Geek Gifts 2007: Shocking Tanks

Shocking Tanks from Shocking Fun could add a new dimension to your next LAN party. Shocking Fun is known for such games as Lighting Reaction and Shocking Roulette, as well as prank gadgets like the Shocking Alarm Clock. Shocking Tanks are available all over the Internet, from sites like ThinkGeek and Amazon (a Google search will bring up dozens of vendors) for $40 - $50.

The idea behind the tanks is similar to the old laser tag game: Shoot your opponent and extinguish the lights on his tank before he extinguishes yours. The twist is, if you get hit you get an 18-volt shock through your controller. The remotes have forward and reverse controls for each of your tank’s treads, as well as triggers on the top back to fire your weapon.

As part of TechRepublic’s Geek Gifts 2007 series, I took a look at Shocking Fun’s Shocking Tanks. Then, last week, I took the tanks to my nephew’s birthday party to put them to a real-world test. There are warnings all over the packaging saying that these are not suitable for children under 14, but the parents hanging around needing something fun to do, right? It turned out to be quite a hit. Everyone enjoyed seeing their friends get shocked, and somehow didn’t mind getting it themselves.

The actual tanks and controllers seemed fairly cheaply made. We encountered some problems with the controller buttons sticking. Sometimes it was one of the manuvering buttons and sometimes it was the firing buttons. Despite these drawbacks, the Shocking Tanks ended up being a lot of fun. They would be a great addition to a LAN party or pretty much any fun gathering.

Geek Gift Score (out of 5)

Fun Factor: 4
Geek Factor: 4
Value: 3
Overall: 4