Newsletter #2

Visit to Seven Springs

On Wednesday, the Spring Entertainment team had a Skype meeting with Mr. Alex Moser, the Director of Marketing at Seven Springs, who will be our main client contact. He invited us to take a trip to the resort the following evening so that we could get a better sense of the space. That next evening, Mr. Moser greeted us on arrival and toured us through the current entertainment locations at the resort, as well as the locations they are considering placing any experiences developed by the Spring Entertainment team. One important point for us to consider is that the resort is currently doing a lot of renovations in order to make the resort experience better for guests. This means anything developed by the team should not be restricted to a specific location in the resort. Mr. Moser emphasized that the most important thing for him with whatever we develop, would be that it create for the guests an emotional attachment to the Seven Springs resort.

Hardware Research

Earlier in the week, we began researching our options for different platforms that might be iinstalled on site at Seven Springs. These included such varied interface possibilities as Electric Owl kiosks, the Microsoft Kinect, the Jam-O-Drum, and the Surface Floor. In each case, we had to investigate the consequences in terms of licensing, software compatibility, construction, and maintenance.

Based on what we have learned so far, if we go with installed hardware, our best options seem to be the Microsoft Kinect or the Jam-O-Drum, the latter of which has been newly implemented with Unity. Our recent conversations with the client have also raised the possibility of developing a game or app for the web or for smartphones and tablets. If the project goes in this direction, the importance of installation and maintenance will diminish, but in the meantime, we are continuing to learn about the consequences of each hardware option so we can make an informed choice.

Design Brainstorms

Currently the team is contemplating a wide array of potential designs and weighing the pros and cons of each. We could target the kids demographic and make things that are fun for them to play with their families and give the resort an experience that is unique to them that can’t be played anywhere else. Also unique to the resort is a new urban-themed snowboarding course called The Street that we could potentially theme a game around. This would target the more hardcore snowboarding crowd, possibly as a Unity Web Player application or as an app for iOS or Android. We’re also considering location based games that might use a collection mechanic to make apps that could be played anywhere, but played best at the resort with access to bonus content. Our focus for next week is to hone in on our most promising design concepts and pitch to the client a few alternatives for how to create a rewarding experience that adds to Silver Springs’ offerings.