What is so fun aboout amusement park THRILL RIDES?

the adrenaline rush

Yeah and how about those crazy roller skates?!? You could fall down and rupture your spleen! And bikes! They go like 8 miles per hour! People like that kind of thing?

The memories.

Agreed. Give me a singing pirates ride over something so physically jarring as Indiana Jones or a Wild Mouse ride.
Years ago, I took my wife (then girlfriend) to the local amuesment park, and we went on a few rides. One of them severely jarred my back, and I had to lay down on the lawn there for an hour before I could move enough to get to the car to drive home. Not the kind of thing you want to happen on a date.

@peyton_farquhar I was worried you were gonna show a Flash Mountain shot there.

People enjoy the thrill of fear. That’s why Haunted Houses and such are so popular. Like my Halloween yard display is pretty modest this year, but I have the one thing that scares the crap out of people.

KLOWNS

Everybody knows that Clowns are evil and are out to get you.

@filmfann , just what I mean! Speaking about dates. I went on a date one 4th of July. It rained so few people were at the amusement park. Because of that, when we went on “The Spider”, we were the only ones. The guy running it left us on a longer time. When it was over, my date puked and we, literally, were nauseous for DAYS!!!

@elijah, you don’t see bicycle riding to be any different than, say, The Tower of Terror or Space Mountain?

i like some of them, but am probably not the most adventurous person. People like to experience fear while feeling safe.

I also have to be careful about rides that will set off my motion sickness. The last time a friend talked me into one of those back in the 70s, I had to be hosed down along with the inside of the cage afterwards.

@Marina , what “safe”? I read about one woman who lost both feet, I read about some guy who lost his head, locally there was a little boy who drowned when he got himself under a boat in the tunnel of love…

There are two components: the adrenaline (and other hormones) rush, and the relief and knowledge that fundamentally it is controlled excitement. You are really not in as much danger as your post would suggest.

There are some schools of thought that postulate that certain people are “thrill seeking” because of a craving for the stimulus that the fight-or-flight reaction provides, perhaps because the rest of the time they are understimulated and don’t feel fully alive.

At any rate, it seems to be a case of chaçon a son gout, because I won’t go near any of those rides, myself.

Thank you @evelyns_pet_zebra thank you :)

I like thrill rides because of the near death feeling I get.

@pdworkin, “You are really not in as much danger as your post would suggest.”

Oh, THAT’S a relief?? :)

Could it be that the people who like them are not AWARE of the possible dangers?

@Quagmire they probably did something stupid like they took off their safety belt thingy or they jumped in somewhere where they weren’t supposed to. Some people may have died because they had health conditions they didn’t even know.

Well, for me, it would be the thrill.

It’s weird, you’d think I’d hate thrill rides because of my anxiety issues (I hate even being in elevators) but I love roller coasters! I just think they’re fun, and I like the way it makes me feel.

@Quagmire, are you saying the tunnel of love is a thrill ride? You must have terrible commitment issues~

And I love how some of the rides have secret cameras to take your picture at the moment they compress your spine!
My kids and I would always try to make the scaredest face we could at that camera moment, and that was fun, but on Tower of Terror, I was in so much pain the facial expression wasn’t fear, it was misery.

@markyy, actually, my point was, the child got killed even on such a mindless ride as that.

@filmfann, believe it or not, I too went on the Tower of Terror. Why? IDK!

My family went on vacation to Sandusky Ohio (from California) just so I could ride “Top Fight Dragster,” which was, at the time, the highest and fastest roller coaster in the world.

Zero to 120mph in 4 seconds!

You can’t find anything in your normal life (car, motorcycle, whatever) that has that kind of acceleration.

THATS WHY people love thrill rides!

Also, anyone who is afraid of physical harm from amusement park rides doesn’t understand the insurance industry. If there was a real danger of injury, the insurance costs would be so high, the amusement park would have to close the ride. Insurance companies are VERY averse to litigation.

@Quagmire People die and or are terribly injured while sitting in their homes. There is no way to protect yourself from all danger in life. Trying to only proscribes your life without guaranteeing your safety.

Just been to a theme park this week and went on a rather scary/thrill seeking ride and screamed my head off the whole time, vowing I would never go on it again 2mins later I’m back on screaming my head off again WHY… I don’t know it was just fun and you only get to live this life once so why not enjoy the time you have? If scary/thrill seeking rides aren’t for you don’t go on them… But don’t put the dampner on those willing to risk life and limb!! Simples :)

I think thrill rides are AWESOME!!
I like the rush that you get when you go down drops and everytime I go to the thrill rides I always go on the scariest ones 1st since they are the funnest!!!

I love roller coasters. I like the way you kind of go weightless right at the beginning of a big drop. Loops are fun, fast is fun, but I’ve always loved the ones with the big drops.
… but I don’t know if this kid will ever ride another roller coaster again.

@Quagmire Somebody’s going to hate me for this, but the tunnel of love death you posted would either be the kids own fault, or the kids sub-par parents fault since i don’t know the age. It’s a slow moving ride apart from any drops and the number one rule in any theme park ride is keep your hands inside at all times. If the kid was too young/ irresponsible to follow the rule on his own, he should have been under constant watch by his parents/guardians. Besides,it should just be common sense once you reach a certain age not to rock the boat, not to tip it, not to reach into the water whose depth is unknown, etc. Anyone not yet at that age should be CONSTANTLY monitored.
I’d also like you to elaborate on the other deaths you spoke of.

