World-Building in the 21st Century
“What are you up to this weekend?”
Netflix offers over 35,000 hours of content. The App Store puts 800,000 mobile apps at my finger tips (yes, I’m guilty of contributing one). We’re more socially connected than ever through our texts, emails and video calls. But something’s missing. In our evermore digitized connection to the world, is there still a time and space to hang out in person?
Do it for the ‘gram
Last year, my girlfriend dragged me along to the ever-popular Museum of Ice Cream. I was reasonably excited — I’d seen the pictures, and who doesn’t like ice cream? Alas, I left sorely disappointed: 1) I didn’t get nearly enough ice cream 2) I didn’t learn anything about ice cream 3) I was just walking from room to room, waiting for my turn to pose on the unicorn and take my picture.
And yet I can’t ignore the tremendous success and viability to the concept. There have been numerous attempts to recreate the magic — The Color Factory, Museum of Candy, Museum of Selfies and more. Tickets sold out within 24 hours. Scalpers were re-selling $40 tickets for $100. Local businesses jumped at the opportunity to partner with the brand and spread awareness.
Seen cynically, consumers are willing to do whatever it takes to get that post to social media and put forth how bright and colorful and unique their lives are. But I also observed the moments of joy upon entering a new room; the 7-year old’s yelp of glee as he rushed to rock climb Candy Mountain.
Snap Back to Reality
Digital trends capture the hype, but it’s unmistakable that people are ready to take a step back and enjoy some good old-fashioned socializing. Board games have ushered in a new era — from “German-style board games” like Settlers of Catan to new-age party games like Kickstarter extraordinaire Exploding Kittens. Escape rooms have proven to be a global phenomenon, bringing friends and family together to solve puzzles and be the heroes of their own interactive adventure. And new models of physical venues in which to hang out continue to spring up and thrive. Top Golf combines a traditional driving range with happy hour food & beverages and, of course, Instagram. Urban Putt modernizes and brings new passion to mini golf. Barcades blend nostalgia with, well… drinking. (Bonus points if you have a hard-to-get Killer Queen cabinet, a trendy new 5v5 team game). Dave and Buster’s has enjoyed a consistent increase in revenue from their entertainment business, even as their food establishments begin to slide. Two-Bit Circus, a spiritual successor to Chuck E. Cheese, opened to fanfare in Downtown LA with a focus on tech-centric social games. For all the talk of the death of retail, consumers are voting with their wallet — hanging out together in person is fun.
Meet me (at the) Midway
From my earliest years, I’ve always enjoyed carnival games. Some of my favorite childhood memories were at the Circus Circus Midway in Vegas, popping balloons and tossing Wiffle balls. Indeed, I think these games are designed to be highly approachable, whether you are 6 years old or 60. The lights and colors evoke joy, while families cheer one another on and celebrate their wins. The stuffed animals serve as an easy souvenir and reminder of that one miraculous throw.
Yet even as these games thrilled me, there lurked a sense that these games were starting to age. We knock down milk bottles — an artifact of a past day and era. Skee-ball — while a classic — hasn’t evolved in decades. I believe there exists an opportunity to bring these games back; to bring friends and families together, while also leveraging the Instagram movement. Aesthetics and curiosity can bring players to the door, while the inherent fun of the games will keep them coming back.
Cauldron Chaos
After pondering this idea, I had the good fortune to meet Rick Polizzi — a Simpson’s animator and multi-Emmy Award winner. Rick has been on his own journey to bring joy to families. Twenty years ago, he wanted to build a Halloween haunt for his young daughters. What started as a humble project in his backyard has evolved into one of LA’s beloved Halloween traditions. In recent years, his family-friendly Boney Island attraction brought 50,000 people to his backyard and this year, he relocated the fun to the more spacious Griffith Park. Visitors can expect to be dazzled by skeletons telling silly jokes, pulling off magic tricks, and conducting Bellagio-style glow-in-the-dark water shows. I pitched my vision to Rick and co-creator Rex Danyluk for an interactive, immersive space and they immediately grasped the concept. They had considered adding games in the past and invited me to test out my first game at Boney Island this year.
With the help of a few friends I put together the idea for my first game prototype. The roll-a-ball horse race had always been one of my favorite games: twelve people raced one another, rolling balls into various holes to move their horse forward a corresponding number of steps. Inevitably, however, only one player won. I was saddened that eleven others (myself often included) would inevitably walk away disappointed. Separately, I realized I really enjoy the collaborative nature of escape rooms, where my friends and I gather to take on the world. With that in mind, I blended the mechanical gameplay of roll-a-ball with team play. The result? Cauldron Chaos. Four people team up together to roll balls and conjure a spell that will resurrect your friend, Cal the Skeleton before time runs out. We launched with Boney Island in October 2018, in preparation for Halloween. Children ran up to the lights and sounds of the game, while parents snapped candid photos for Instagram posterity. More importantly, I’ve witnessed siblings delight in learning they were playing on the same team; groups of friends have excitedly taken turns cheering one another on. The determined expressions at game start and grins of delight upon saving Cal are precisely the intended result in building this game.
What’s next?
In the long term, I envision a large, indoor theme park inhabited by an entire fantasy world and dozens of such games. Beautiful, immersive and Instagrammable, the world also affords visitors the chance to interact and play around every corner. Upon entering, one beholds a landscape sprinkled with crackling volcanos, clean-shaven cloud islands and luminescent waterfalls. Yet peeking behind the waterfall a cantankerous gnome challenges you to toss frogs onto lilypads and win his treasure. The volcano in the corner is actually the centerpiece of an elaborate skee-ball-esque game. Each visitor registers a persona within the world, which levels up as experience is gained with each game win. Dedicated fans will have the opportunity to register with a team faction and compete in monthly competitions. And of course, themed food and drinks are available for sale — customized and tailored to the indigenous culture.
Of course, pragmatically speaking, a new business can be started insofar as there exists a viable business model. The aforementioned examples drive varying levels of monetization efficiency. Museum of Ice Cream prints money as groups of people are moved efficiently from one room to another. And while escape rooms have certainly grown quickly as a business genre, there is an unfortunate side effect that even the happiest customer can never return — she already knows all the room’s puzzle spoilers.
The beauty to these carnival games is that monetization is built in. Regardless of skill, all games wrap up in less than 2 minutes, assuring a steady stream of revenue. Game playing is à la carte, allowing customers to play as little or as much as they’d like. Combine entertainment with Instagrammable food and beverages, and I believe this approaches a full-fledged experience bordering on the exquisitely manufactured experience of a micro, local Disney Land.
This post serves as a blueprint and call for a new form of physical entertainment. Cauldron Chaos is a proof-of-concept. Executing upon the entire vision requires a tremendous amount of talent, capital and risk. Each game requires a dedicated team of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, art design and game design. As someone with a background deeply rooted in software, I have learned many lessons along the way regarding the unique challenges to building physical experiences. I have no immediate plans after Boney Island and am simply putting one foot in front of the other. But one day, I hope to step into a 21st century carnival 🎪.
Thanks to Adam H., Jessica L., Christian L., Pulah S. for reviewing drafts of this post.
Art Credit for the cloud concept art to the talented Rachel F.
