The Rise of Adult Social VR Entertainment: Mirra

Written by Jeffrey Totey

Here’s something to make you feel old: Pong, one of the earliest video games was released in November of 1972 by Atari. The incredibly simple table tennis game was basically nothing more than a few lines of varying length and a bouncing square. But it did make an impact. Atari got attention again just eight years later creating the very first virtual reality game. The vector game Battlezonefeatured a viewfinder where the player could imagine that they were playing in a tank. It too was pretty simple.

Since then, so much has changed. Today, there is a fairly new industry re-inventing the arcade parlor using the power of VR.

If you think that video games are just for kids, you will be surprised to learn about some of the newest entertainment venues in the country cater mostly to adults with group gaming. Add a restaurant and a bar, and you have your next night out all planned. Here are three new places that not only change perceived notions, but how we socialize as well.

(Jeffrey Totey)

Mirra

Mirra has been a passion project of Sam Wang’s for four years. His new concept venue is sort of a nightclub for gamers. It offers what he calls “tech-immersed social entertainment experiences”. Guests order drinks, play a few games, cheer each other on and then talk about the games over dinner.

Located in Bellevue, Washington, Mirra’s grand opening will be held on August 31, 2024. Wang has already had a few “test runs” and the response is pretty positive. It is the first of what he hopes to become the next big thing in entertainment.

(Mirra)

“We’re bridging reality with fantasy at Mirra for players and spectators alike,” says Wang. “We want to bring Mirra to the Bellevue community to create a fun, social space where people of all ages can spend quality time with friends and family while enjoying exciting games and activities.”

Mirra is located on the third floor of Lincoln Square South across from Cinemark Reserve (itself a reimaging of the modern movie theater). The space is elegant and sleek, but not pretentious. The glowing neon signage located in the entrance reminds guests to “Lose Yourself”, basically giving permission to really get into the game.

The 10,708-square-foot space is surrounded with 8k LED displays video screens projecting tranquil images like a tropical forest, a sunset at the beach or a cool waterfall. It is designed to be family-friendly by day and adult-oriented by night. After creating their own avatars, groups of four or eight are then ushered to their own private bay along the game show floor. They will compete against three other teams playing four of six randomly selected games during the experience. Each game gets set up quickly and the games are super-easy to learn too.

(Mirra)

The games include: Hyper Rhythm (where one moves their body to avoid oncoming obstacles), Jackpot In Pairs (a memory contest to find matching cards), Treasure Dash (a race through an ancient temple where one looks for treasure while avoiding a dragon), Laser Room (where one explores a mysterious laboratory without tripping a laser), Bubble Boom (a life-size bubble-popping game) and Hockey Smash (putting players on a giant air hockey table).

Each game takes about 10 minutes to play. Real-time game action is projected on a large screen for spectators to enjoy too.

For the restaurant, the food is inspired by street food found around the world. The bulk of the menu are “shareable” items such as Mediterranean lamb skewers, potstickers, crispy tofu bowl, Shakshuka flatbread pizza, birria quesadilla, buttermilk fried chicken sliders and hamburger sliders. The menu offers vegetarian, gluten free, nut/seed allergy and vegan friendly options.

In addition, the full bar offers hand-crafted cocktails such as cask-aged old-fashioned, fresh Thai basil gimlet, along with some creative cocktail/mocktail options.