Christopher Boyd and Scott Powers
Sentinel Staff Writers
July 9, 2007
Walt Disney World's Epcot theme park has unveiled its new, interactive video games for visitors waiting in line to ride Soarin'.The games opened last week, offering a test of emerging entertainment technology produced by Walt Disney Imagineering. Using motion-detection equipment, heat sensors and computer-generated videos shown on huge screens, the games allow groups of strangers to play games together while waiting in line.
In a demonstration Thursday, one crowd was so caught up in trying to lead an animated bird through a computer-animated forest that many of the people did not notice for several minutes that a large gap had opened in the line in front of them.
The bird, and the characters in other games, are computer-directed based on which direction people lean, and many people were yelling, in unison, "lean left!" and "lean right!" while trying to lead the bird through the forest.
Christopher Boyd can be reached at cboyd@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5723. Scott Powers can be reached at spowers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5441.
