Adventure Play
www.parkworld-online.com
The Rollglider can be a single attraction, a dual racing ride (as pictured at Area 15), or integrated with other attractions such as Ropes Courses and Fun Walls.
Bryony Andrews, editor of GlobalAmusements&
Play.com, takes a closer look at the trends and technology driving the adventure play category in a post-COVID world.
I
n today’s adventure play marketplace, while some priorities have shifted for guests, some have remained decidedly the same. Fun and excitement take precedence, but the notion of ‘safety’ at an attraction or venue will definitely have shifted for many. Although VR, interactivity and gamification are the current buzzwords within the play sector, there is a strong argument to be made for less tech-based outdoor adventure activities: attractions like high ropes, zip lines, paintballing and go-karting. In addition to a reasonably high player price point, these activities have the added bonus of taking place in the open air - which in a post- COVID-19 world is no small consideration. Everyone we spoke to for this feature highlighted ‘safety’ as one of the most important considerations for both operators and visitors in 2021, and although indoor venues can be cleaned, sanitised and ventilated, numerous studies have determined that the odds of indoor transmission are significantly higher than those of outdoor transmission. It’s
SPRING PART 1 2021
also easier to socially distance in larger outdoor spaces - important for safe queue management and access control.
The Association of Play (API), a UK trade body for the play sector, has called attention in recent months to the health benefits of outdoor play - both physical and mental - and for children and young people in particular. API Chair Mark Hardy commented: “Providing outdoor play opportunities is both a protective and a preventative public health measure and urgent and sustained investment in a national network of community playgrounds is needed to safeguard children’s mental health... Outdoor play is essential to children’s normal development and a key factor in their mental health and emotional wellbeing. The repeated lockdowns of the last year have meant that children have been under varying degrees of house arrest for months, exacerbating an already worrying trend from outdoor to indoor time.” According to the Open University’s OPENspace
57
After the storm
Photo courtesy of Area 15 and Peter Ruprecht
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
