AusLeisure

Village Roadshow Theme Parks has partnered with a team of RMIT University researchers to develop a suite of interactive and 'intelligent' attractions.

Looking to change the theme-park experience, Village, which operates Warner Bros Movie World, Sea World and Wet'n'Wild Water World on the Gold Coast as well at the soon-to-open Wet'n'Wild Sydney, is working with RMIT University on a three-year project which could see sensing technologies used in popular console games adapted and introduced on theme park rides.

RMIT School of Computer Science and IT Senior Lecturer Fabio Zambetta told The Australian this week "the notion is that a whole family would go to the attraction and the system will allow them to play together.

"It would adjust the interaction with the theme park as they go along. It senses, understands and reacts to that."

Dr Zambetta said the research could be used for both 'wet' and 'dry' attractions, adding "the focus at the moment is on water.

"One notion we were entertaining is a multi-player game where a whole family comes in and they co-operate together to essentially defeat an opponent of sorts in a water-based scenario.

"The system senses what they do and it will adjust the difficulty in playing the game depending upon the family make-up."

Dr Zambetta told The Australian that traditional theme-park experiences are "limited" because they lasck interactivity, adding "with a ride, you get in and get out and there is nothing you can do to somehow affect the outcome of the experience.

"We want to bring game-like factors into a theme-park experience so you try to get the best of both worlds."

The team plans to have an operational prototype in a theme park as part of the project.

The project recently received Australian Research Council funding of $300,000. 

23rd August 2013 - VILLAGE ROADSHOW REPORTS 50% RISE IN FULL YEAR PROFITS

6th February 2013 - VILLAGE THEME PARKS OFFERS FURTHER ENTRY DISCOUNTS FOR LOCAL MARKET

11th March 2012 - MASSIVE DISCOUNTS ON SUPER PASS COSTS AT VILLAGE ROADSHOW THEME PARKS 

15th September 2011 - VICTORIA’S NATIONAL TRUST TO INSTALL SIRIUSWARE SALESPOINT SOLUTIONS

1st July 2010 - VILLAGE ROADSHOW THEME PARKS BRING BACK THE VIP PASS

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.