Immersion has become a key buzzword in the theme park industry, with many themed lands and attractions being designed with this objective in mind. This paper defines immersion through the concept of the ironic imagination and examines its role in theme park attractions. A literature review was first conducted to identify general design principles for the creation of immersive theme park attractions. Authentic settings that utilize all of the senses were considered first, along with a system of positive and negative cues for evaluating immersive experiences. The importance of simple and emotional stories was also addressed, before investigating the role that employees and guests play in an immersive attraction. Eight design principles were identified, and using these principles a blue sky design for an immersive theme park attraction was developed. An overview of the attraction is included and accompanied by an analysis of how the design principles were applied.

The theme park industry is rapidly growing, as massive companies spend billions of dollars to create increasingly advanced attractions and lands for guests. This paper defines immersion and presence and explores how theme parks are designed. It will then explore the newest ride systems, exploring how technology is used in combination with a themed environment and story to meet and exceed guests’ expectations of an attraction. Attractions also use a variety of displays to convey important information and story elements along with audio. These principles are used to propose an advancement of an element that can be added to previously existing attractions to make guests feel more immersed and part of the story.