Entertain a new reality with Colton Hoffman

Meet Colton Hoffman, a young, bold, blessed, grateful and ambitious business owner, who runs V-Sports Arenas VRCDA and StrikeZone with his wife, Kearston "Kearsy" Hoffman, at 115 S. Fourth St. in Coeur d'Alene. They're driven to be the change in the world they wish to see, destined to leave a thumbprint that echoes through generations.

Generation: One of the last millennials. I love learning new things and seeking opportunities to make me a better man. I am a young soul. I will land a backflip, learn a magic trick, play a game or even parkour any where, any time, any day of the week to make a child smile or just to get a smile of my own.

Career and community involvement: We are for profit, but community driven. We are here to revolutionize education through entertainment. As a growing Coeur d'Alene charm, we have sought to be a part of as many events as we can. Our community is what keeps our establishment's heart beating.

My wife and I have had many discussions about how we can bring the most value to our community in areas that are lacking. As we grow, so will our outreach. To start, we have partnered with the library to help get the right books into the right child's hands. We have given countless gift certificates for VR, Nerf and laser tag to local causes and organizations. We have invested our time into local teen programs to help the next generation rise to be leaders. A local and older program called Project Safe Place helped my wife's brother growing up and she was hurt when it shut down due to lack of funding. We would like to replicate that model for the children of our community. We are also introducing education to provide tools for the homeschool community.

Parental status: Kearsy and I are expecting for our first child this April. We are excited and eager to watch this life grow and come into the world.

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1. Why bring a virtual reality arcade to Coeur d'Alene?

I worked for St. Luke's Hospital in Boise for the IT department. I taught the hospital staff how to use and run Epic, the fancy new software the hospital had just brought in. I was laid off after two and a half years. During this time I was also working for a local VR arcade. I had a strong interest in the industry. I was captivated by the idea VR could actually be a technology that brings families ages together if used right. With the savings I had, I offered to franchise that location. The current owner wasn't interested. I didn't want to create competition.

So I prayed. The days following, I couldn't get Coeur d' Alene out of my head. Once I Googled CDA VR I found out of 400,000 searches "VRCDA: a vocational rehabilitation center with a regional manager Roxanne England." The years leading to this event my prayers were consistent of my future wife. Who would she be? Where do I find her? The answer to prayer was the name, Roxanne. I knew God was sending me up north. I packed up my life and came up ready to see what was up here. Almost two years in business, we are here.

2. How can VR make for a fun group experience?

Our favorite large group experience is "Keep Talking Nobody Explodes," a game designed to have one person diffuse a bomb to a ticking timer while the rest of the group has to blindly communicate the instructions on how to save everyone's life. VR can make many amazing, memorable experiences.

For ages 8 to 80 and older, from education to entertainment, we have 200 games; you can activate the adrenaline and walk a plank falling 80 stories to your death. Maybe go 80 stories underwater and swim with whales. You can shoot robots on a manhunt out of space. You can climb Mount Everest. You can visit a museum with world-famous artifacts. You can team up with friends and family and do a ton of games from post-apocalyptic zombie hunting to paintball. We even have escape rooms.

3. What are a couple of your favorite games or things you've explored using VR?

My wife would say she loves "Super Hot." Not only do you get a workout, but you get to pretend you are a private agent on a spy mission caught in the middle of only fight scenes. She also adores Google Earth. With the baby and our investment in the business, we rarely get time to adventure as much as we desire. Google Earth offers a quick and top fave staycation experience.

4. What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

I married a woman because God prophetically told me through a serious of dramatic and influential life events many things about her throughout my life. One of the most important factors was a name given and confirmed for what seemed like the 100th time. When I was 2, I called my dad "Goofy" because of "The Goofy Movie." It stuck and still does to this day. When I asked for confirmation, God's most influential confirmation was that Goofy's son Max falls in love with a Roxanne. If you remember from earlier the leap of faith moving up here led me to our current building downtown Coeur d'Alene "The Roxy."

5. What industries to you foresee VR being the most helpful or entertaining in the future?

VR and AR (augmented reality) will be something all of us have within 10 years. Cell phones started as just a device to communicate. VR and AR will be used for everything. Many industries are starting to experiment with the involvement of this technology within themselves, including hospitals. Macy's has introduced it into a shopping experience, fitness gyms are working on it. Amusement parks, architects, artists, the military and so much more.

We are using VR for the community, education and entertainment. We have even dabbled in therapy sessions. VR has been known to help autism, the overcoming of fears, anxiety, social deprivation, speech therapy. That's just a start. We are stoked to see societies growth with this technology.