Commentary

Bowling alleys land strikes in the immersive lane

The importance of the competitive socializing scene and its future revenue generation has started to dawn on all sectors of the amusement trade.

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October 10, 2022 by Kevin Williams

The 90th anniversary of the Bowling Proprietors Association of America this year gives cause to consider not just the long popularity of the traditional bowling presentation, but the new entertainment elements being added to the mix and transforming the venues into more mixed-use leisure entertainment style establishments.

Entertainment for these venues, including traditional amusement as well as immersive technology building on active entertainment, is focused on the returning leisure audience.

Bowling equipment manufacturers are exploring the use of immersive technology and we have already seen the deployment of mixed reality projection systems with tracked game content integrated directly onto the lanes. The deployment of secondary entertainment elements is set to appeal to Generation Z returning to the facilities.

Innovation hits the strike zone

Frontgrid, based in Wales, has introduced a paragliding experience with the ParadropVR Pod. The compact and self-contained VR attraction comprises an online leader board and multiplayer networking. It is this type of immersive attraction that complements the social entertainment mix which is being redefined by the reinvestment into bowling business modernization to stay relevant.

Creative Works, a designer and operator of immersive experiences based in Mooresville, Indiana, continues to promote its extensive lasertag and bowling facility theming skills with eye-catching props and inclusion of VR platforms to the mix for consideration by bowling venue operators and family entertainment centers.

Mixed reality in the lanes

Videmption has seen success with its alliance with Brunswick, the Muskegon, Michigan based bowling equipment manufacturer, and its Spark mixed reality bowling on-lane immersive interactive scoring technology.

Spark surrounds the bowler in a mesmerizing experience as it delivers the latest technology and entertainment trends to the lanes. Spark engages every segment of entertainment seekers with software-driven technology and innovation.

Spark's energy begins at the scoring tablet and flows through the settee area, down the lane to the pins, surrounding the bowler in engaging graphics. Such engaging games encourage socialization while letting bowlers select their own adventures.

Many bowling lane operators are now looking to include a dedicated theme to their bowling lanes, not only with new kiosk ordering and large projector screens, but also interactive and gamified bowling lane visuals. Such a system has already been rolled out at the Stars & Strikes bowling venue in Concord, North Carolina, with Spark included on all VIP lanes.

Digital hybridization takes hold

The continued investment into the digital hybridization of the redemption and videmption model emulates what has been seen in the skill game scene with digital screens incorporated into amusement games. Team Play, an amusement machine manufacturer, illustrated this with the launch of its brand-new redemption piece, "Carnival Wheel."

Borrowing heavily from the play style of "Big Bass Wheel," the Team Play system offers a much more eye-catching digital presentation using translucent LED screens over the physical wheel to supply player information. This creates an incredibly alluring platform that is expected to give the evergreen wheel spinning redemption platform a new lease of life in the sector.

Lasterton has promoted its AR axe throwing platform, offering projection onto the target, with mini game selections and self-scoring. This is an example of the social entertainment application, offering a consideration for bowling proprietors to add to their entertainment mix.

The importance of the competitive socializing scene and its future revenue generation has started to dawn on all sectors of the amusement trade.

(Editor's note: Extracts from this blog are from recent coverage in The Stinger Report, published by Spider Entertainment and its director, Kevin Williams, the leading interactive out-of-home entertainment news service covering the immersive frontier and beyond.)

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About Kevin Williams

Along with advisory positions with other entrants into the market he is founder and publisher of the Stinger Report, “a-must-read” e-zine for those working or investing in the amusement, attractions and entertainment industry. He is a prolific writer and provides regular news columns for main trade publications. He also travels the globe as a keynote speaker, moderator and panelist at numerous industry conferences and events. Author of “The Out-of-Home Immersive Entertainment Frontier: Expanding Interactive Boundaries in Leisure Facilities,” the only book on this aspect of the market, with the second edition scheduled for a 2023 release.

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