GDC09: Disneyland's 'The Haunted Mansion' is a first-person shooter

by Kevin Kelly { Mar 28th 2009 at 2:15PM }

Scott Rogers is a creative manager at THQ, and a former game designer who worked on titled ranging from God of War to Maximo, and he held a panel at GDC called Everything I Learned About Level Design I Learned From Disneyland, and one of our favorite quotes was "Well, the Haunted Mansion is basically a first-person shooter if you think about it. You're directing what the guest sees and has access to, and that's what we're doing with level design."

If Walt only knew! Although not apparent at first glance, once you look at amusement park design and game level design, there are a ton of similarities. We have a lot of goodies coming to you from Rogers' talk which we'll be bringing to you next week. In the meantime, you can reimagine your favorite rides turned into FPS titles. Or you could take the obvious route and just combine a ride and shooter, like Disney already did with Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters.

Tags: design, Disneyland, Game-design, GDC, GDC-2009, Haunted-Mansion, Scott-Rogers

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

shadowhowl1900 @ Mar 28th 2009 2:19PM

And six flags rides are too be like race tracks for racing games?

CH3BURASHKA @ Mar 28th 2009 2:27PM

I wasn't sure of this, but I looked it up and - yes - The Haunted Mansion was the 2003, dare I say, classic starring Eddie Murphy.
Disney is smoking some serious stuff, and I want it.

CubeGuy @ Mar 28th 2009 4:23PM

I hope you're joking. My inner child really wants to believe that you're joking. Please tell me you know what The Haunted Mansion is...

CH3BURASHKA @ Mar 28th 2009 5:01PM

I was aware that it was a movie and also an attraction at one the Disneylands/worlds/whatever. Why, am I missing something?

belltoon @ Mar 28th 2009 6:23PM

The ride came before the movie. A full 34 years before the movie. The movie was a failure of trying to copy what they had done with the popularity of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies which are also based on a ride not the other way around.

The ride = win. The movie = fail

CH3BURASHKA @ Mar 28th 2009 6:32PM

*play 'The more you know'*

+++volume+++ @ Mar 28th 2009 2:36PM

I've been on that ride. It was cool when the big circular room started sinking, revealing the people in the portraits' deaths. All that holographic ghost stuff was pretty shweet too.

Strategy_Panda @ Mar 28th 2009 2:42PM

just wanted to say that I miss video games and the stiq community. Can't believe I'm missing GDC. I have no access to computers or TV. Can only get the Internet for the next two months through my phone. Only have enough time to check email. Hope to be back to the stiq's antics soon. Have fun all 0.o

Markez @ Mar 28th 2009 2:48PM

It's karmic retribution for exposing Sly and I to your damned ass meatspin link. What's the story been anyway on your end? My guess is your holed up with Bin Laden, hence no internet access. You could send the stiq video updates, though. Anyway, say hi to Barry when he shows up in your cave to GIT you.

sjones411 @ Mar 28th 2009 2:43PM

Alright, how was this article allowed to be published without this video attached?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBdWAr_FIsM

Kevin Kelly @ Mar 28th 2009 11:55PM

sjones: MOST AWESOME!

bookishboy @ Mar 28th 2009 3:43PM

Actually, if you asked Electronic Arts they'd set you straight on this.

Disney's Haunted Mansion is a guided first person experience- they have magic mirrors, spooky sounds, animatronic puppets, a dropaway entrance floor, , and a few other surprises that evolve the genre in many ways. Disney has added so much to Haunted House that comparisons to first-person shooters should quickly fade away.

http://kotaku.com/5178239/eas-still-a-little-pissy-that-guided-experience-hasnt-caught-on