Activate Games now open in Vestavia Hills

Activate, a gaming company that offers immersion in a series of physical and mental challenges, moved into the Park South Plaza in December. 

Activate was launched in 2019 in Canada and has quickly expanded throughout North America. Its experiential concept is similar to ax throwing and escape rooms. The Vestavia Hills Activate opened in mid-December and is owned by the same group that owns Breakout, an escape room in Homewood.

General manager Heaven Sparks said while there are similarities between the two businesses, Activate adds a physical dynamic to the games alongside the mental agility needed to play. 

“You have these rooms you go into, but, unlike Breakout, you don't have to try to guess all these clues," Sparks said. "It's more interactive and way more physical.

“It’s a rapidly growing thing,” she added. “It’s wild and it’s so much fun.”

Activate has 11 rooms, each with a different theme, such as climb, hoops, grid, or arena. Once a group chooses a room, they will receive instruction from a recorded voice prompt. The activities always start at Level 1 and then progress in difficulty as the session continues. Groups can play as many games as possible, in a myriad of combinations, within the allotted time.

Each game lasts between 1 and 3 minutes, while wristbands track each player’s progress and scores throughout the session. Players can customize their outing for a casual night of fun or increase the intensity for a more competitive experience. 

"It's going to test you and your team's physical and mental agility across all kinds of challenges," Sparks said. "So you're going to run, crawl, jump, climb. You're going to shoot targets. It's a whole interactive, fun experience.”

Each room presents specific challenges that each player must achieve to score points. For instance, in Climb, players travel across a room covered in touch-sensitive handholds that change colors during the game. The goal is to climb across the wall using the green holds, while avoiding the red holds and activating the blue holds.

In the Hoops room, players must shoot baskets that light up in specific colors and patterns, as well as memorize sequences and answer trivia questions. 

“There are hundreds of different variations of games and levels that you can play,” Sparks said. “So it's kind of like never-ending.”

Groups of two to five players can compete against each other individually, while groups of six or more play in teams. Activate games are recommended for individuals over 10 years old, however, children under 10 can play with an adult present in the game. 

Activate is located at 1425 Montgomery Highway, Suite 173. For more information or to reserve a time, call 205-644-8674 or visit activate.games/birmingham.