Video-game-loving millennials, theme parks are making these attractions just for you

Such attractions aim to entice the burgeoning population of young gamers, and designers say the challenge is to create a superior experience to what the players might get on their home gaming setup.

Fullerton student Emiliano Perez played VR Showdown at Knott’s Berry Farm recently and said it outmatches the virtual soccer games he plays on his home Xbox system. “It’s like you are part of the game,” the 13-year-old said.

The virtual reality attraction at Knott’s even includes little-known strategies — or “cheats” — to boost a player’s score, said Christian Diekmann, corporate vice president for strategic growth at Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which owns 13 theme parks and water parks, including Knott’s Berry Farm.

“We can deliver now the kind of attraction we couldn’t do 10 years ago,” he said.

Diekmann declined to disclose the price of the new Ghost Town addition but industry experts say such gaming attractions can be built for less than $15 million.

Read the rest at LATimes

Knott's News: I'm sure this kind of stuff appeals to non-gamers more then it does actual gamers, which is fine. If they're actually trying to compete with the multi-billion dollar video game industry - where AAA games can cost upwards of $200 million to make - they're out of their minds.