When the social news site Digg became popular it immediately spawned rivals that mimicked its functionality and even its redundant consonant naming scheme (e.g. Reddit, Mixx, etc.). The reasons for this are well known, open source code, cloud based computing, and other facets of digital product development have become commoditized, making it cheaper and faster for a good idea to be copied or “improved”.
This fast following has been limited to “web 2.0″ start ups, but the behavior may soon be coming to the world of theme parks. The Imagination Corporation of Chilliwack British Columbia is giving Disney World a run for its money, making interesting themed environments with a $25,000 CNC Router similar to the ShopBot. Their themed environments for malls and water parks in Canada lack the refined design of their Orlando based counterparts, but not by much.
Copying Space Mountain is becoming more like copying a social network. The Pirate Bay meets “Pirates of the Caribean”. These designs have the exuberance and refinement of one of the interstitial species on an evolution chart, but portend really interesting things for the future:
- Game companies that get out of the iPhone or Browser and take on physical dimensions e.g. really cool themed laser tag centers. What if Zynga became the modern day Disney and opened smaller regional theme parks based on their properties?
- Disney is revamping it’s retail stores to make them more like mini theme parks. With a little design talent and a machine that costs less than a Honda, smaller retailers will be able to match their output.
- Amateur films filled with Mac made CGI robots are already leading to big Hollywood contracts. How long before student films feature sets nearly as nice as those from the Harry Potter and Lord of the Ring series?
The biggest opportunity is the least far fetched. What if these technologies are applied to residential home building? Assuming it is paired with a more refined design sensibility of course. Housing is a massive market and these tools make it possible to recreate a French Chateau, an Alpine Cottage, a Tudor Retreat, or an entirely new vision from the future.
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