REALITY COMPETITION SHOW HAS FANTASY ADVENTURE THEME

Eight teenagers are embarking on an adventure called THE QUEST that will be streaming on Disney Plus beginning May 11 that merges scripted elements of a tabletop role playing game experience with an unscripted reality tv competition. These Paladins will be engaging in real physical and mental challenges in a fantasy setting that is filled with medieval weapons, amazing magic and scary monsters. These heroes are immersed in a fantasy world come to life, complete with a castle, royals, mystical creatures and a sorceress intent on destruction and power. If you are a fan of Amazing Race, Dungeon and Dragons, Lord of the Rings, or Tough as Nails, THE QUEST is a show you will probably be geeked about as it merges the two genres of fantasy adventure and reality competition through Disney creative and special effects magic.

THE QUEST is being produced by the Academy Award®- and Emmy®-winning teams behind “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Amazing Race” and “Queer Eye". This Disney Plus show promises to combine the best elements of scripted and unscripted content to create an immersive competition series where fantasy and reality collide as the participating teens compete in challenges in a fully-realized setting. Each Paladin’s mind, body, and soul will be put to the test with new surprises around every corner of the unknown land, changing not only the fate of the Kingdom of Everealm where contestants are transported to, but also their own.

 

For thousands of years, Everealm has been a land of unrivaled beauty and powerful magic. Now, the realm is threatened by a powerful evil Sorceress. As a last hope, the noble Fates summon eight strangers known as Paladins from our world to work together to fulfill an ancient prophecy and vanquish the Sorceress. The Paladins must unlock the hero within through a series of challenges that push their limits to restore balance to Everealm. If they fail, all will be lost. Heroes will rise. Kingdoms will fall. 

THE QUEST is taking the immersive experience to a Renaissance Festival to a whole new level! Archery, mazes, puzzles and other obstacles should be entertaining to view. What other types of challenges do you think the Paladins will encounter? If the props and special effects are as good as they appear in the trailer this show should be fantastic! 

CAN FANTASY VIDEO GAMES HAVE REAL LIFE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

When many of us think of video games, immersing ourselves in the exploration of fantasy worlds is probably one of the first things that come to mind. Games like Final Fantasy for instance allow us to explore incredible fictional settings. While video games like Minecraft allow players to build our own fantasy worlds to interact in. Just like reading a great piece of fiction, there’s a time and a place for these kinds of experiences, particularly when we wish to enjoy a little escapism.  And there’s nothing wrong with that.

However, can fantasy video games help us fantasize beyond just having fun imaginary adventures? In other words, can games help us fantasize outside of fantasy? Can there be practical applications in the real world created through fantasy simulations in video games?

Of course video games and digital simulations can have practical implications in real life! From virtual reality crash dummies assisting engineers to statistical simulations assisting physicists the benefit of computers to society is fantastic. But there are also computer programs that can be used on video game consoles and people's home PCs that that provide more practical benefits than some fun escapism. Here are three examples of how video games having people escape from reality actually provide a creative lens that can can have real life implications from home improvement projects to driving tips.

Home Design & Creativity 

Home design and creativity can be tremendous tools in helping us express ourselves and personalize our homes, but did you know that these are popular topics for video game content? From games such as House Flipper and Stardew Valley to crafting games like My Time In Portia reorganizing digital spaces with furniture placements and managing aesthetics can truly help us feel engaged in something other than digital conflict. It also provides skills and insight for applying what is learned in the digital sphere to your own living spaces.

Vehicle Simulations 

The digital racing scene has become so realistic that automobile manufacturers are incorporating video games into car shows and other marketing events to showcase both current vehicles and concepts to consumers without having to have the liability of people actually doing test drives.  These video games have become so advanced that finding the best drift car in Forza Horizon 4 or tuning cars in Gran Turismo can give car fanatics or even mild petrol-heads a means to explore their passion and drive cars that they may never even touch in real life.  Fantasy driving allows consumer to learn more about how vehicles actually work, create an expanded interest in car and truck brands as well as create an interest with real life motor sports. So what may seem just a video game can impact someone purchasing a particular car or want to actually go in person to see an Indy or NASCAR race.

Job Simulators 

Some games are even curated to help you make better purchasing decisions or learn new skills though making what someone might otherwise consider a boring chore as a fun activity. For instance, PC Building Simulator has performed very well on home computers. The game has you pretend to run your own computer repair business diagnosing and fixing broken equipment. 

Players use products from actual manufacturers and real dimensions in order to complete a construction project. The game mechanics focused on running your own repair shop can be beneficial to do it yourselfers as well as people interested in tech careers.  Gamify your education to make learning and improving skills both educational and entertaining!

In that respect, losing hours to titles like these is hardly overly indulgent, it can quite literally help you with developing practical skills in the real world. Keep this in mind when choosing games to play and how much time is being spent in these fantasy scenarios. Remember playing these fantasy games may actually provide an experience that could assist you with something that you may not usually do outside the digital space.