Thomas Wagner (born May 14, 1977) is a German video game designer, entrepreneur and professor. He is best known for his influence on the theme park industry as inventor [1] of Virtual Reality equipped ride attractions like roller coasters. For his work in creating VR experiences on ride facilities, he is also considered a relevant personality of the VR Industry. [2] [3]
He is teaching as a professor in the study course of Virtual Design at the University of Applied Sciences, Kaiserslautern. [4]
Wagner graduated in communication design at the Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar, Germany. In 2005, he was appointed Professor for Media- and Interaction Design at the University of Applied Sciences, Kaiserslautern. [4] Until 2014, he focussed on video game design with his former company The Design Assembly GmbH and most recently with his games app label Gamesmold.
In early 2014, Wagner approached roller coaster manufacturer Mack Rides to investigate if Virtual Reality glasses would work on dynamic ride attractions. [5] After initial test rides at Europa-Park, [6] he conceived the solution of making a ride facility compatible to mobile VR headsets, which, at that time, had just been announced. Together with Mack Rides, he patented this process which solved common issues that would have prevented the use of PC-tethered headsets on a coaster train. [1]
In May 2015, Wagner, Michael Mack and Mack Rides co-founded the company VR Coaster GmbH & Co. KG, owned in equal shares by the founders. [7] Wagner is also CEO of the company, leading the creation of the VR media for these attractions. [8] [9] [10]
In late 2015, their first public installation to use this technology opened at Europa-Park, which drew a lot of media attention. [11] [12] [13] Subsequently, many installations followed worldwide, [14] including drop towers, flat rides and bumper cars, with several of Wagners projects receiving critical acclaim in the industry. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] By 2020, his work was considered as having changed the entire attraction industry. [20]
Wagner is a member of the Aurea Award Jury [21] since the foundation of the Award in 2018.
Great Coasters International, Inc. is a Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based roller coaster manufacturer which has created several award-winning rides since its formation in 1994. Starting in 2006 with Thunderbird at PowerPark in Finland, the company expanded beyond the United States and began building coasters in Europe and Asia. Günter Engelhardt GmbH handles the company's marketing rights in Europe. In addition to designing and building new roller coasters, GCI also refurbishes and re-tracks existing roller coasters, regardless of manufacturer.
Europa-Park is a theme park in Rust, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Covering a total area of 95 hectares, eighteen themed areas offer around one hundred rides, several shows, and thirteen roller coasters, the park includes six hotels, a camping site, a tepee village, a cinema and a conference center.
Kraken is a steel roller coaster located at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida, United States. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride opened as the second longest floorless coaster in the world on June 1, 2000, with a track length measuring 4,177 feet (1,273 m). It features a total of seven inversions and reaches a maximum speed of 65 mph (105 km/h). The coaster was named after a fictional sea monster of the same name. In late 2016, Kraken underwent a refurbishment and reopened as Kraken Unleashed in June 2017. A virtual reality experience was added to the ride, but due to technical difficulties and extensive wait times, the feature was permanently removed the following year.
The New Revolution is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. Manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf and designed by Werner Stengel, the roller coaster opened to the public on May 8, 1976. The New Revolution is the world's first modern roller coaster to feature a vertical loop and has been recognized for that accomplishment by American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE), who awarded the roller coaster its Coaster Landmark status. However, there were earlier examples of roller coasters with a full vertical loop, such as the steel roller coaster called "Looping the Loop" in Parque Japonés in Buenos Aires, which operated from 1911 to 1930.
Dare Devil Dive is a steel roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Designed by German company Gerstlauer, Dare Devil Dive is based on the company's Euro-Fighter model, and features a 95-foot (29 m)-tall vertical lift hill, a 95° first drop, three inversions and a top speed of 52 miles per hour (84 km/h). It is also the first Euro-Fighter to debut a new lap-bar restraint system, replacing the more common over-the-shoulder harnesses.
Lego Technic Test Track, Technic Coaster, Project X - Test Strecke and X-treme Racers are the names of five identical steel wild mouse roller coasters manufactured by Mack Rides at Legoland theme parks around the world.
ARTHUR is an inverted-spinning dark ride roller coaster at Europa-Park in Rust, Germany. The attraction opened in spring 2014 as part of the wider "ARTHUR - In the Minimoys Kingdom" area themed after the Arthur series of books and films by Luc Besson.
Freedom Flyer is a Vekoma Suspended Family Coaster at the Fun Spot America Amusement Park in Orlando, Florida. It has yellow track and blue supports. Opened in May 2013, it is 1,295 feet (395 m) long.
Eurosat - CanCan Coaster is an enclosed roller coaster at Europa-Park in Rust, Germany. The ride is part of a refurbishment from the original Eurosat, which includes new track, some minor layout changes and a virtual reality experience that has its own separate station. Eurosat - CanCan Coaster opened in September of 2018.
Energylandia is an amusement park located in Zator, Lesser Poland, in southern Poland. It is approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) away from Kraków and 335 kilometres (208 mi) away from Warsaw, Poland's capital city. Energylandia is the largest amusement park in the country, at 70 hectares.
Alpenexpress Enzian is a powered roller coaster with optional virtual reality manufactured by Mack Rides and located at Europa-Park in Rust, Germany. It is located in the Austria section of the park, and was built in 1984. Alpenexpress was the first roller coaster built at the park.
A virtual reality roller coaster is a special kind of amusement park ride attraction, consisting of a roller coaster facility or ride that can be experienced with virtual reality headsets. The setup has been invented by Thomas Wagner, who has also produced most of the worldwide installations with his company VR Coaster GmbH & Co. KG since late 2015. Since then, several theme parks all over the world have been adapting this technology to extend their existing coaster facilities.
Valkyria is a steel Dive Coaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard operating at Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden. Opened on 10 August 2018, it is Europe's longest and tallest Dive Coaster. The name Valkyria is derived from the Norse mythology creature Valkyrie, a mythological creature that brought fallen warriors to the afterlife.
Michael Mack is a German entrepreneur. He is part of the Mack Family, which owns and runs the German theme park Europa-Park.
Atlantica SuperSplash is a water coaster in Europa-Park, Germany. Built by Mack Rides, it opened 19 March 2005. The ride is themed around the Conquistadors of the Portuguese Empire. It is the prototype for identical roller coasters at three other parks around the world. There are also two other SuperSplash coasters with custom layouts, including Journey to Atlantis at SeaWorld San Antonio.
Belantis is an amusement park next to Leipzig, Germany. Covering 27 hectares, the park offers over 60 attractions, including four roller coasters.
Steel Taipan is a steel launched roller coaster at Dreamworld in Coomera, Queensland, Australia. Steel Taipan serves as a direct replacement to the former Thunder River Rapids Ride. The roller coaster is the first triple-launched coaster in the Southern Hemisphere, and is named after the deadly Taipan family of snakes native to Australia.
The Freizeitpark Plohn is a seasonal amusement park in Lengenfeld, Saxony, Germany. It has about 350,000 visitors a year and 79 attractions.
Skyline Park is a 35-hectare (86-acre) amusement park in Bad Wörishofen, Bavaria, Germany. The facility includes several thrill rides, family attractions, and playground amenities. The park is run by the Löwenthal family of showmen.
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