RollerCoaster Tycoon turns 25 this year. The Guardian featured a pretty nice retrospective. There's an interview with Chris Sawyer, but more interesting (to me at least) was to hear from real life rollercoaster designers who started their careers after playing the game:

“I learned so much about how rollercoaster systems work with their block zones, or even the little tricks of the trade at theme parks like adding side queues and strategically placed toilets,” he continues, confirming my suspicion that the Jumanji-themed jungle world he helped to design for Chessington has what he calls “subconscious similarities” to the classic PC game’s Jolly Jungle scenario. “If I have to travel to a theme park abroad for work, I still load up the original game on the plane and sketch out ideas. I never really stopped playing.”

[RollerCoaster Tycoon at 25: ‘It’s mind-blowing how it inspired me’](https://www.theguardian.com/games/2024/mar/22/rollercoaster-tycoon-at-25-its-mind-blowing-how-it-inspired-me)