ESSAY I

Four venues have been visited by me in the course of this semester. I have taken careful consideration as to how these venues (playgrounds, video games, museums, and theme parks) might be enhanced to allow greater interactivity through the concepts of story, play, and game.

The first venue, playgrounds, was one of the more interactive experiences amongst the other three venues. The playground I visited was Saint Ann’s Community Park in Saint Leo Florida. Compared to most other parks Saint Ann’s was relatively small providing the most basic of playground equipment. One of my first and most striking observations was the amount of kids actually playing. My first assumption was based on the theory that more youthful participants are driven further and further away from the physical exertions necessary for playgrounds by more story based mental processes necessary for video games.

So, one way to enhance playground participation is to incorporate a theme or story into the equipment. Instead of having the proverbial metal posts and chains of traditional playgrounds, one could design the equipment with a common theme; for instance, an underwater theme where everything is blue, bubbly, and wavy.

Another element of the park that seemed to divert the interest of parents was the fact that there were no benches or rest areas. By incorporating enough rest areas for one to relax and enjoy the day, parents will be more inclined to allow their children some needed playtime. The first priority of attracting children to a playground is to attract the parents that will get them there. This means employing several elements such as bathrooms, benches, shade, and water fountains.

Another aspect of the park that struck me as odd was the fact that there were no slides. As a kid growing up, slides were the most important factor of any playground I visited. Not only were they fun to slide down, but they also provided children with a ‘work equals rewards’ concept. In order to slide down a slide one must first work to get to the top. The more challenging the ascent to the top of the slide the greater the reward would be when one could finally slide down it.

Video games appeal to an enormous range of ages and nationalities. The video game that I studied for this course was Halo 2 for XBOX. Perhaps I should have chosen a less popular game because it was difficult to find ideas for its enhancement. But as I explored the concepts of what made a game popular I realized that there are many things that can be done in order to improve a game.

One disadvantage to Halo 2 was the fact that the Master Chief (1st person shooter) could not give commands to his soldiers on the field of battle. Perhaps by adding a grid of commands such as “attack,” “take cover,” or “retreat,” one could interact even more with the game because of this added form of play.

Another element that could improve the game/play of Halo 2 is the use of bonuses. After a player beats the game, for example, a grouping of bonus levels or weapons would be unlocked. Better bonus levels and weapons increase with increasing difficulties. This added element would give the player more incentive to not only beat the game, but to beat the game several times on several different difficulties.

On the more marketable side of the game, I think that the composition and distribution of Halo 2 for Playstation 2 as well as XBOX would be an intelligent promotional move. Not only could Halo 2 benefit financially by allowing more gamers to buy the game, but it would benefit the gamers themselves as well because a greater number of people could experience all that Halo 2 has to offer.

For me, the museum venue was the most interesting venue in terms of formulating ideas for interactive improvement. Based on my observations and past experiences, museums seem to be the least popular venue with the narrowest target audience. The museum I visited was the JFK museum in Boston Massachusetts. The museum itself was very organized and informative. Its exhibits were fun to look at but they followed the traditional pattern of the ‘look-don’t-touch’ museum. I found myself losing interest as I sauntered through its halls.

By incorporating more interactive exhibits, especially near the entrance of the museum, one could hook the target audience and leave them anxious for more. Such exhibits could include interacting with period equipment like rifles, cameras, vacuums, exc. By getting the visitor physically involved with the exhibits, one could peek the interest of people from all ages.

There were only two theatres from which to relax and enjoy a ‘history channel’ like excerpt from the era of JFK. The addition of multiple mini-theaters could not only provide visitors with more opportunities to rest, but also with more opportunities to learn without having to read everything as in traditional museums. In this day and age, the aptitude to read is becoming more burdensome on a generation that is emerging from a digital world. The popularity of traditional museums is going to decline in spite of this fact.

Walking seemed to be another deterrent, especially for younger less patient audiences and older less capable audiences. After standing all day I found myself wishing for the end only to find another hallway. How disappointing. My focus shouldn’t have been on resting my feet, but on the otherwise interesting exhibits. The wide usage of comfortable chairs and benches throughout the museum would have been a major advantage in maintaining the focus of visitors like me. By having the option of resting, maybe even napping, in a comfortable chair before I move on to the next exhibit I would have been more concentrated on the information provided.

The theme park that I visited was Disney Worlds’ MGM Studios. I have been there many times before but never have I focused my attention from a producer’s point of view rather than a consumer’s. Being that Walt Disney World is the most popular theme park in the world, I found myself critiquing the most basic flaws of the park only to realize that the most serious disadvantage was the popularity of the park itself. Millions of people visit the park every year, and for anyone who has been to Disney World during the summer knows that the least attractive aspect is the sheer population of visitors and thrill seekers. Congestion not only prohibits adequate flow throughout the park, but it also discourages people from riding the rides. Who wants to wait in a line that is an hour and a half long? One would be lucky to even complete three or four rides during these intensely crowded seasons. So instead of having a handful of people who enjoy the park, nobody enjoys the park.

