Virtual reality enhanced roller coasters and the future of entertainment – audience expectations

Abstract

ABSTRACTRoller coasters are acknowledged as icons of leisure with their towering structures forming an integral part of any theme or amusement parks’ skyline. As with any infrastructure, roller coasters come at a high cost, but inevitably also become outdated. By leveraging Virtual Reality (VR) technology, there is an opportunity to integrate new VR experience overlays with existing roller coasters, generating new interest in older ride infrastructure. While VR additions to roller coasters are a recent introduction (as of 2015), the adoption rate is high. Despite this, very little research has been conducted pertaining to the actual VR experience – and even less so from an end user’s perspective. This research examines existing literature (elements of best-practice VR experiences) and original data gathered from VR roller coaster audiences (pertaining to their reactions to current VR enhanced roller coaster experiences). From our findings we present a model, Burt’s VR Entertainment Primer, which identifies critical categories and supplemental elements to consider in order to develop a successful VR enhanced roller coaster experience overlay. The generic, user-centric nature of the model extends itself to the VR amusement and entertainment industries within a broader context, supporting the innovative application and assessment of VR in entertainment overall.