[Spareribs]

Back in the old days, as a form of entertainment, humans would go to these places called amusement parks. But now many of them are in ruins and a part of the ancient civilization.

 

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[JK1]

A major factor for their decline are the huge sums that were paid in lawsuits when people were hurt. Many smaller parks couldn't afford to pay the insurance. 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  A major factor for their decline are the huge sums that were paid in lawsuits when people were hurt. Many smaller parks couldn't afford to pay the insurance. 

 
Plus how bigger parks generally can do everything better due to resources available to them. They can build wilder rides for example so they don't fall off the map and attract more people farther away from that park, like Six Flags, or how Disney has something to offer to children thanks to their media empire.

 

[Spareribs]

Here's a look at one of the abandoned amusement parks
 

 

[WraithApe]

One of the most infamous abandoned parks is Pripyat Amusement Park, in Ukraine - another casualty of the Chernobyl disaster.

 

[JK1]

   
Plus how bigger parks generally can do everything better due to resources available to them. They can build wilder rides for example so they don't fall off the map and attract more people farther away from that park, like Six Flags, or how Disney has something to offer to children thanks to their media empire.

Disney has increased their admission prices greatly over time. They can get away with it though, since there is nothing else like it, and park attendance has been surging. They especially want to limit park overcrowding during peak periods.
 
Walt Disney World admission was $3.50 in 1971. Now it is $105! That is over 5X the general US inflation rate over the period. See the progression.
 
http://allears.net/tix/tixincrease.htm
 
 
US CPI data.
 
http://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Consumer_Price_Index/HistoricalCPI.aspx?reloaded=true
 
 
 
http://fortune.com/2015/10/07/disneyland-price-hikes/
 
http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-disneyland-annual-pass-prices-20151007-htmlstory.html
 
 
http://time.com/money/4061526/disney-price-changes-increase/

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Disney has increased their admission prices greatly over time. They can get away with it though, since there is nothing else like it, and park attendance has been surging. They especially want to limit park overcrowding during peak periods.
 
Walt Disney World admission was $3.50 in 1971. Now it is $105! That is over 5X the general US inflation rate over the period. See the progression.

 
And yet the prices actually just make sure the parks are easier to manage by limiting the number of people....and yet it's not enough. That's the power of Disney's media links - you will always have children excited to go in there. 
 
Still, even as fully grown adults, my brother and I never outgrew amusement parks, even Disneyland. We're not happy about the prices but if we get them at a huge discount we'd hilariously march off to go to a theme park where we can run around with freaking Mickey Mouse (and now, we get Darth Vader and Lightning McQueen). The least time we went into one was four years ago but it was Knott's Berry Farm, but only because my brother has a heart condition and wasn't cleared by his cardiologist for the full-on assault at a Six Flags park. He did get a migraine from that crazy high woody coaster though, but I enjoyed it the most because the G-forces of the turns made me barf (although in fairness it was that tiny catterpillar seat coaster that really did me in, as I wasn't facing forward the entire time).

 

[Spareribs]

More decline

 

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More decline

 

[ProtegeManiac]

The rides in those photos don't show a general decline in amusement parks, only of particular amusement parks that cannot compete. Take a long look at the rides and the other motifs in there - what they show is that you can't compete with children wanting to dance around with Mickey Mouse or Belle, or older patrons who want to risk a heart attack on Riddler's Revenge. Those statues are not recognizable, and then let's face it, there's nothing exciting about a caterpillar ride or even Ferris Wheel. That is, until you make it large enough, and then put it in the middle of London and call it an "Eye," but there's good reason why there isn't a two-bit amusement park with tea cup rides around that Eye (unless there actually is and I just don't see photos of such, but then again, there's a reason why no one I know don't have photos of those). And yet, Disney can make that tea cup ride interesting just by having Princesses walking around (never mind that near enough to that Eye are actual Princesses of the House of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha, but hey, kids want to see Jasmine and Pocahontas!).

 

[Spareribs]

Good point