Meet the Squad – Joe

by Stephanie Farris | May 8, 2018 | 0 comments

Meet the Squad: Joe

Name: Joe Rankin

Position: Software Engineer

Barracks Username: DatBear

How long have you worked at iCOMBAT?

I started at iCOMBAT in December 2016, so about a year and a half.

What do you enjoy most about working at iCOMBAT?

I love that every day is a little bit different. I've worked on a point of sales system, a lighting system, a membership system, and also just worked on fixing bugs and adding features to ICE and Barracks in general.

What are some of the challenges you face as a software engineer?

Sometimes bugs in our system are hard to reproduce, especially since both software on the computer and firmware on the devices are involved in the problem, and sometimes we aren't sure which side is at fault when we start working on solving it.

Describe a typical day at iCOMBAT?

A typical day at iCOMBAT for me involves a few things. In the morning when I get in, I check what is assigned to me in our project management system, Asana, and get started on it. Sometimes this involves testing to try to reproduce a client issue or an issue that one of our iCOMBAT Extreme fields was reporting. Other times it is working on new features that are being implemented, it varies. We'll usually get lunch around noon, then I'll keep working in the afternoon. I'm not usually in very many meetings and don't get too many emails, so I have a lot of time to work on ICE and Barracks.

What is something people wouldn’t guess about you?

I have a giant family: 5 siblings, 10 nieces/nephews, 5 uncles/aunts, and a ridiculous amount of cousins.

In this Article

Why iCOMBAT?

When developing the Battle & Birdie concept, the team had a clear vision for what they wanted their laser tag experience to be and it wasn't the traditional arcade-style laser tag many guests grew up with.

“When we were designing Battle & Birdie, we wanted true tactical laser tag rather than the arcade-style version most people grew up with. iCOMBAT is the established name in that category, and the realism and range of game modes fit the competitive experience we were building.”

A More Tactical Take on Laser Tag

For guests, the appeal goes beyond simply picking up a laser tag blaster and running around an arena. The tactical realism and variety of gameplay are two of the biggest draws, with Team Deathmatch and Domination among the most popular missions.

As the Battle & Birdie team puts it:

“Guests consistently tell us it feels closer to an actual mission than a typical laser tag game.”

The combination of our equipment, mission-based gameplay, and a spaceship command center environment helps create an experience that feels different from anywhere else.