It’s been a tough year-and-a-half, with the novel coronavirus pandemic not just bringing life to a screeching halt but also wreaking havoc across the globe. However, with vaccination drives underway, there are signs of normalcy returning. To add to that, a new video gaming experience, a combination of real-life kart racing and augmented reality, is set to launch this summer in London, the UK capital. Chaos Karts takes players into a virtual world, similar to living inside a real-life video game, racing against their friends, families, rivals and colleagues. The creators say karts will be equipped with features that produce “real life sensations and reactions”.
An amalgamation of Go-Karting and Augmented Reality, the game has an infinite number of tracks in a digitally projected world, where their vehicles interact with the virtual track and challenge other players to “launch” their way.
That apart, since there are no physical obstacles and the experience also combines the anti-collision technology, helmets and driving suits are not required, Chaos Karts is for everyone aged 13 and above.
“The experience comes complete with varying circuit designs, pumping music and most importantly, usable in-kart power-ups and weapons that will allow players to ‘battle’ right up to the finishing line,” it says on its website. The tickets for Chaos Karts went on sale on May 18. They start at £30 pound per person (roughly Rs. 3,100).
Tom Lionetti-Maguire, the founder of Chaos Karts, says his team was excited about launching the new venture and especially for doing it this summer.
Maguire says creating a real-life version of the game had been his obsession for some time, adding they are delighted to have finally cracked it. “Every time you play it, the adrenaline, the pure elation of it still surprises me. The gamification of experiences is a phenomenon that is here to stay, and this is the purest distillation of it,” he said.
“It’s a game and an experience, wrapped up in a whole load of silliness, with a sprinkling of nostalgia for good measure. Chaos Karts is a game changer. All this and opening in time for a summer of fun that we so desperately deserve, is frankly a dream come true.”
Already being billed as one of the biggest attractions of 2021, Chaos Karts will open this August in East London, but its creators say the experience will transport players worlds away from their everyday lives as they compete against each other to win points and races.