Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Interactive dark rides or story-driven ones?
blooloop: To clarify the difference between them, typically the average “interactive” dark ride prominently features some kind of a “gun” device to allow the riders to shoot at targets and obtain a video-game style score at the end. However, not every ride uses a “weapon” theme. Some even go to great lengths to disguise the interactive device to have a non-weapon theme. Yet in the end, guests are still pointing and clicking at targets, usually to get a score.
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7 comments:
I really like both interactive and story based dark rides. Toy Story Midway Mania is one of my favorite rides at Disney, but I wouldn’t want all rides to be like it. In general, I like interactive rides the most if they are still story based. I definitely would like to see more interactive rides, but I’d be interested in new ways for rides to be interactive, not just shooter rides or variants on them. I think some sort of choose your own adventure ride could be interesting, where rider decisions influence which track they take (or to simplify the mechanics, which media they see). That being said, I really hope theme parks continue to produce new story based passive rides, since many of those newer rides have very impressive effects with the use of newer technology. I think the important thing is keeping a range of different types of rides, since different attractions appeal to different people.
First off I had no idea that the Pirates of the Caribbean ride came before the movie! I totally disagree with the opinion of the Author of this article. I love interactive rides just as much as story driven ones, they both have a place, I disagree with her critiquing interactive ones by comparing it to the story driven one. Most of what she states is opinion based, something is negative because there is a target and someone is shooting at it? Though most interactive rides at the moment are simply just shoot a target what's so wrong with that. Like if the ride is based off one of your favorite action shows/movie, it’s making a dream come true that you get to be a part of the action. That is just as valuable as a story driven ride. For example the Men In Black ride at universal where you shoot at aliens, it makes sense for the show it's based off of,I remember reading that ride many times and never got bored of it, like the author says she does.
I love both interactive and story driven rides, and because they offer different experiences I don’t really know if they can be so easily compared. I love the kinds of storytelling that can be done on a ride, but at the same time there are some really fun parts to interactive ones that can give it an extra thrill. Really I think what is best for a ride boils down to is what the theme of it is. Like the Men in Black Alien Attack is a perfect one for an interactive shooter ride considering the premise of the movies. Other rides such as the Alice in Wonderland one makes sense to have as a story driven one given the very clear storyline of it. I think what would be fun is if they could create some interactive dark rides that aren’t shooter based since the first person shooter style does get a little old sometimes. I’d like to see a wider range of interactive things in rides as the industry continues to expand.
I've really grown up around these types of games that are shooter style, its been my favorite ride at Disneyland since I was a small child, and I think that the idea of more and more of these coming out can be a good idea, but only when done properly. I think that the article didn't really touch on the issues that revolve around these types of games and rides for children that revolve around guns and gun violence. Its kind of a touchy subject because on one end, its just a game, there nothing actually scarring about shooting for some fun points in a game, at the same time, I think that as a society we're moving towards being more conscious towards what we teach our children as being ok and what we deem as dangerous. Though these new opportunities are great for Universal Studios, Disneyland, and other alike theme parks, I would hate to see another article on this blog about a tragedy caused by over exposure to
I have never been the biggest fan of dark rides simply because I found them a little boring. However, they definitely have their place in the industry of entertainment. They have a long-standing tradition of being an interactive way for audiences to participate in their favorite shows. I think it brings up an interesting issue of guns though, in a world where were are incredibly conscious of guns and are in a battle of gun control, these shooter type rides could be classified as inappropriate. I’m not sure that I would classify these games as dangerous, after all, they are just a game and in a world that rates extremely violent movies PG, they don’t seem like a big deal. I’m not sure that the sociopaths that kill children are enjoying a day at Disney. I think that the more interactive dark plays are more entertaining than the non-interactive ones, even though they are all gun-based, even if it’s a water gun. Maybe one day they will phase out, but for now they offer a good opportunity to play with interactive art, media, and new technologies.
This is an interesting article. Dark rides and theme park design have both always been a curiosity for me, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to experience more of these rides in the future. This reminds me of the Old Mill Ride at Carnival this year, which was, in fact, a dark ride. This article also talks about theme parks that I have never heard of, such as Europa Park, which appears to be in western Germany, close to the southern portion of the shared border with France. This looks like it would be a very interesting park to explore and learn more about. At this point, I have only seen a couple of photos of it, but it looks very well put together. It is also interesting to note that Hersheypark is opening a new dark ride, as compared to other theme parks, they are significantly closer than others mentioned in this article.
I didn’t realize until reading this article that these types of rides are considered their own category of “dark rides”, but I think the article brings up some interesting questions. I’ve never really visited ‘theme parks’ like Disney or Orlando, and if I did I’m the kind of person who’s definitely more interested in roller coasters than moving through a show or shooting monsters. On a personal level, I prefer the more story-driven ones- a few years ago I was talked into riding a ghost ride and as hard as I tried I ended up only hitting one target the entire time. For me it added a level of stress and frustration simply because I wasn’t good at it, and I would definitely prefer an experience where I would be having fun rather than feeling stressed. I can definitely see how the interactive components enhance the experience for a lot of people, though- my little brother LOVES the ghost hunter rides and would consider a story-driven one to be boring.
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