Roller Coasters

Rollercoasters are excitement, on rails. 

What you will experience on a roller coaster everyone else will experience.

In my past and even still now, there was nothing I wanted more than to see POVs of roller coasters. I wanted to feel like I was there. I poured over a book of top 10 roller coasters. I scraped through flash games at school, looking for one that could give me some of that 3d goodness. I played rollercoaster rush on my brother's friend's iPod as they played Halo 3. I was thrilled by the bits of movies where characters would slide down things and then the camera would enter a first person view, ala Spy Kids 3, Barnyard, and Hot Wheels World Race.

Eventually I found Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 while at a roller coaster based summer education camp. I knew of Roller Coaster Tycoon before, but 3 actually let you enter the first person when building coasters. The rest of the game didn't matter. 

I have a dusty memory of playing a roller coaster game where you built coasters that soared through mountainous landscapes and clouds. I was at a daycare in Minneapolis, the only time I was ever there. The building had those glass blocks in the floor. I do not retain many memories at all, and it feel like I remember almost nothing these days. I do remember that!

The Mall of America was the place I rode coasters most as a kid. Rock Bottom Plunge was my favorite.

The last coaster I rode was the Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz. I went with friends.

Getting off a roller coaster after riding it with others has a special energy. Everyone is surprised at how exciting it was. You have to be there.

This was something I only recently understood about roller coasters.

ESSENTIAL ROLLER COASTER MEDIA:

  • Roller coaster games where you can enter the third person
  • Roller coaster POV Videos
  • Actually riding roller coasters
  • Learning Roller Coaster Facts

ADJACENT MEDIA:

  • Hot Wheels courses and POV videos
  • Marble coasters
  • Log Flumes
  • Waterslides / Waterslide POV videos

BEST TYPES:

  • Metal Coasters
  • Historic Wood Coasters 

NOT MY FAVORITE:

  • Ones where it's just a big hill up and down
  • Statefair "Deployable" Coasters
  • Honestly? Disneyland roller coasters.  

 my book of choice as a kid

 

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