be a part of this.

The Park Playground opened just a few months ago, and it’s bringing some of the most exciting experiences to the city that are suitable for anyone aged 7+.

You don’t have to be a gamer or someone that understands the logistics of the AR and VR – just someone willing to take on a challenge and experience a whole new world.

Grab your VR goggles and a futuristic controller and choose from challenges like Don’t Scream (which is as scary as it sounds), alien battle on Mission Planet X VR or take on The Snitch where you’ll have to think fast to protect your group from sabotage.

The VR Experience

The idea here is that you don’t just jump into an adrenaline-fuelled experiences, entering a virtual reality can take some getting used to, so the team have devised a number of games to help get you used to your goggles and new surroundings.

Every session is split into two 30-minute slots. First, take on a challenge like walking the plank on top of a skyscraper, before attempting a series of mini games like boxing and bow and arrow practice.

Then you’re ready to take on a fully-immersive experience with a 30 minute challenge.

Don’t Scream is perfect for those looking to truly immerse themselves in a virtual reality space. The idea is that you take on an escape room-style experience where there’s surprises round every corner to make you jump. There’s only one rule – don’t scream!

The game is measured on a ‘scream o’metre’ and every time you scream, you’ll gain points – but this isn’t a good thing. Whoever screams the least, and therefore has the lowest score on the scream o’metre wins.

It’s a world that combines eerie jump-scares with problem solving, hosted by comedian and evil genius David Whitely that certainly isn’t for the faint hearted.

Teamwork makes the dream work

Regardless of which challenge you choose to take on, the Park Playground will have you working as a team. This makes the space perfect for friends, family and co-workers alike.

In fact, you can hire the space with a multitude of packages depending on your needs – and yes, they can include a debrief in the bar.

The Play and Lunch package gives you 60 minutes of game time followed by a choice of catering options, including sandwiches, burgers, pastas and pizzas whilst Play Eat and Drink adds on two hours of selected drinks at the bar, including soft drinks, beer and wines.

Those looking for a fun-filled work day can take advantage of the Meet and VR experience that gives you access to the on-site meeting room where you can do business during a four hour slot and then blow off some steam with two 30 minute VR experiences. 

Similarly, the Play, Eat and Work package offers the meeting room and VR experiences, plus a buffet or pizza spread one hour of soft drinks, beer and wine from the bar.

There’s even packages for Stag and Hen events, all of which can be personalised based on the number of people attending and what you’d like included.

How to book

The Park Playground works on a pre-booking basis, so you’ll need to book yourself a place on the Park Playground website ahead of your trip.

The process itself is really simple, all you need to do is choose your package and time. Alternatively if you’re looking for a larger group or corporate event, you can personalise your experience by filling in a request form and the team will get back to you.

How to get there

The Park Playground is located just outside of the city centre in Burley.

You can grab an Uber from the station for less than a tenner (usually around the £6 mark), or make the most of the venue’s easy transport links from Burley. The walk to The Park Playground just a 10 minute walk from Burley Park Station and there are several bus routes from Leeds Station and the City Centre, including the 33, 34 and 508 bus routes that call at the Willow Road bus stop on Kirkstall Road.

Alternatively, the Park Playground has plenty of car parking space, or is a ten minute walk from Burley Park train station.

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To find out more, including how to book your visit to a virtual reality, visit the Park Playground website.

Feature Image- The Hoot Leeds

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