Spectacle is no longer enough to sustain engagement in location-based experiences. Yet one powerful solution remains vastly underused.
Too often, game engines like Unreal function merely as pre-viz or rendering tools, rather than as systems for interaction, state, agency, and personalization. This session explores how lightweight game mechanics, logic layers, and rule-based design can deepen immersion and enable meaningful personalization — without turning LBEs into “games” or disrupting operations.
Drawing on real-world projects, it offers practical ways to introduce interaction that supports throughput, resilience, and guest experience, while avoiding the assumptions that keep teams anchored in spectacle.
Key takeaways:
- A Mechanics Ladder (passive → reactive → interactive → systemic) to evaluate interaction depth
- A decision matrix for determining whether an experience is ready for mechanics
- A shared vocabulary for discussing mechanics with non-game stakeholders
- Clear guidance on where not to use game logic (and why)