Video games increasingly are becoming a means of social interaction for almost every age group, and a fairly new franchise here has captured that idea through its offering of a mobile gaming unit for all types of group events.

GameTruck Spokane/CdA, a regional franchise of Tempe, Ariz.-based GameTruck, provides event entertainment with a mobile video-game truck and trailer that can be rented for birthday parties, corporate events, and other functions, says owner Scott Brett.

Most popular for kids' birthday party rentals, the mobile gaming unit can accommodate gamers of almost any age.

"I've had 4-year-olds at the youngest, and they can still play," Brett says, adding that the franchise recommends the majority of children in the group are 6 years old or older. The truck also has hosted parties for teenagers and adults.

The GameTruck mobile unit is a 30-foot-long trailer pulled behind a Dodge pickup truck and is easily recognizable, wrapped in bright green graphics, says Brett, who currently is the company's sole employee.

Inside, the trailer features couch-style seating down one side, facing a wall mounted with four 50-inch flat-screen plasma TVs. Each TV can be hooked up to one of two gaming consoles, Brett says, adding that the trailer is equipped with four Xbox 360 game systems, three Nintendo Wiis, and a PlayStation 6. Up to 16 people can play at a time, and he says the business encourages player interaction and team building with multiple-player games.

During a party, Brett says he supervises as "game coach" to make sure everyone in the group gets an equal amount of playing time and to encourage partygoers to step out of their comfort zones and have fun. He says the franchise requires at least one adult to be on the premises during the party, and parents who are hosting the party can be as involved as they like. They can play with the kids or stay inside the house and let Brett host the party himself in the game trailer, he says.

"Someone is always in the trailer so the parents don't have to be responsible, but we do get the parents involved at the beginning to pick out the games," he says. "Once you get the kids in, there's a couple minutes of chaos and 'wow factor,' and then you get them settled in and pick the games and partners on the games."

The GameTruck can host a party virtually anywhere, he says, as long as there is space in a driveway or on the street to park.

Brett says the gaming trailer is fully heated and air-conditioned and is powered by a diesel electric motor. Because the business encourages interaction between players who are there for the parties, he says the truck doesn't have Internet access, and all of the games in its library can involve multiple players.

The GameTruck has a video-game library of more than 40 games for all age levels and in all three of the video-game rating categories—everyone, teen, or mature. Brett says he owns all of the video games for the unit and keeps the library updated with the newest games as they're released, as well as keeping the gaming consoles up to date.

Customers can bring their own games to play in the GameTruck, but Brett says his extensive library includes all of the most popular games: Call of Duty: Black Ops, Guitar Hero, Madden NFL 11, Nintendo's Smash Brothers Brawl, Just Dance, and LittleBigPlanet2.

"It doesn't matter how good you are at games; it's more the social aspect we're going for," he says. "We get everyone involved in the games and encourage people to let loose a little bit (and try things they haven't done before). It's not the stereotypical guys playing shooting games and girls playing the dancing games."

Besides hosting social events such as birthday parties, the GameTruck can be rented for fundraising and corporate events. During meetings and presentations, the TVs can be connected to a laptop computer, he says.

The cost to rent the gaming trailer for a birthday party is $175 for two hours, with each additional hour costing $75. The rate for corporate or fundraising events is $295 for the first two hours and $100 for each additional hour, Brett says.

He says he opened his franchise here last July, and is the second franchisee in Washington and the first in the Inland Northwest. In his first seven months, he has hosted parties as late as until 2 a.m. and has traveled as far as Moses Lake and the Tri-Cities.

Brett says he began exploring franchise opportunities online last year and came across GameTruck.

"It was a great fit for me and my life," he says.

While Brett doesn't currently have any employees, he says he hopes to expand the business eventually by buying additional gaming trailers and possibly hiring additional employees.

He says his two children, age 13 and 10, help out during parties when they can, and also love playing games in the unit.

"Short term, my goal is just to make it a viable business and to have fun," he says. "I enjoy it, and I enjoy kids and the banter and socialization during the games."

The GameTruck's flashy graphics help generate awareness of the business, and Brett says he doesn't do a lot of extra marketing, other than driving the truck and trailer around town and bringing it to soccer games his kids are involved in, offering free gaming time to anyone who's interested in finding out what the business does.

"We drive around and we'll stop and pull over and let people game for free in a parking lot just to get the word out about it," he says.

He says the business also gets a lot of new customers through referrals from people who've rented the GameTruck for parties or events.

Brett adds that he does plenty of what he calls "market research" on the video games in his library, so he can play with the kids—and help them in the games if they need it.

"I play the games and know how to get in and out (of places) and what to do in the games so the kids have the most fun and access," he says.

Having grown up with the early Atari, Sega, and Nintendo gaming systems, 35-year-old Brett says he's been playing video games his whole life. His favorite game now, he says, is The Beatles: Rock Band.

"Most of the younger generations grew up with (video games), so it's not unusual for adults to want to play games like that now," he says.

Brett says parties can be scheduled online at GameTruck's website, www.gametruckparty.com.