A group of crafty enthusiasts have taken “mobile gaming” to a whole new level, as the city of Saskatoon is now home to a 15 seat, gaming party on wheels.
“As a mom of two kids, older kids that loves gaming. We just formulated this idea that we saw back in 2018, and we think that there’s a need in Saskatoon,” Charisse Borines told CTV News.
The bus came to fruition after Charisse and Ronald Borines were looking for a way to expand their indoor playground, PlayToon, into something that older kids and adults could enjoy.
After coming across a school bus for sale on Facebook Marketplace in June, the married couple moved forward with the idea and began the hard work.
“We bought the bus and then the whole summer I was working on it and then I was able to find a graffiti artist online too,” Ronald recalled. “He did that outside, and somebody did the upholstery of the bench, and then everything else was me.”
In just six months, the bus was ready to host gaming parties. Ronald shared that the process certainly came with some challenges — especially while creating a vehicle that would be reliable throughout Saskatchewan winters.
“Just the insulation of the bus for me to climate control it. That’s the hardest thing that I was able to encounter,” Ronald said.
In addition to winterizing the bus, Ronald shared that the process of getting such a unique vehicle properly registered also came along with some difficulty.
“SGI won’t allow us to register the bus because they didn’t know what it is. No, they have to research ‘What’s a gaming bus?’ I think it took me like three to four weeks before I was able to register,” Ronald said with a laugh.
By late November, the Gaming Cruiser was up and running. Both Charisse and Ronald explained that it was very rewarding to see people enjoy their creation.
“Especially for families. They can bond together ... So three families, two families can bond together. It’s not just kids and friends. It’s also kids and their parents,” Charisse said.
“It’s amazing. Every time, even the parents, every time they walk in, they will just say, ‘Wow,’ ... that’s the best part of it. Seeing the reaction of the kids [and] the grown ups,” Ronald said.
The Borines are happy to see that their hard work has paid off.
“There’s lots of comments about it that it’s like a dream come true for them. They’ve been wanting something like this and it’s finally here,” Charisse said.
Ronald added that if there is a demand, he is hoping to turn this bus into the first of a fleet of gaming vehicles.
“If this does good, we’re planning to do another one,” Ronald said. “It’s either a gaming bus or a gaming trailer will come next.”
