When I was asked to have a GameTruck Party, even though Gavin is to young to appreciate it, how could I say no? GameTruck is a portable video game trailer that is available for hire at the location of your choice, as long as there is a franchise in your general location.
Inside the climate controlled trailer there are 5 flat-screen tv’s, a long, leather couch that runs the length of the trailer, and a Playstation, Wii and XBox at each television. Included with the party is a Game Coach, basically a designated adult, who helps to put the games in for the children based on their requests, and who also facilitates the game play, so that all children get equal chance of playing. Dozens of games are available for kids to chose from, and as the person in charge of the GameTruck for that event, I was able to decide along with other parents, which games could be available to play and which ones disappeared prior to the start of the event.
Then became the process of deciding where I’d have this GameTruck Party. We live in a condo and I have a 3 and 1/2 year old, so I opted to move the truck to a location closer to Boston and invite other blogger friends to attend who had kids that were more fit for the GameTruck atmosphere. After a quick call to my friends at McDonald’s, who ironically were planning an event for kids to sample and taste the new Fish McBites, we had a large, family friendly space, and a location for the GameTruck.
Inside the restaurant, families tasted the new Fish McBites, which are only available through the month of March, played with McDonald’s themed puzzles and domino’s and received a t-shirt before they were escorted to the GameTruck. Most of the kids seemed to like the Fish McBites. I took my son at a later time to McDonald’s to sample them and though he tried one, he much more readily preferred the chicken nuggets.
Our party coach, Alex, arrived on time with the GameTruck and when we entered the truck, set the kids up with games of their preference on various platforms. During my time in the truck, no matter how many kids and adults were inside, Alex our coach was very calm and had a tremendous amount of patience. It was February and it was toasty warm inside the truck, especially when it was filled to capacity. Though some people had expressed valid concerns prior to the event regarding the noise inside the truck, most of the kids didn’t seem to notice much of what was going on around them, they were so focused on the television in front of them. In hindsight, I think the darkness inside the truck could have posed more of an issue than the noise. There were games for all age groups, fun choices for both girls and boys. Most people who attended the event were pleasantly surprised at how deceivingly large the truck was once inside. Before long, while watching our kids have a blast, the adults began dreaming of another GameTruck party playdate, solely for an adult party, in warmer weather, where we could open up the sides of the truck and have some much needed relaxation time.
For pricing information, please visit GameTruckParty.com to see if there is a truck able to come to your neighborhood.
Here are other reviews from the event:
Blogger Playdate with McDonald’s and GameTruck by Drew Bennet at BenSpark.com
Fishy Friday Win New Fish McBites by Liv at My Shiny Monkey
GameTruck and Fish McBites by Gilda Aliberti at Evan and Lauren’s Cool Blog
I was provided with a GameTruck Party at no cost, which I decided to open up to additional bloggers for a fun experience for the kids over school vacation. McDonald’s provided swag and a gift card to the restaurant to bloggers who attended.