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When you think about classic theme park attractions, many are passive experiences. Pirates of the Caribbean, Spaceship Earth, and “it’s a small world” all involve sitting in a vehicle while action happens around you. Interactive experiences have become the norm, and this goes beyond shooting at targets. Whether it’s using wands at Diagon Alley or deciphering clues with your Datapad at Galaxy’s Edge, we participate more directly in the action. What are the next steps for gaming at theme parks, and what do guests want from those visits?
Imagineer Scott Rogers has an extensive background with both video games and theme parks, and he’s my guest on this episode of the Tomorrow Society Podcast. He has worked as a game designer since the mid-’90s and has designed levels, bosses, and stories for numerous games. Scott also is the author of two books on game design, Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design and Swipe This!: The Guide to Great Touchscreen Game Design. This background gives him a different perspective on theme parks and how they function. He joined Walt Disney Imagineering in 2011 and worked on projects like Disney Kudos (a precursor to the Play Disney app) and Legends of Frontierland: Gold Rush.
Beyond his specific projects, Scott and I also talk about his fandom for Disneyland since his was young. He participated in scavenger hunts with friends that turned the park into their playground. Disney has found more structured ways to offer guests a chance to enjoy Disneyland on a similar level. Scott also worked on the VR location-based experience, Terminator Salvation: Fight for the Future, and we discuss where that technology is headed. The pandemic has dramatically altered the landscape, but there is still potential for VR in the future. I really enjoyed covering so many cool and interesting topics with Scott on this episode.
Show Notes: Scott Rogers
Purchase a copy of Scott Rogers’ books Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design and Swipe This!: The Guide to Great Touchscreen Game Design.
Follow Scott Rogers at @mightybedbug on Twitter and Instagram.
Watch the presentation from Scott Rogers, Everything I Learned About Level Design I Learned from Disneyland.
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