ChristmasPud
TS Member
Only just seen this..
But getting the right attitude is 100% learnt by experience, from experiencing a really fun ride /show /film and being able to find out how it was done.
I never had an upbringing to do with design or theme parks, I only ever became interested in them because of places like Chessington when things were full of character, today's generic kitsch, and Alton Towers before its slow 2000s decline. We all went and enjoyed these places a lot when they were better quality & value, and we stopped when that fun declined. Simple as that really, we were just guests going out for a trip and those things directly affected our overall enjoyment, whether we thought about it in these terms or not.
Good design & good ideas affect everyone. Lost all interest in eg. BubbleWorks the day it was fudged into a boring Imperial Leather advert, Ug Land as soon as Rita removed all its style, etc. It's the same with any other entertainment, like when movies became overblown remakes of each other. With enough promotion you can still sell that stuff to the masses but it's never nearly as enjoyable after a while.
Most people I talk to feel the same way about these things, for the simple reason that original ideas or good quality is always more fun in the end. It's different and it leaves you with a great impression. Nothing has to be perfection, but the day we can get attractions that aren't just glorified bean-counters and half-baked designs will be a good one.
Now that might be an echo chamber effect in talking to my friends, but I'd argue that pushing for better output in UK theme parks wouldn't take away anyone's mainstream enjoyment, as if to satisfy some kind of enthusiast elite (a bit like you suggest with your film critic analogy @Rick ), instead it would improve the quality for everyone. After all, the wider public will tell you they want a 20-looping coaster all the time, but is that what they'd enjoy the most? compared to a Nemesis or a really fun woodie? So should we build the one that will entertain them the most, or the most easily promotable one?
Same principle goes for a well designed park, and that's the only reason that I care when piecemeal changes get made which cheapen the overall experience or miss the point.
This puts it into words very well. This is exactly the kind of thing I have witnessed time & time again while working on the ground at parks, or behind the scenes the 'chasm' between the attitude of people in charge and guests. Good designers know this, particularly observant guests can also see this (but no guests are required to think about it, they're there to have a laugh right? and they'll get the best laugh if the right attitude has been taken by those in charge).
But getting the right attitude is 100% learnt by experience, from experiencing a really fun ride /show /film and being able to find out how it was done.
I never had an upbringing to do with design or theme parks, I only ever became interested in them because of places like Chessington when things were full of character, today's generic kitsch, and Alton Towers before its slow 2000s decline. We all went and enjoyed these places a lot when they were better quality & value, and we stopped when that fun declined. Simple as that really, we were just guests going out for a trip and those things directly affected our overall enjoyment, whether we thought about it in these terms or not.
Good design & good ideas affect everyone. Lost all interest in eg. BubbleWorks the day it was fudged into a boring Imperial Leather advert, Ug Land as soon as Rita removed all its style, etc. It's the same with any other entertainment, like when movies became overblown remakes of each other. With enough promotion you can still sell that stuff to the masses but it's never nearly as enjoyable after a while.
Most people I talk to feel the same way about these things, for the simple reason that original ideas or good quality is always more fun in the end. It's different and it leaves you with a great impression. Nothing has to be perfection, but the day we can get attractions that aren't just glorified bean-counters and half-baked designs will be a good one.
Now that might be an echo chamber effect in talking to my friends, but I'd argue that pushing for better output in UK theme parks wouldn't take away anyone's mainstream enjoyment, as if to satisfy some kind of enthusiast elite (a bit like you suggest with your film critic analogy @Rick ), instead it would improve the quality for everyone. After all, the wider public will tell you they want a 20-looping coaster all the time, but is that what they'd enjoy the most? compared to a Nemesis or a really fun woodie? So should we build the one that will entertain them the most, or the most easily promotable one?
Same principle goes for a well designed park, and that's the only reason that I care when piecemeal changes get made which cheapen the overall experience or miss the point.
