Thank you to Gamegrounds for inviting our family to experience the attraction and providing our tickets. As always, all opinions and experiences shared here are my own.
During our recent family trip to Columbus, we visited Otherworld, a massive immersive art experience filled with surreal rooms, secret passages and interactive installations.
But Otherworld is not the only unusual experience hiding inside the building.
Gamegrounds is an immersive gaming attraction created by the artists behind Otherworld. It combines carnival games, arcade games, physical challenges and puzzles with the same strange, colorful artistry that makes Otherworld so memorable.
Instead of standing in front of a traditional arcade machine, you step inside artist designed rooms and become part of the game.
How Does Gamegrounds Work?
Gamegrounds is designed for groups of two to six players. Each timed ticket includes 75 minutes of unlimited gameplay.
When you arrive, you create a username and receive an RFID wristband. Before starting each game, you scan your wristband, which automatically keeps track of your username, points and scores.
I loved this feature because we never needed to carry a card, remember our scores or keep track of anything ourselves. We could simply scan our wristbands and start playing.
The instructions were straightforward and easy to understand. Each game only takes a few minutes, so you can move through the different rooms fairly quickly. During our session, we had enough time to play some of our favorite games more than once.
Our Favorite Game
Our family’s favorite game was Ventriloquist, which felt like a surreal, life sized version of Guess Who.
You enter a room filled with ventriloquist dummies and work together to solve clues identifying which puppet is being described. It was slightly strange, wonderfully detailed and exactly the kind of experience you would expect from the artists behind Otherworld.
The game itself was fun, but the level of detail and craftsmanship made it especially memorable. The puppets, scenery and small details made the room feel more like an interactive art installation than a traditional arcade game.
You Don’t Have to Be Competitive
Our family is not particularly competitive, but that did not make Gamegrounds any less fun.
We enjoyed working together, solving clues and figuring out how each game worked. Some games are more competitive, while others depend on communication, teamwork, coordination or problem solving.
You can certainly compete with your group and try to reach the top of the leaderboard, but you do not need to take the scores seriously to enjoy the experience.
Was Gamegrounds Crowded?
We visited on a Saturday morning and stayed into the afternoon. Surprisingly, it was not busy at all.
We did not have trouble getting into the games, and we were able to play several of them multiple times during our 75 minute session.
Because tickets are timed, the number of players inside is controlled. However, crowd levels may vary depending on the day, time and season, so your experience could be different.
Is Gamegrounds Good for Kids and Families?
Gamegrounds is a great option for families!
The games include a combination of puzzles, skill, teamwork and physical activity. The instructions were easy for our family to follow, and everyone could participate without needing to be an experienced gamer.
Some games do require players to be fairly mobile, so that is something to consider when deciding whether the experience will work for everyone in your group.
Gamegrounds becomes a 21 and older experience after 9 p.m., so families with children will need to schedule an earlier session.
Food and Drinks
Gamegrounds offers a selection of carnival inspired snacks and beverages inside the attraction. There is also some seating available if you want to take a break between games or relax after your session.
Do You Win a Prize?
Your RFID wristband tracks the points you earn throughout your session. At the end, you can redeem those points for a small prize.
I would not approach the games with the prize as your main goal. Think of it as one more fun part of the experience.
We received a slap bracelet, a pinwheel and a sticker. They were not extravagant prizes, but I thought they made great little souvenirs from our visit.
Is Gamegrounds Worth Visiting?
Gamegrounds is worth adding to your Columbus plans if your family enjoys interactive attractions, unusual games and experiences you can do together.
Although it comes from the creators of Otherworld and shares its impressive creativity and attention to detail, it feels like a completely different experience. Otherworld is primarily about wandering, exploring and discovering immersive art. Gamegrounds is more structured, active and focused on playing together.
Our family is not especially competitive, and we still had a genuinely good time working as a team. The games were easy to understand, the rooms were beautifully designed and 75 minutes gave us enough time to explore everything without feeling rushed.
If you are traveling from Pittsburgh, Gamegrounds and Otherworld can easily become the centerpiece of a Columbus day trip or weekend getaway. You can visit either attraction on its own, but doing both gives you two very different ways to step inside the strange and imaginative world created by the Otherworld artists.
