SharkTums Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 So I figure some of our Hard Rock Park / Freestyle Fail / Orlando Fall Through park experts can take a look at this new concept that seems to be moving ahead for the time being. http://www.gamenationparks.com/ I gotta be honest, I have no clue what this is about and haven't done the research but I don't really see the "World's First Experiential Video Game Theme Park & Resort" taking off in Fort Myers, Florida! They have some 'names' attached to the project and some funding, but it all seems really sketchy. http://www.gamenationparks.com/gn-team/ Anyone want to do some digging and see what you come up with? Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Well, they have ball caps, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishBuckeye Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 A combination of Theme Parks and video Games? Two big interests of mine, but I don't see this working. Its kind of like putting ice cream on top of Pizza. Both good things but they shouldn't go together. they offer completely different experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midgetman82 Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Scrolled pretty deep down their Facebook page and found they opened it in 2010. It's been nothing but an "idea" since as far as I could tell. No plans or ideas about any specific attractions, or what kind of experiences they want to pull into the four sections of their park, which are called Alternet, Chroma, Xeridon, and Etheria. They've done some research though, going to gaming conventions and even attending last year's IAAPA. Purely my opinion, but the people coming up with this park don't really seem like business men, or people with the money to even break ground with this. Just some guys who were playing on their Xbox one day and though "what if someone made a video game theme park?" Then felt they should take it into their own hands to do so. I'm not sure what to expect, but I surely don't expect anything with big-ish rides like Freestyle, or something that requires an exorbitance from both public and government like the Noah's Ark in Northern Kentucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Does anyone know how well Joypolis and Sega Republic are doing? If anything, I think that those entertainment centers should be the benchmark for this thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoCo Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 At a glance, this does sound interesting, and I'm sure, some day, we'll have a fully interactive, immersive, day-long, theme park/adventure experience. (Universal is taking a big step towards this with their two-park Harry Potter deal.) Execution is everything and it's hard to tell from that site just how they plan on executing their ideas. I do like the "Matrix-y" Alternet zone concept. It's all VERY ambitious, though. Yeah, Fort Myers??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markysharky17 Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 This sounds so crazy. But if this is real then they should have good themeing and good coasters. I imagine this kinda a nerd place if you know what I mean! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishBuckeye Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Ok, I did some digging. If you'd like some info on the types of rides/attractions they plan on having, have a look through this document: http://www.gamenationparks.com/files/2013/5458/9822/GN_The_Vision.pdf however, there is no word yet on the actual technology they will utilize for the "video game" aspect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Seems like they want to try to build a modern version of DisneyQuest. Of course, that will take WAY more money than what they actually have or can turn a profit on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stricklandCC Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 ^^WOW, read through ALL of it, what a stretch! Permanent residences?? Its funny that they know the "theme park(s)" are the final phase of their "scalability". Personally, I NEVER see ANY of this coming to fruition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimace Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I could see a park like Joypolis being a successful concept in the US, especially in the right market. However, I do not see Ft. Meyers as that market.... what a strange choice of location. Not gonna happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 What? Ft. Myers isn't the gaming capital of the US? Quite laughable for this market. Though I could see it working in a younger and larger US market with more tourism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterP Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I could see this video game/theme park melding as a gateway to the future where parks are all virtual. Where even the coasters are in environmentally-controlled, simulated envonments, with no need for track, supports, or anything. Imagine how this would cut down on down time! Year-round parks with no weather constraints! If you lose your hat on the coaster, just wait until the vehicle comes to a stop and run across the room to retrieve it! Parks could brag about having 30, 40 coasters, and still be able to house them all in one 10,000 square-foot show building! Then that could lead to the day when really rich kids could just have their daddy buy all their favorite coasters for their very own home! Hey, Jimmy, my dad just bought me The Voyage! Come over to my basement and we can ride it! My dad says if I'm good, he'll buy me BOTH Chinese Fireball AND Hungarian Horntail! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
