Before you step onto the glowing game floor at Activate Oak Brook, keep these 7 practical tips in mind to maximize your score and avoid common rookie mistakes.
A little preparation goes a long way. After testing dozens of rounds across every micro-arena at Oak Brook Promenade, our editorial team compiled the essential insider checklist for first-time visitors.
1. Use the Free Digital Lockers for EVERYTHING
Activate provides sleek electronic lockers in the staging lounge. Do not attempt to play with your smartphone in your pocket. In rooms like Strike, Trench, and Mega Grid, phones frequently slip out during slides, smashing screens on hard tile surfaces. Lock away your phone, wallet, car keys, and loose jewelry.
2. Hydrate Before and During Your Session
Activate is genuine cardiovascular exercise. Players routinely burn 400 to 700 calories in a single 75-minute block. While outside open food and drinks are not allowed on the game floor, sealed personal water bottles can be kept in the lounge area, and water fountains are available near the restrooms.
3. How the RFID Wristband Actually Works
Every room entrance has an illuminated RFID target reader. Before entering any chamber, every member of your team must tap their wristband against the reader to register participation. If one teammate forgets to tap in, their individual score will not be credited on the master leaderboard.
4. Manage Your 75-Minute Clock Wisely
Your 75 minutes begins at your scheduled reservation window, not when you enter your first room. Finish your waiver check-in, store your gear, and use the restroom before your session time begins so that 100% of your ticketed window is spent actively playing.
5. Do Not Linger in Empty Rooms
Once a game finishes, the room screen displays your round score. Review it quickly and exit promptly. Standing inside a completed room analyzing stats wastes precious minutes that could be spent queuing for another arena.
