If you want a rough analogy here, consider how a large percentage of visitors call the Magic Kingdom 'Disney World,' even though the MK is just one park in the larger Walt Disney World Resort. That helped to make 'theme park' the more popular - and therefore more universal - term in the public's mind, even though, logically, 'theme park' should be a subset of 'amusement park.' The conflation of theme and amusement parks happened when theme parks such as Disneyland, Universal Studios, SeaWorld, and Busch Gardens grew more popular than the traditional amusement parks that inspired their design (both positively and negatively).

I would assign role-playing installations such as Evermore and some Ren fairs into this space, as well as some zoos and aquariums, brand experiences, and themed museums, especially those that serve educational rather than entertainment purposes.ДЄn amusement parks that does not reflect a collection of themes is not a 'theme park,' either. Without rides and other attractions such as shows and walk-through experiences, a defined, designed and themed space that is devoted primarily to entertainment rather than commerce might still represent themed entertainment, but it is not a 'theme park.' To me, theme parks represent a subset of amusement parks and therefore must include a collection of distinct attractions, including rides, as amusement parks do. The term's history flows from that of amusement parks, which provide an indivisible part of theme parks' identity.

We are not there yet because it would be naive to define 'theme park' using only linguistics. I can recall examples of defined, designed and themed spaces that I would not call a 'theme park,' including some shopping malls and even gated residential communities. Still, this definition doesn't get us all the way there. Those themes can draw from fiction or other forms of storytelling, from history, or even just from other locations around the world. A theme park is a defined, designed space whose design reflects a unifying theme or collection of themes. So what makes one of these spaces a theme park? This is where the word 'theme' in 'theme park' comes into play. Now you can find plenty of well-defined, creatively designed spaces with controlled access in this world - malls, museums, stadia, and theaters all fit that definition. Those are lazy arguments from people who do not respect the work of themed entertainment designers among other creative artists.

Just because theme parks are creative works in physical space should not be used to imply that they are inherently inferior to other, non-designed physical spaces (or to other creative works, for that matter). Broadway shows, music concerts, movies, and books are all creative works, too, and no one smack-talks them because people created those. But being designed work never should be taken as a knock on theme parks. They're not accidental or the product of natural evolution, though they can be influenced by that. Theme parks are a form of entertainment and as such represent the work of creative professionals. It's a city.ДЄ themed park also is a designed space. I love the business district in The Netherlands' Maastricht and get definite Epcot World Showcase vibes there, for example, but that ain't a theme park.

A part of a city, another destination, or an event can feel or look like a theme park, but to actually be one it needs to be a permanently defined space with controlled access. Not only that, a theme park is a defined space with some form of controlled access. Starting broadly, a theme park needs to be, well, a park. Ultimately, that's for the public to decide, but I think we should have a go at crafting that better definition, nevertheless. But is that fair? Can the themed entertainment industry better protect the reputation of its core product by providing the term 'theme park' with a more precise definition? The term 'theme park' also gets thrown around whenever someone wants to dismiss a place as artificial or simplistic. This isn't just a question about theme versus amusement parks, though that's certainly one issue within the debate.

Theme park video game definition