televisedconfession Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 ^I don't think the concept this park is going for are simulated rides as much as it's about you creating a character and the more you do and interact with within the park, the more points and experience you build up. I think they're trying to do a life sized version of Dungeons and Dragons or World of Warcraft kind of thing, not coaster simulations. I will say, the one thing about this area that is probably attracting potential investors is that we're smack dab in between two very large drive markets. Two hours south of Tampa/St. Pete, and two hours west of the Ft.Lauderdale/Miami metro. The reason I don't see this park working, though, is that our demographic to the Lee County area, are more natural based family attractions like Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, Edison & Ford Winter Estates, Calusa Blueway Kayak trail... We're more about nature than alternative-reality. I think what would be a great park for the Fort Myers area would be a small ecological park. Something that showcases educates about South Florida wildlife while still having interactive elements for the kids. If this happens, I'll see it being related to Hard Rock Park. People don't go to Myrtle Beach for a theme park, they go to be lazy on a beach! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Well, they have ball caps, anyway. That is about all I get out of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
televisedconfession Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 A source tells me it looks like this is already under hot water. Looks like the conference that was slated for August might be pushed back to November. The conference is where they plan to test out the game technology for the parks. Rumor has it that the park might not be in the Fort Myers area or even Lee County, but might be in Punta Gorda, which is just 30 minutes north. That being said, word travels this town like a game of Telephone you played in elementary school, so who knows. This still has A LOT of hurdles to jump through before we see anything concrete emerge. It doesn't seem they're organized enough to get this through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rai Fox Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Their concept sounds like it would be a pretty amazing experience, if they could actually make it work. I'd certainly love to spend a day there. Don't expect to see it happening, though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 It is a place where your dreams and fantasies will come to life. ...unless the place never gets built. Which it won't. Fort Myers? Must've been "promised" some pretty nice tax breaks. At the roller coaster museum (or whatever it is), they need to have an exhibit dedicated to all the dimwitted park ideas and concepts over the years that never made it past the concept art phase......and a special wing reserved for Hard Freestyle Park, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intaman Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 You mean to tell me that these won't replace all of our beloved coasters, I actually found one of these at a shopping mall outside Chicago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCJ48 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 The idea isn't bad, video games could be quite a good theme for a park (assuming they pick the right IPs and focus on immersing you in the world rather than having you play them), but Ft. Myers? Why on earth would you put it there? Sure there's something like 1.1 million people in this and the surrounding counties, but it's not exactly a vacation destination. It's too far from Orlando and Tampa to attract the normal theme park crowd, and too far from Miami to attract from that massive populous. To the north is the sticks, to the west is the Gulf of Mexico, to the south is a decent populous in Naples (albeit one that is decidedly too old and wealthy to be attracted by a video game theme park), and the East is swamp. And that's it. This is ignoring the fact that their website looks like it's trying to sell concert tickets and they have no evident ideas (beyond the very general) or funding. The only way I could see this working is if it was either very small scale (DisneyQuest-ish) or moved and they managed to somehow find capital. That seems decidedly unlikely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
televisedconfession Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 This was in the news over the weekend. More about the proposed park. Seems like they've moved the date from August to November, and are planning on a block party type celebration and are going to be testing game 'technology' that will be used for the park (if it ever gets that far). http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013306220019 I live downtown, so I'll be forced to take place in the activities. (Should be interesting). I'm not a 'gamer' myself, but the concept does seem interesting. I just think their location is a bit odd. More power to them though. I'm all about getting Fort Myers recognition on a global scale as I work for the tourism industry here, but remain skeptical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasCoasterGirl Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 Wonder what type of rides might a video game theme park have? Pac Man... I love the idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
805Andrew Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 The only way I think a video game theme park would work is if they used IPs that were known world wide and had mass appeal, like Nintendo characters. A World of Nintendo Theme Park with different themed lands to Mushroom Kingdom, Hyrule, Donkey Kong Country, etc would be awesome, but it would to have to be more like a conventional theme park with some interactive experiences. It could be indoor/outdoor like Ferrari World so it could be open year round in a place like NYC or Seattle (Nintendo's US HQ - though I don't know if Seattle has the market or tourism to support this) or Las Vegas (I feel a world class theme park would do well there) and/or a location in Nintendo's home market of Japan. This is the video game theme park I would like to see, but it would have to be at least as big as Ferrari World, as opposed to the size of Sega Joypolis. I wish Nintendo would team up with a major theme park company to make this happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
televisedconfession Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 So, I don't know how to interpret this "vision plan", but it seems they are going to use well known characters? I don't know. It also seems like they're going to try and build up their following first? It's all so weirdddddd! http://www.gamenationparks.com/files/2013/5458/9822/GN_The_Vision.pdf Dubailand in Fort Myers, Florida? Yeah.... we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 ^Calling any place the next Dubailand doesn't bode well for a project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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