Media Based Attractions
www.parkworld-online.com
At the forefront of innovations
Simworx CEO, Terry Monkton comments on current and future trends in media based attractions, together with part the company plays in shaping them.
T
he media-based attraction genre of rides has come a long way in the past 20/30 years, going from an attraction typically only seen in the big budget theme parks to becoming much more accessible for all sorts of amusement parks to stand-alones and smaller visitor attractions. As the technology required to make them possible has reduced in price over the years, companies like ours have been able to grow from offering smaller scale experiences like capsule simulators to creating larger scale immersive experiences that are also at a price point that enables a whole range of operators to be able to offer it to their guests.
The COVID pandemic has created a demand more than ever for media content, seeing the booming success of streaming services like Netflix, Disney + and Amazon Prime, so with new IPs popping up all the time, and their growing fanbases, there is an emerging market for the immersive experiences to accompany them. Media Based Attractions offer the perfect solution for that, allowing guests to be fully immersed in and experience the worlds that guests have grown to love at home in their living room. This is also helping encourage people to get out of the house again and spend money at the attractions that so desperately need their footfall back. A bigger
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focus on narrative and storytelling within MBA’s is what allows visitors to connect, feel emotions and remember the experience, which helps to drive those repeat visits and those repeat visits can be the difference between an MBA and say a traditional animatronic dark ride. The versatility of Media-Based Attractions is what make them truly stand out. Their ability to be refreshed by simply changing out the media makes them long lasting, great value for money and encourages re-rideability/return visitors. Whether it be a holiday special or a different kind of adventure with the same characters it can help parks and visitor attractions to continue to entice visitors even years after its installation and avoiding it going stale over time. But while the use of IP‘s may become more prevalent in MBA’s, licensing these can be costly and therefore sometimes getting creative with original storytelling is essential for operators with limited budgets.
Leading the way
Simworx, along with identifying these trends, is always staying at the forefront of innovations. VR technology is getting better and better every year and so we’re investing more in creating FEC friendly attractions that incorporate it. As not only is VR becoming incredibly popular for its ability to
fully immerse riders in a different world, but smaller Entertainment Centres and Retail-tainment are also on the rise, spurring a demand for these smaller scale attractions. We feel that VR’s best effective in these types of attractions where there aren’t huge upkeep requirements with multiple computers and headset hygiene requirements, making them easier to maintain and more appealing for operators. Along with recognising the demand in these smaller scale rides in the market, here at Simworx, we love huge immersive 3D projection screens and therefore are always innovating with our larger scale attractions. From creating the Fly-Motion that offers a Flying Theatre-like experience to operators with spatial constraints, to offering different customisations to our existing rides that can help integrate storytelling such as interactive elements. In our latest Stargazer install for Hunderfossen Eventyrpark we integrated a big red button to the dashboard for riders to press at the appropriate time in the media, which helps to enhance the storytelling and bring another narrative element to the experience. We listen to what our customers want along with market trends and the issues they might have when choosing a ride and adapt our product range moving forward to offer those options and flexibility for all different types of vendors.
SUMMER PART 3 2021
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