Impact of Virtual and Augmented Reality on Theme Parks by Trevor Nelson Bachelor of Commerce, Dalhousie University, April 2012 A Major Research Paper Presented to Ryerson University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Digital Media, 2016 in the program of Digital Media Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2016 © Trevor Nelson, 2016 Author’s Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this MRP. This is a true copy of the MRP, including any required final revisions. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this MRP to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this MRP by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I understand that my MRP may be made electronically available to the public. Trevor Nelson ii Abstract Impact of Virtual and Augmented Reality on Theme Parks Master of Digital Media, 2016 Trevor, Nelson Master of Digital Media, Ryerson University Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), provide immersive experiences that are increasingly considered for implementation within Theme Parks. This paper seeks to determine the impact of virtual technologies on the Theme Parks. The method for this paper involved interviews with industry leading experts from the Theme Park industry. The interviews were structured to determine more detailed information on how they are approaching VR/AR in Theme Park attractions. Theme Parks need to provide guests with something they can’t get at home. There are many challenges with head mounted displays (HMD) in Theme Parks, as a result, several participants pointed to Mixed Reality (MR) as a better current solution. It mixes physical spaces with digital overlays with less complicated and operationally challenging technology. New attractions using VR/AR/MR technologies need to carefully consider what content they will use, mechanics of the experience and the business case to ultimately achieve overall success. iii Acknowledgements It has been a great opportunity for me to write on the subject of Virtual and Augmented Reality and their Impacts on Theme Parks. I have completed this study under the guidance and supervision of Dr. Kathryn Woodcock and Professor Michael Carter am very thankful for their scholarly guidance, assistance and knowledge. I would also like to thank Dr. Ali Mazalek and Dr. Michael Murphy who provided additional assistance as I completed this report. This paper would not have been possible without the openness and kindness of the experts from the VR/AR Theme Park Community. I thank everyone very much for sparing their time and wisdom with me in the pursuit of completing this report. Finally, I would like to thank my family for their direct and indirect support during the entire course of this project. It has been a fantastic opportunity to travel the world, meet top experts in this field and create a body of research to supplement the limited research that exists in this emerging subject area. I am very grateful for that opportunity. iv Table of Contents Author’s Declaration.......................................................................................................................ii Abstract...........................................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgement..........................................................................................................................iv List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………………..ix List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………………ix 1. Introduction.................................................................................................................................1 2. Background ................................................................................................................................2 2.1 Theme Parks and the Attractions Domain ................................................................................2 2.2 VR/AR Technology ..................................................................................................................2 2.3 Opportunity to Match VR/AR Technology with Theme Park Attraction.................................2 2.4 Best Practices for Creating VR/AR Attractions........................................................................2 2.5 Why the connection between VR/AR attractions been made...................................................3 2.6 Virtual Reality in Theme Parks..................................................................................................3 2.7 Augmented Reality in Theme Parks .........................................................................................6 2.8 Mixed Reality in Theme Parks .................................................................................................8 2.9 Paper Outline...........................................................................................................................10 3. Related Literature......................................................................................................................11 3.1 Mechanics................................................................................................................................11 3.1.1 The Nature of Ride Motion/Vehicles....................................................................................11 3.1.2. Common Requirements for Attractions..............................................................................14 3.1.3. Ranges of Interactivity.........................................................................................................16 3.1.4. Interactive Ride Mechanics..................................................................................................18 3.1.5. VR/AR/MR Technology......................................................................................................19 3.2 The Story (Intellectual Property/Media)..................................................................................21 3.2.1. Types of Themes..................................................................................................................21 3.2.2. Importance of Good Characters, Stories and Physical Worlds............................................23 3.2.3. Interest Curves.....................................................................................................................25 3.2.4. Making Interactive Experiences More Fun .........................................................................28 3.2.5. Understandability – Is there a clear goal?............................................................................30 3.2.6. Branded Content vs. Custom Content..................................................................................31 v 3.3 Economics................................................................................................................................32 3.3.1. Theme Park Economics Overview.......................................................................................33 3.3.2. Importance of Customer Satisfaction...................................................................................33 3.3.3. Risks.....................................................................................................................................35 3.3.3.1. Strategic Risk....................................................................................................................35 3.3.3.2. Compliance Risk...............................................................................................................35 3.3.3.3. Operational Risk...............................................................................................................35 3.3.3.4. Financial Risk...................................................................................................................35 3.3.3.5. Reputational Risk..............................................................................................................35 3.3.3.6. Obsolescence Risk............................................................................................................36 3.3.4. Market Segmentation...........................................................................................................36 3.3.5. Growth of VR/AR................................................................................................................36 3.3.6. Gartner Hype Cycle.............................................................................................................42 3.4 Summary..................................................................................................................................43 4. Method.......................................................................................................................................44 5. Results .......................................................................................................................................48 5.1. Mechanics...............................................................................................................................48 5.1.1. VR HMD Based Rides.........................................................................................................50 5.1.2. New Mechanics for VR.......................................................................................................51