The History of Video Game Attractions

Epic Universe’s Donkey Kong Country expansion is not the first video game entry into the world of theme parks but perhaps is an indicator of the medium’s maturity. Some attempts were made in the past, most of which appealed to children alone; 1983 saw the opening of Pac-Man Land at Six Flags Over Texas, a kiddie zone with a puppet show that lasted a mere two years before a Looney Tunes overlay.

Thorpe Park opened their Angry Birds Land in 2014 with two overlaid carnival attractions, a 4-D theatre, and nowhere near the level of detail and budget seen in Universal’s Super Nintendo World locations. As such, Super Nintendo World was the first all-in effort to turn a gaming environment into a physical one. These games no longer confine players confined to bits and blips, but immensely detailed, fully-realized environments that force many to reconsider the medium as a source of brain rot. 

Video Games as a Progression of Narrative Technology

Noting how film overtook theater in comparing video games to overtaking film, Daniel and Sidney Homan note, “Everything changes, or– to be more charitable– evolves. Silent movies, then “Talkies,” then color films challenged the primacy of the theater… And it may be that the video games, as it makes that long trajectory from shooter games to an art form, will, we think, become… the most popular expression of the theater’s evolution.” As the COVID-19 pandemic decimated theater and theme park attendance, the video game industry became a larger industry than both films and themed attractions. 

While movie and park attendance has regained traction, the gaming industry remains as formidable as ever. Universal Studios’ partnership with Nintendo in developing and expanding their lineup of Super Nintendo World locations implies the synergistic power of their combination.

The continuance of the Super Nintendo World canon with Donkey Kong Country confirms the medium’s maturity as artistically substantial for parkgoers and not just as a kiddie zone or sideshow roundabout. In short, Donkey Kong Country may as well stand as the second entry in a continuing slew of video game-themed attractions.

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