Theme Park Proposal Final: No Man's Land

Theme Park Proposal: No Man’s Land

No man’s land, a term used to define an area of land that is unoccupied by any one party. For my theme park, I wanted to create a virtual reality experience where adult visitors would be forced into a secluded area without the use of any outside technology, and learn to use skills such as leadership, communication, and teamwork.

Built on a secluded, privately owned island, the park encompasses a maze that sits in the center of land. Numerous activities await guests that are created to help teams learn skill-building exercises that will help them work through the maze in order to get off the island when their team has been summoned. Activities include everything from weapons training, to virtual reality boot camp simulator, to working in a linguistics lab in order to build communications skills.

­­The visitors enter the park through a single train that takes them over a narrow bridge, to the entrance of the park. There is only one way onto the island and one way off of the island. The train brings visitors on and only through the maze can one find their way off of the island. In the center of the maze there is a secret trap elevator where teams will be lowered to an underground train that will take them safety under the surrounding body of water and to shore.

Through the entrance of the park, the visitors are brought to a market place where they can purchase available goods to help them through training, but all materials must be left behind when entering the maze. Due to the virtual reality experience that occurs in the maze, all belongings brought into the park or any merchandise purchased at the front of the park will be held for the visitor at the additional underground storefront, after the teams have safely made it through and have crossed the body of water. Material objects are not allowed once in the maze due to the high level of activity that can occur when going through it and we do not want things lost or accidents to occur due to fallen or dropped merchandise.

Merchandise that can be purchased includes linguistic books, for teams to learn other ways of communication other than just the common tongue, as well as protective gear for the weapons training rings.  Food and beverages may also be purchased and include healthy options such as fresh fruits, veggies, and protein high foods that help cognitive functions.

The layout of the land is simple enough. Once through the entrance of the park, guests can make their way throughout the island to discover the many activities offered. In the linguistics tower, for example, located in the back of the park, teams can find information on communications skills that involve other forms of communication than the common spoken tongue. Immersive lessons on how to use other various forms of communication are taught at the base of the tower and up through the winding staircase, visitors can take a glance at the history of communication through ancient texts throughout history.

In the weapons training grounds located on either side of the maze, visitors have the opportunity to have training with professionals specializing in a range of weapons that can be used in the simulated portion of the maze. These sessions do pose a partial threat to the safety of the guests; so therefore, waivers are signed upon arrival to the weapons training grounds.

To learn the layout of the land, guests are welcome to participate in a zip line experience that takes them through the island. Though the maze is enclosed and can’t be viewed from the outside, one can see the beauty the natural landscape has to offer and gives the guests time to reflect and relax, which is of the upmost importance if a team is to stay strong and work together. Clearer the mind, more responsive the player.

To keep the park interesting and as immersive and intriguing as possible, the maze that the team enters into each session changes based on the combination of skill-building activities that team interacted with. This gives the maze hundreds of thousands of different views for the teams that go through. The maze can change from the activities, and even from the level of skill the team decided upon. 

The maze itself is comprised of 4 quadrants and a center eye. The teams primary objective is to reach the center eye, where they will be taken down to the underground transportation unit and driven back to shore. Because the inside of the maze is a virtual reality experience, the maze could have walls of any material, wrapping around the hard foam base.

Take back the land, if you think you can.