Janet CollinsAdrenalin Junkies
March 29th 2010 04:45
Michael Douglas in The Game
How far can people go in search of an adrenalin rush? How many of us would want to be abducted and held prisoner just to see what it feels like? Don't laugh. If you have the money and the inclination, you too can experience what it is like to be locked up and imprisoned and even more if you have the money to pay for extras.
Last month, Reuters reported a new thrill-seeking package for adults who really want to test their metal and be kidnapped, bound and gagged and kept in captivity. And this is just the basic package. The concept is one by French company, Ultime Realite.
There are more expensive tailor-made packages that can include an escape and chases, even helicopter ones and after setting up the company in January, founder Georges Cexus started getting at least two requests a day within weeks.
It works like this. Clients sign up and pay a fee, the basic being $US1,226 to be kidnapped, taken to some unknown destination and bound and gagged and kept prisoner for four hours. Of course, the company has the obligatory liability waiver and limits the incarceration period to a maximum eleven hours even for the more sophisticated packages. Clients just don’t know when they will be kidnapped or where they will be taken.
Yesterday's Sun Herald ran an article on the venture and likened it to the 1997 movie, The Game, which starred Michael Douglas as the rich executive and Sean Penn as his younger brother who organizes something very similar to happen to his brother. The difference is that Michael Douglas was unaware that it was just a game and didn’t realize until the end that it was a birthday present from his brother.
This was probably what made the movie quite exciting. The fact that Michael Douglas and the audience did not have any clue that all was a set up made the danger seem real even if it did get a little far fetched at times. The fright of these circumstances would have to be diminished for anyone signing themselves up for the ordeal.
There is another difference too. Organisers of the new abduction package give clients an escape route. At any time, a client can use a password they are issued to end the "torture" if you could call it that.
It brings back memories of that 1973 movie, West World. The movie was based around a holiday theme park for those who could afford the experience. There were three options to choose from: Roman World, Medieval World and West World. It was an experience where people could spend a week in West World, the one chosen, to join in bar room brawls, shoot-outs and anything else a week in the west world could offer.
The whole theme was based on a robot operated amusement area where no-one was really killed but it just felt like it....until everything started to turn real.
The entertainment industry and the travel industry are forever trying to find new ideas and ways to spend our leisure time. Moves can scare us and keep us on the edge of our seats and holidays for many have gone from luxury seaside one to daring thrill-seeking ones.
Not so long ago, Reuters published a list from Lonely Planet’s 1000 Ultimate Experiences book. This included Running with the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain; Swimming with Sharks in South Africa and Edge of Space Flights in Russia.
Time will only tell if the kidnapping "escape package" will get off the ground but even if it does there are bound to be complications.
The kidnapping idea might be a novel one even if it appears to be lifted straight from a Hollywood script and I can imagine there will be a lot of takers. The attraction of thrill seeking, no matter how bizarre shows us one thing at least - that it doesn’t matter how much money we earn, life is just not exciting enough.
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Comment by Journeywoman
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There are people in this world who are uncomfortable staying in their comfort zones (if that makes sense). And because they've already expanded them, they need to do things that seem ridiculous to the more security-seeking members of society, in order to get that rush. And so the staged kidnapping... it was only a matter of time, really.
"The fright of these circumstances would have to be diminished for anyone signing themselves up for the ordeal." - Agreed. It would still be an experience though! I applaud anyone who would give this kind of thing a go.
Interesting post Janet.
Comment by Janet Collins
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It seems we are all not content just watching movies like these anymore. We want to be in them but I have to say if you paid for, and arranged the package yourself, the danger element of the whole episode would be more than a bit crushed.
Thanks again for the comment.
Janet
Comment by Jason King
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I loved the movie the Game - thought it was the best idea!!!
Still think the flight to space would be the ideal adventure holiday.
Comment by Chris Champion
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What do you mean, I'm getting old?
Comment by Janet Collins
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I agree. I think we would all feel justified in doing damage to our captors - that is of course unless we developed that sympton they say where you may fall in love with them
Thank you for dropping in.
Janet
Comment by Janet Collins
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I think you may have to trade the usual holiday comforts for excitement (if that what you could call it). I can't really believe it would be all that exciting though if you had organised it yourself....it would kind of lose a lot of impact.
Thanks for the visit.....and remember you could always come home to a good bed after it all.
Comment by ShaunK
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My closest friend fits the role of one of these 'thrill seekers', he's a Commando in the special forces, and he's always sent on missions and what not, he jumps out of airplanes, the whole thing. When he does something outrageous, he never approaches it from the mentality that he's looking for a thrill, but instead he describes it as pushing himself and testing what he's made of.
Actually, scientific studies show that thrill seeking is a genetic trait and people who do it, are doing it because it's actually a gene that that they were born with.
Comment by Janet Collins
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There is certainly something in the makeup of people who want to "push the edge". I think all of us love a little thrill once in a while but some of us take this much further than the average. Is it genes? Or maybe just bored with the ordinary?
Thanks