In a recent Blooloop editorial, Lance Hart of Screamscape detailed how theme parks are adding more interactivity to their attractions, citing Disney’s Avengers Campus and Universal’s Super Nintendo World as two examples of designers adding “gamification” to the experience.
Avengers Campus, he wrote, is scheduled to open this year at Disney California Adventure, featuring the new Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure dark ride experience. “Through the use of interactive video screens and built-in sensors in the ride vehicles, guests will be able to shoot webs like Spider-Man through a simple hand gesture, targeting an army of small replicating Spider-Bots that have gotten out of control.”
Then there’s the new Mario Kart-themed ride at Universal Studios Japan, where riders wear AR headgear that superimposes all the racer characters and vehicles over the real-world dark ride scenery. Riders/players also have a steering wheel to hang on to. Cool stuff!