In order to trim the scale of visitors, the park could do several things. First, they could simply limit the amount of people who can visit the park in a day. This allows for maximum amusement for those inside, and it will ensure the likelihood of their return in the future. Although the park may lose money at first, it will gain a wider range of eager supporters who are willing to revisit the park again and again, thus making up the deficit.

Another more ambitious attempt to trim the scale of visitors would be to construct additions to the park. Disney World owns an incredible amount of land, and with the creative and constructive capabilities that Disney is known for it can easily stem the overflow of guests to these new additions. Not only will these additions balance the theme park population, but it will also provide Disney with a much needed boost in advertising. What could be more exciting than opening a new and improved Disney park which is sure to establish an even greater range of supporters?

By examining these four venues from a producer’s point of view I have begun to realize that despite the concept, story, theme, or financial capabilities of a playground, video game, museum, and theme park, in order to maintain a truly popular venue one must also examine them from a consumer’s point of view as well.

ESSAY II

Mankind’s legacy will be a cycle of final frontiers, for we as human beings are constantly seeking the keys to the future using tools of the past. And as we wander down the hallway of the future towards the final frontier, another corner leading to another hallway presents itself once we reach the end. In this way, human’s existence is nothing more than an endless series of hallways. Today’s technology touches on subjects that we would have never dreamed possible a hundred years ago, and we are persistently asking ourselves, “how can it get any better?” But here’s the great part about humans and technology; it always does. So the only question to ask is how are we going to use the technology available to advance ourselves into the future? There are many answers to this question, but they all begin with a process of imagination. Two good examples that will help demonstrate this concept are sports and retailtainment. By using the future as an umbrella topic, I will show how these two venues, using the story/game/play continuum, could be improved.

As technology has become more advanced, so have our sports. With the induction of Television sets, mankind has transformed what use to be a spectator’s arena into a family medium. This is but one example of how the future transformed, and in many ways improved, the sports venue. But what about today’s sports? Events such as the Super Bowl attract so much attention that it’s only natural for us to apply future technologies to enhance or improve the game. Perhaps in the future, spectators could influence the “story” by viewing the game from as many angles as they want right from their very home. Perhaps even the game and/or play itself can be manipulated using future technology. For example, viewers at home or at the game could vote on a certain play or certain strategic maneuver that the players will ultimately perform. In this way, it almost becomes like a video game.

Gamers all over the world are beginning to declare video gaming as a legitimate sport. This sport, by its very nature, is subject to an incredible onslaught of future technology for improvement. The sport of video gaming is extremely competitive, but its target audience is limited. Perhaps by using the technology of the future to improve the sport, a greater and more eager audience will arise. By incorporating the physicality needed for conventional sports such as soccer, baseball, football, tennis, exc. with the processing and technical skills of video gaming, a new and more compelling sport might emerge. Maybe instead of using controllers to control a character, gamers could strap on a suit that reads every motion of the body, creating an atmosphere based off of virtual reality. So instead of pushing a joystick forward to move, a professional gamer has to actually move himself. This kind of environment changes all three of the continuums and gives the sport more credibility since it requires more skill.

Retailtainment is all about selling something, from a piece of merchandise to a service. And there is an unlimited amount of ways in which this goal can be achieved. One effective way of marketing, which is presently being used by many major online stores, is to get personal with a potential buyer. Websites such as Amazon.com relay information on possible sales that would seem attractive to a particular client by analyzing their interests from a previous sale and matching it with merchandise that share similar interests. This technology, in a way, brings the costumer and retailer closer together, thus making the customer more susceptible to purchase a vendor’s item. So in the future, retailtainment can be improved by getting even closer to the customer by multiple means. Perhaps a scanner or artificially intelligent companion could keep track of specified items and alert you when supplies are running low. Or maybe your computer gives you feedback and updates on the latest releases of merchandise that interests you, like movies, movie trailers, CD’s, books, exc.

Another field of retailtainment that holds significant importance when it comes to the purchasing power of a costumer is the availability of an item or service. Too often people find it difficult to locate merchandise at a speed that keeps up with today’s society. By shopping online, people can eliminate the hassle of physically shopping themselves, but this leaves room for identity theft and other terrible crimes associated with the internet. Advances in the field of countering the effects of identity theft that guarantee a secure purchase online will be a major advancement in the field of retailtainment, and it will give consumers more purchasing power than ever before.

The future is always around the corner and down the hall. Human beings are constantly searching for new and exciting ways of improving the world around us using the tools we’ve created for ourselves. In the fields of sports and retailtainment, this statement holds true. There are an unlimited amount of possibilities in the advancement of both of these venues, and I for one am excited to see what they are.