With the huge success of AR game “Pokemon Go” has raised the awareness of the demand for AR/VR technology in Korea. Korean companies as well as the Korean government know that consumers in Korea are curious about how AR/VR technology can change their everyday life for the better.
Lotte World, one of the biggest amusement parks in South Korea will lead a consortium of 12 companies tasked with developing a virtual reality (VR) theme park program.
Basically there is one roller coaster with VR system and now they are going to show another one next year. Actually, I tried this roller coaster and found out that it was thriller and scarier than usual roller coasters. It was more visualized and feel like I am adventuring
The Lotte consortium will work with companies abroad and at home to create the virtual attraction, and is also planning to distribute the VR content it develops to markets such as China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, before going to Europe and Americas thereafter.
I think Virtual Reality will become huge part of this modern society. This technique will be bigger and bigger as time goes on. Many companies already started developing their program with VR not just amusement park. In games and entertainment contents, people already enjoy VR system.
When I was reading this article all I could think about was about Disney’s multiple amusement parks. Their new rides consist of a lot Virtual reality. From recent memory I know they built an VR ride in their Pandora part of the park which is from the movie Pandora. The article I found is talking about a new ride for their much anticipated Star Wars section of their parks. According to the site , “They will move freely throughout the untethered, social, and multisensory Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire experience in a way that allows them to interact and engage with friends, family and Star Wars characters.” I think this is a great way for Disney to really immerse their park visitors while also saving money. This allows Disney not to hire as many people who dress and play characters in their parks. It also allows Disney to save space. By having a VR they don’t have to use all of their precious space because a visitor can just go in a building and have an entire world open to them in a contained space. I personally believe VR is the future of amusement parks because it cuts down on costs while delivering an equally satisfying experience to the amusement park visitors. I wouldn’t be surprised for other amusements park to follow Disney’s lead.
https://venturebeat.com/2017/08/03/star-wars-vr-attraction-coming-to-disneyland-and-walt-disney-world-in-2017/
Personally, I believe virtual reality and augmented reality to be a very interesting topic and am pleased to see this trend continuing. However, there are both pros and cons that come with these advancements in technology. Augmented reality is a live or direct view of the physical world, however, elements are augmented through computer sensory images. Pokemon-Go is a great example. It is increasing interaction between many individuals which is a positive factor. It is also stimulating physical activity and promoting outdoor adventures. Obviously there are some cons that come with this as well.
Individuals are using these augmented reality apps while driving. Not only does this pose as a major distraction, however parents are opposed to this app as well. Poke-stops are places where “trainers” meet up and as a result sexual predators are using this app. This can be extremely dangerous and represent one of the present dangers of this technology.
However, when considering Virtual Reality in the theme park setting, I am a fan. As long as it can be regulated and is an overall safe experience. On the other hand, when everyone has access to this technology and it isn’t regulated it can pose threats. Nintendo announced another augmented reality app with the development of Super Mario, so it is clear to me that this path is our future whether we like it or not.
http://qz.com/736334/pokemon-go-could-just-be-the-beginning-of-a-franchise-hit-spree-for-nintendo/