Italian rage room franchise “Anger Games” recently opened in Rome. The facility offers soundproof rooms where people pay to violently smash objects while listening to their favorite music.
ADVERTISEMENTIf you build it, they will come, goes the saying from the 90's film 'Field of Dreams' - an adage that may have been in the minds of the creators of the Italian rage room franchise “Anger Games” which has recently opened in Rome.
The facility offers soundproof rooms where people pay to violently smash objects while listening to their favorite music.
The company says the activity lets people pour out their rage by having fun in a protected environment.
Visitors wear personal protection equipment, including jackets, helmets, protective glasses, shin guards and shoes.
All so-called “rage sessions” are filmed by a closed-circuit camera and projected live on two monitors, so store managers can monitor everyone's safety. Clients can also buy the footage for an extra fee.
“The objects are glass bottles, ceramics and small electronic objects, or you can find computer monitors, printers, pieces of furniture, and let’s say any kind of object you can destroy with a crowbar," explains store manager Daniele Boccardi.
A single session, which includes 20 objects to destroy, is priced at 30 Euros.
If visitors want to smash more objects, they can pay extra or choose a 50-euro “Deluxe package”, which includes 40 objects.
Sessions can be a solo or group activity with up to 8 people.
The first Anger Games store opened in Milan in 2018.
After its success, the brand expanded to other northern Italian cities, including Turin in 2020, and Genoa in 2022.
One of its founders, Alessandro Marchetti, decided to invest in the business after visiting a rage room in the United States, where the concept has proved popular for a number of years.
The benefits of so-called "smash therapy" are disputed however. Some therapists have raised doubts over whether rage rooms are good for mental health.
