One amusement park out in Orlando, Florida was made to put a stop to the rolling out of a new laser shooting gallery game due to extreme backlash online.
The park in question, ICON Park, was forced to stop its new “Bullseye Blast” game, which was first revealed this past Thursday, due to extreme backlash from many members of the local community, reported Fox 35 Orlando. Quite a few users on social media called out the game as heavily insensitive in the wake of the recent mass shootings all over the country in the past few weeks, especially the Highland Park, Buffalo, and Uvalde shootings.
“Some non-guests and community members expressed that they considered the toy shooting device used to be insensitive,” explained William Wellons, who represents ICON Park with his public relations firm Wellons Communications, stated in a release. “The attractions’ industry has many similar games which use similar shooting devices, so that is what we were limited to when exploring the game. However, we believe that a device can and should be designed which does not offend anyone in the community. We look forward to leading this new innovation.”
“Just like all electronic games are improved over time, we will pursue a new design that will deliver the same level of customized fun for guests, in a way that the entire community can embrace,” continued Wellons.
The new shooting gallery game was added to the park’s 400-foot tall Ferris Wheel, which ranks as the ninth largest of its kind on the planet. For another $5.95, riders would be allowed a laster blaster and be told to aim and fire at targets set up along the rooftops of the park. “As their air-conditioned capsule ascends above Orlando, players scan the rooftops of ICON Park to find 50 strategically pre-selected targets with varying degrees of difficulty,” stated ICON Park in a release via its website, reported Fox 35. “To get the highest score possible, players need to hit as many of these as possible with their laser blaster during the 18-minute ride.” That announcement has been taken down off the website park with the halting of the game.
Many users on social media were quick to angrily jump at the announcement.
“@iconparkorlando do you really think this is a good idea right now?” a Twitter user stated via a reply to a social post by LaughingPlace.com, a blog about theme parks.
“How did this make it off the drawing board?! Big difference between shooting aliens/robots to practicing our sniper skills in a real-life urban area,” explained another user.
“This is in poor taste!” explained a tweet from Lina Stewart, a State Senator for Florida.
“Ahh yes, let’s allow tourists to pretend to snipe at a city that was FOREVER scarred and traumatized by an act of gun violence,” explained another user in reference to the Pulse nightclub shooting from 2016, via Fox 35.
The founder and CEO of International Theme Park Services Inc., Dennis Speigel, agreed with the angry mob. “Seeing these simulated guns pointed down at you from these heights, from all these cars, just doesn’t seem like the right decision,” expressed the man to the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s a little bizarre.”