Hey, it worked for Disney.

I stumbled upon something interesting in Zoo Tycoon while trying to complete the Super Zoo scenario.

On a whim of some kind, I decided that the Yellow Brick Road you get from the start of the scenario would be different than how I had been organizing my zoos in the game. I would put most, if not all, of my gift shops near the front just after the admissions booth. Then, after that, anything else that charged an additional price of some kind. I put one restaurant there, the Animal Theatre which shows off animals of various kinds, the Merry-Go-Round, a couple of Photo Booths, and the Animatronic Theatre that you get when you download the Endangered Species add-ons (which reminds me, I need to put in a Kimono Dragon somewhere).

As soon as my first computerized guest came in, I started to notice a rather odd development. Having been forced pass all the shops and theaters, most of my guests went straight there before visiting any of the exhibits. The restaurant I can understand, since it is the one item in the entire game that refills your guests energy, lowers their hunger and thirst, and quenches the need to go to the bathroom in one fell swoop. I just found it odd that everyone bought their over-priced zoo merchandise before going anywhere else in the park. The others that visited would normally buy something from the gift shops I had there when they went to the restaurant for a bite to eat. As soon as my guest count got into the 300's, I lost track of who went where in this area.

Then it dawned on me. I've seen this set up before. It's the same set up Disneyland uses with Main Street. That is where most of their shops are, and before you get to any of the rides, you have to walk pass every last one of them.

The only thing that gives me the advantage is that in this tycooning game, everyone is a billionaire with money to burn. Roller Coaster Tycoon makes it a point to please everyone because of how many people have different budgets, but in Zoo Tycoon, everyone can afford everything (including all of my $22 meals at all my restaurants I have set up).

Still, though, I find it strange yet cool that a real life marketing technique works in a tycooning game just as well as it does in real life. Next time you go to Disneyland, take note of how things are set up. And make sure you people watch too. You'll see what I mean.