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Product: CSI: The Experience
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CSI: The Experience in Orlando, FL is an opportunity for fans of the show to step into the shoes of actual CSIs and is an interactive experience like none other. For around $30, you can participate in the solving of three unique murders, complete with a crime scene for each and a full-blown lab (or a reasonable facsimile, at least). As a huge fan of the show and a lover of forensic science, I found this incredibly appealing, so when I got the chance to check it out for myself, I couldn’t wait.
After you’ve paid your entrance fee, you’ll wait for the team to assemble. People are grouped according to how many are in their party and are assigned crime scenes to solve. You are assigned an Agent ID number and your paperwork will reflect whether you are male or female. At first, I was disappointed that I couldn’t choose which scene to do, but I verified that you are able to do all three scenes one after the other. On your color-coded paper will be a diagram of the crime scene for you to mark up, then a breakdown by lab type so that you can add your notes as you deduce what happened based on the evidence. You’ll first visit the crime scene, of which there are three. The first is a living room where a car has crashed through the wall, killing a victim. The second is an alley behind a motel, complete with detritus on the ground. The third is a desert scene with sand, grasses and footprints. After closely examining the scene and making notes on any evidence you see, you’ll then begin to visit the various labs to make sense of what you’ve “collected.” You don’t actually collect anything, unfortunately, but it is understandable that visitors can’t actually disturb the carefully constructed crime scenes.
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Throughout the various cases, you’ll visit Latent Prints, Impression and Trace Evidence/ Forensic Botany, Blood Pathology, Toxicology/Drug Chemistry, Forensic Biology/DNA, Digital Evidence, Forensic Entomology/DNA, Firearms & Toolmarks and Forensic Anthropology/Dental. Sometimes you’ll be determining the caliber of a bullet, sometimes comparing fingerprints or shoe prints. You might compare fibers or determine the blood alcohol level. You might check a computer to determine the last calls or texts a victim made or even use one to determine the lifespan of a blowfly found on a victim. As you move throughout the different labs, there are posters and such on the walls that describe the various types of forensic sciences, as well as video playing with all of your favorite CSI cast members as they impart interesting forensic info. It’s all great fun for fans of the show. Once you have compiled all of your data, you will watch a video with Medical Examiner Dr. Al Robbins (Robert David Hall) who will present his findings to you. Then, you’ll present your case to Grissom by logging into a computer and answering questions. If you answer the questions correctly, Grissom will praise you and you’ll be awarded a certificate which you can email to your home or print at the show for a small fee.
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All of this sounds great and the concept is fantastic, truly. The downside comes in the details. Walking through the labs and the crime scenes, it is clear that they really tried to emulate what you see on the show. They tried to get it right. That is why I was so disturbed at the little details that were wrong. Now yes, I am a true CSI nerd and I was a little bummed that there wasn’t one pig fetus on display in Grissom’s “office,” but I can certainly excuse that. The problems come when you are looking at a crime scene and making notes of all of the little trace evidence you find, but then when you get to the lab, that trace evidence is completely different than what was at the scene. For instance, in the desert scene, two different plant seed types are mentioned and shown on the computer, but what is actually scattered around the scene looks more like uncooked brown rice and really doesn’t resemble the seeds shown on the computer as “collected evidence” at all. What’s worse, in a different crime scene, a pair of moccasins were found. You know the kind, tan in color, suede with shoelaces, almost slippers. When you visit the Impression lab to compare shoe prints, the shoes on display are men’s leather loafers, completely different from what is seen in the crime scene. These shoes are actually more expensive than the cheap moccasins, so why do this? In the third crime scene, you’ll find adult blowflies conspicuously on the victim, but when you are checking the collected evidence at the computer, you “determine” based on the lifespan on the blowfly larvae that the victim has been dead for a certain number of days. The larvae is clearly not mature, unlike the crime scene. Lastly, in the scenes with Doc Robbins, they have subtitles for the hearing impaired, which is great except for a few pivotal typos. When referring to tire tread, “thread” was used and when referring to a gauge, “gauche” was used. I know this isn’t a big thing, but if someone can’t hear the video, they could be confused.
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All of that being said, CSI: The Experience is the only interactive exhibit of its kind for fans of the show. I will say that your particular experience could vary depending on which employee you are paired with when you visit. When I first arrived, I went to Star Trek: The Experience, which is housed in the same building and while I was waiting to enter, I observed that the young man assisting the CSI group who had just arrived was very excited about the show and engaged them in conversation. He took their picture, which I assume is an available purchase just like you see at many theme parks and exhibits like this. The young woman who was our guide never took our picture and merely handed us the sheets and we never saw her again. So your experience may vary. CSI: The Experience is awesome for what it is, but if these little inconsistencies weren’t here, it would have been even better. Who knows, maybe these small problems can be fixed so future visitors to the exhibit can get an optimal experience.
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-Psibabe, GameVortex Communications AKA Ashley Perkins |
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