A company called Ruke Studios is creating an "Experiental Video Game Theme Park and Resort" called Game Nation. The basic idea here is that of a resort / themepark for LARPers (Live Action Role Players), where visitors will be able to live out their fantasies as whatever character they wish to create.

Sounds interesting? According to the Kotaku report, it's been tried before. First, by Dream Park Corporation in the 90's, and their themepark never materialized, leaving the company to go bankrupt in 1997. The closest existing themepark to what Ruke is setting to do is MagiQuest, which has several locations throughout the US and even Japan.

Ruke is currently scouting out locations for Game Nation, and they expect to find something within the next year. Read below for the official Game Nation description:

Game Nation™ is the world’s first Experiential Video Game Theme Park and Resort. Visitors will become players as their dreams and fantasies come to life in adventures yet to be told. You will become anything you like and live out the character you create. But this is no game. It’s real!

Check out the Game Nation website here to sign up for updates.

[Thanks Cecropia for the tip!]

Sounds like a Second Life clone

A bit different but makes me think of NERO: New England Roleplaying Organization. It was a live roleplaying group that played in an actual mock town with forests and stuff around to act out D&D type quests in real life.

They're talking about creating a themepark in REAL LIFE.  Not a game.  So 'Secondlife clone' would not apply.  If you've ever been to Disney or DisneyQuest, think the 'Imaginering' area Epcot has, but throw in the actors you typically see at a renaissance festival and park visitors being able to do this and you have a similar concept to what these people are trying to do, but on a larger scale from the sounds of it.  It'd be interesting to see, in my opinion.  Hopefully they choose a area that isn't impossible/overpriced to reach.

The mmorpg quality guarentee always 2 days late with the news.

Sounds like a cross between LARP and LazerTag with a little Westworld and Holodeck thrown in for good measure.

Will wait for more deets before judging.