WORLDBUILDING ASSIGNMENT - THEME PARK ("MARS ADVENTURE")
MARS ADVENTURE is advertised to the outside world as an immersive and educational environment that can not only teach visitors about our solar system but let them experience what it would be like to live in a futuristic, spacefaring alternate-earth.
After receiving some generous donations that proved to be very influential in the project’s development, namely by certain companies headed by certain CEOs that are known for vociferous advocacy of space colonization, the masterminds behind Mars Adventure allowed their beneficiaries significant creative input on the facilities, layout, and attractions. Through their collaboration, Mars Adventure took on a life of its own, transforming from an innocuous and educational foray into the utopian future into a multimillion-dollar investment loaded with parenthetical, borderline propagandistic promotion of space colonization.
The park is built to resemble a sprawling space metropolis; part utilitarian space station and part human civilization. Much of its attractions are meant to simulate life in a hypothetical future. Park attendants and staff are dressed as astronauts and residents of the space station.
The entrance to the park is a VR simulation meant to re-enact the transition from the Earth to Mars. After disembarking the space shuttle, the visitors are greeted by a tour guide who introduces them to life on Mars and delivers exposition regarding the Earth's decay and the planetwide migration to Mars. The visual timeline is presented through holograms, depicting the planet's slow succumb to the growing pollution and overpopulation. Mars is pristine in comparison. It is an unspoiled planet.
Food can be purchased at the cafeteria and from vending machines. Food items consist of: cake pops decorated like planets, standard amusement park fares such as french fries and hot dogs, and obscenely colorful milkshakes, but there are also little restaurants that offer a variety of options for the discriminating gourmet. There is an expansive souvenir and gift shop which sells astronomy-themed trinkets: stuffed animals, books, snowglobes, space blasters (do not fire any actual projectiles; they flash 'lasers'), informative guides about environmental preservation and recovery, toys which project images of the solar system onto the ceiling, night lights, and others. There is a playground for small children equipped with colorful foam planets, ball pits, a jungle gym, and slides. The educational aspects of the park focus on the dangers of pollution and information about the solar system, which is spread over its displays and the giant observatory.
As for attractions, there are two notable ones. Escape From Earth, an exciting (yet vaguely pessimistic) reenactment of the evacuation from the Earth in its final moments, sweeps visitors through the deteriorating earth and culminates in the climactic moment in which the survivors are crowded aboard a shuttle. It's exciting and certainly heavy on the special effects but it is definitely too frightening for smaller children. A fan-favorite is the laser tag, where children are paired into groups and told to fire at targets strapped to the other children’s chests. Paintball was considered as an attraction but was ultimately eliminated.
After receiving some generous donations that proved to be very influential in the project’s development, namely by certain companies headed by certain CEOs that are known for vociferous advocacy of space colonization, the masterminds behind Mars Adventure allowed their beneficiaries significant creative input on the facilities, layout, and attractions. Through their collaboration, Mars Adventure took on a life of its own, transforming from an innocuous and educational foray into the utopian future into a multimillion-dollar investment loaded with parenthetical, borderline propagandistic promotion of space colonization.
The park is built to resemble a sprawling space metropolis; part utilitarian space station and part human civilization. Much of its attractions are meant to simulate life in a hypothetical future. Park attendants and staff are dressed as astronauts and residents of the space station.
The entrance to the park is a VR simulation meant to re-enact the transition from the Earth to Mars. After disembarking the space shuttle, the visitors are greeted by a tour guide who introduces them to life on Mars and delivers exposition regarding the Earth's decay and the planetwide migration to Mars. The visual timeline is presented through holograms, depicting the planet's slow succumb to the growing pollution and overpopulation. Mars is pristine in comparison. It is an unspoiled planet.
Food can be purchased at the cafeteria and from vending machines. Food items consist of: cake pops decorated like planets, standard amusement park fares such as french fries and hot dogs, and obscenely colorful milkshakes, but there are also little restaurants that offer a variety of options for the discriminating gourmet. There is an expansive souvenir and gift shop which sells astronomy-themed trinkets: stuffed animals, books, snowglobes, space blasters (do not fire any actual projectiles; they flash 'lasers'), informative guides about environmental preservation and recovery, toys which project images of the solar system onto the ceiling, night lights, and others. There is a playground for small children equipped with colorful foam planets, ball pits, a jungle gym, and slides. The educational aspects of the park focus on the dangers of pollution and information about the solar system, which is spread over its displays and the giant observatory.
As for attractions, there are two notable ones. Escape From Earth, an exciting (yet vaguely pessimistic) reenactment of the evacuation from the Earth in its final moments, sweeps visitors through the deteriorating earth and culminates in the climactic moment in which the survivors are crowded aboard a shuttle. It's exciting and certainly heavy on the special effects but it is definitely too frightening for smaller children. A fan-favorite is the laser tag, where children are paired into groups and told to fire at targets strapped to the other children’s chests. Paintball was considered as an attraction but was ultimately eliminated.
Comments
Post a Comment