Archery Tag

A game of archery tag in Toronto

Archery Tag is a sport similar to dodgeball where participants shoot one another using a bow and arrows with large foam tips.^[1] Players are eliminated when hit by an arrow, or if another player catches an arrow they shot. To avoid injury, participants wear protective facemasks^[2] and use bows with less than 30lb draw weight.

The game's rules closely resemble dodgeball. The game begins with a number of arrows in the center of the arena. At the whistle, players race to collect them, before firing them at one another across the playing field. A player is eliminated if struck by an arrow, and a player can bring an eliminated teammate back into play by catching an arrow.^[3]

Archery Tag was invented by John Jackson of Ashley, Indiana in 2011.^[3] The game experienced a boost in popularity from the Hunger Games book and film series, which feature a bow-wielding protagonist, and Jackson staged Archery Tag games at local premieres of the films.^[3] By 2014, Jackson had licensed the game to 170 locations, mostly in the United States, but also in Russia, Peru and Saudi Arabia.^[3]

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