NICK FISHER
CEDAR FALLS – It’s “a video gamer’s dream on wheels,” and it officially arrived in town last night.
The GameLiner, the brainchild of Paul Farmer and Warren Baltz, is a 24-mobile gaming unit available for most celebratory occasions. The bold red and black trailer rolls in place and features a 16-foot expandable section housing four 50-inch HDTVs and a custom sound system.
“It’s not just about the product,” Farmer said. “It’s a matter of experience — the environment. Side by side with your buddies and the amazing sound, gaming experience.”
Farmer says he and Baltz host the party as “game coaches,” even dressing up in costume for theme parties; ’80s rockers for the ‘Band Member’ theme and pit crew members for the racing theme. There are rows of authentic racing chairs, with attached kickers that shake the seats to mimic the rumble of the road.
Four other packages are available, including the “military” and “dancing party” themes.
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Packages start at $285 and are good for around two hours of entertainment.
Games include “Madden NFL” football, “Star Wars: Battlefront” and others.
“It’s really a ‘build the best mousetrap’ kind of thing,” Farmer said. There are plenty of mobile game trailers out there, including a few in Des Moines, but Farmer says GameLiner is a step ahead with an immersive environment and state-of-the-art gear.
GameLiner hosted a ribbon cutting Thursday night at the corner of State and Second Streets.
Farmer and Baltz have teamed up before, teaming up for an app to arrange cash transactions at garage sales as well as an app development company, Giraffe Revolution.
Farmer is head of innovation at Veridian Credit Union and Baltz is a computer programmer.
“But none of us would consider ourselves ‘gamers,'” Farmer said. “It’s really about how we each have 9 and 10 year old boys and the expression on their faces when they go through something like that is why we do it.”
“We just love to create,” Baltz said.
The idea germinated last fall when the two men were packing up trampolines for the winter. Once they secured a custom trailer from Jensen Trailers in Humboldt, they set about rigging the ship for the game.
Three months later, the work was completed. In the spring, GameLiner held free trials with four elementary schools: Lincoln, Hansen and Orchard Hill in Cedar Falls and Kingsley in Waterloo.
“As the kids come in and look at the rows of racing seats…the audible gasps…’Aw, cool!’ and “Wow!” That’s the special part of what we do,” Farmer said.
GameLiner has also stopped by town celebrations like Fairbank Island Days and plans to attend Traer’s Winding Stairs Festival next weekend.
For more information, visit www.thegameliner.com.
