What began as a hunt for cool birthday party digs turned out to be a blast for all the adults in the room instead! See, I came across a video of a human claw machine on Douyin and had to find out where I could experience it for myself. It was one of those bucket list things that I didn’t even know was missing from my life.
Located in the basement level of Hopson One, VS Sports Park is a gigantic indoor venue filled with virtual reality and actual reality games. Adults pay RMB 218 to enter, however, with the exception of the human claw machine (RMB 70 for adults and RMB 50 for kids), and a few other amenities, everything is included. Meanwhile, kids under 90cm are free and those between 90cm to 18 years old pay RMB 198 each.
We started out with some virtual reality games including skeet shooting, archery, and our favorite – a giant slingshot that feels like you’re living in Angry Birds.
Then there’s the other stuff like a batting cage, pool tables, bowling, virtual skiing, and a decent roller skating rink complete with elbow, knee, and butt pads for beginners.
Basically, it was like reliving our teen years, but on a whole new level. For instance, remember Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) from back in the early-00s? Well, there’s a much more advanced version filled with jumps, drops, and even the moonwalk. Needless to say, it made me feel like I was back in middle school trying to show off at Dave and Busters all over again.
Then there are the games that I wish we had like Hado, a virtual reality team sport where you put on VR glasses and strap a blaster to your wrist so that you can destroy the opposing team while ducking their laser blasts. Feeling a bit like Iron Man, we lived out our Marvel superhero fantasy and got a pretty decent cardio workout in the process.
Your ticket to VS Sports Park includes a bracelet that lets you go in and out as you please. Hopson One has plenty of restaurants where you can enjoy a fine meal. And while there are vending machines, the staff is also cool about letting you bring food and drinks inside.
What started out as a mission to find a cool birthday party for teens turned into a discovery of not only that but also a totally unique date night spot! Forget dinner and a movie while desperately trying to avoid discussing the kids, because when you’re fully immersed in the virtual reality world of games and your competitive side takes over, it’s hard to think about anything else.
Scan the QR code to check out the video from our visit to VS Sports Park.
Address:
VS Sports Park
B3 Level Hopson One West Dawanglu
西大望路合生汇B3层
Open daily from 10am-10pm
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Images: MIna Yan, Vivienne Tseng-Rush