Pre-Sword (2024)

Theme Park Experiential Pre-show Design

Index

Publication

A Study on Theme Park Experiential Pre-show Design using Interactive Storytelling : Focusing on the Worldview of <The Legend of Zelda>

The purpose of the study is to look into the new approaches of the pre-show during the waiting stage before boarding attractions at theme parks for the main-show and visitors through interactive storytelling.

[View Publication]

<The legend of Zelda> Theme park Official Trailer (2023), 3D Digital Video

Overview

Theme parks have become one of the fastest growing sectors within the entertainment industry, with audiences increasingly seeking immersive and extraordinary experiences. To construct these experiences effectively, the narrative structure of pre-show, main-show, and post-show becomes essential, operating as a continuous and interconnected story.
This research specifically focuses on the pre-show stage, which plays a critical role in shaping immersion before the main attraction begins.

Based on Henry Jenkins’ theory of transmedia storytelling, the study explores how participatory narratives can expand within theme park environments. It examines how interactive storytelling transforms visitors from passive viewers into active participants, investigating how experiential pre-shows shape emotional engagement, immersion, and narrative anticipation. Through multiple case studies, the research also analyses how theme parks can function as creative spaces for immersive experience design.

Concept

The prototype developed through this research is based on the universe of <The Legend of Zelda>, applying open-world action-adventure mechanics to a theme park environment. Visitors are assigned individual roles and invited to freely explore the world, participating in the narrative through their own movement and decisions.

While conventional pre-shows often remain passive waiting experiences, this study proposes the pre-show itself as an independent experiential medium and a new form of immersive narrative space.

Design Principle

The design process began with inspiration from in game environments and sculptural elements, using SketchUp and Rhino to model and render the space. Colours, patterns, and symbolic motifs were carefully developed to reflect the atmosphere and visual identity of <The Legend
of Zelda>.

Through various interactive storytelling experiences within spaces such as caves, training grounds, and forests, visitors directly engage with the world and narrative events of <The Legend of Zelda> during the pre-show stage. This approach delivers a fresh interpretation of the theme’s message through participatory experience.

As a result, this themed environment expands the game’s universe into physical space, creating a new spatial and temporal experience that encourages transformation, exploration, and adventure.