Theme parks would hemorrhage money if deaths were as constant as you seem to believe. They constantly run test and maintenance on the rides to check their safety. Modern roller coasters basically bolt you in with steel harnesses to keep you in place and far from danger of being thrown out. Everything is measured, made, and tested to give the riders the highest chances for walking away with no injuries at all. The fact is, if roller coasters and the like really were so dangerous, there would not be so many theme parks around the world because people would not go to them out of a desire to continue breathing. 99.999% Of the danger sensed is simulated and the remaining time you have the similar chances of winning a radio show giveaway. In terms of how often they occur, you’re in multiple times more danger just driving down to the grocery store to get some milk.

@Allie That kid obviously didn’t meet the height requirements he was seated all wrong from the get-go.

People like danger and excitement. I know I do.

@PerryDolia, the ride doesn’t have to ACTUALLY kill me. Just knowing it CAN is enough!

@sakura, I’m hardly putting a damper on anything by just asking my question, I think.

@Allie, that kid was in pain! He WAS falling out but, luckily for him, did not.

@Resonantscythe, does it MATTER who’s fault? The kid could have been seriously hurt on that thing.

And I’m not saying these rides will necessarily KILL you. They can make you sick, scare the hell out of you, bang you up a bit, etc. Understand I’m not advocating amusement parks should close. They ARE a lot of fun for people. I’m just saying these rides, given the various reasons I already have, are no fun for ME. I wanted to find out what makes them fun for others.

And the little boy who died was in a boat alone. The mother was not aware that things would jump out at you during the ride since there were no signs to that effect. The kid DID get scared and tried to get out of the boat and somehow got caught in between the boat and the track and drowned. There were no cameras in the ride so no one saw this. There ARE cameras now. And warning signs.

The girl who lost both feet was on one of those rides that pull you straight up then drop you. A cable was broken on it and in wrapped around both feet, slicing them off.

And I know these events are rare, statistically. Just not rare enough for ME! :)

@Quagmire That’s exactly my reasoning. there are height requirements for a reason any any person with a properly functioning brain wouldn’t let an excitable kid near a drowning hazard. or are you talking about that youtube video? Same thing. Obviously the kid shouldn’t have been on it in the first place. That’s what kiddie rides were made for.

I happen to be VERY familiar with the ride where the boy drowned. The boat is on a track, there is very little water. Wooden cutout “monsters” pop out at you. In his attempt to get away, he got caught on the boat and dragged through the water and drowned. The ride is called “Ye Old Mill” and, from the outside, there is NO WAY to tell it could be scary. NOW there are warning signs and cameras.

And for someone to be too small for a ride, or too big for the harness, etc., isn’t that what ATTENDANTS are PAID FOR?

It has nothing to do with scary. The kid tried to leave the ride which was my point from the beginning. If he was with someone they should have grabbed the kid to keep him from leaving, maybe even console him.

That’s exactly what I said: the kid should not have been allowed on. The rides are made with certain capacities that the attendants are made aware of. It’s not the rides fault the kid was in danger, it was the idiots who let him on once they saw he wasn’t going to fit.

@Quagmire You do things every day (or in your life) that could kill you. You walk outside, ride in a car, go to the bank or the 7–11, cross the street, fly in planes, etc.

I’d rather live my life and have fun. If you live not doing things that might kill you, you’ll have a pretty boring life.

Just my two cents.

P.S. – I don’t mean “you” as in you personally.

@Allie, you’re right except all the things you mention I don’t usually really do for FUN per se. Thrill rides people do for FUN and I am curious what the appeal is.

basically my point has been this: the rides are like anything else. it only works right if you follow the rules. On their own, with people who follow the warnings and directions, you’re actually very safe. The whole point is the feeling that is the illusion of(high levels of) danger. it’s the fast, varied movement that thrills people. it’s just about no different than driving on the highway with a top down car. the difference being you’re not in control and can focus on the feeling.

@Quagmire I think you and I can at least agree on this: It’s better than sky diving.

I’ll drink to THAT!

Cheers!

@evelyns_pet_zebra Halloween yard display is modest this year? wtf!?! I’m not coming now. I want to be thrilled! I want your display to scare the crap out of me! Not show me how many clowns can fit into a mini cooper

Can I do this please?

I wonder if he did upside down loops?!

@Quagmire It’s a wooden coaster so probably not.

@Quagmire I wasn’t suggesting you personally was putting a dampner on things. It’s just that some people start a whole lets not have such and such campain just because they don’t like something which the means those that do have to start justifying everything they do… over here in the uk they call them the do gooder brigade!

@jonsblond it is modest compared to the way it used to be. I got rid of my old stuff and I have to start fresh. It may be modest, but I guarantee you that it will be scary. Bucky will make you wet your pants, that is a promise. Bucky is one seriously scary sumbitch!

@evelyns_pet_zebra I hope you know that I really want to see your Halloween display. I will do everything possible to come visit you.! :)

adrenaline. what’s so fun about watching horror movies? plenty of people like them. they like being scared shitless, but knowing that they’re not in any real danger.
of course, amusement park rides are dangerous, but it’s just as dangerous to walk on the side walk, with the chance that a careless or drunk driver is going to run right over it. it’s about the adrenaline rush, being able to do things you wouldn’t be able to do on your own two feet without that track and cart, and getting those ridiculous pictures to prove that, ‘yeah dude, i really rode the hulk!’

I don’t like the thrilling rides. I love them :p
I love that whole adrenaline rush thing

each time I’m on a roller coaster, I feel so scared, I think I’m gonna die, and there’s a lot of screaming.

I feel like I’m gonna explode, or something like that.

call me crazy, but I really like that feeling. yeah

and when the ride is over, my friends go all like: ‘hey, are you ok?’ because I don’t look ok xD :p