What
is an escape room? An escape room is a
series of challenges or puzzles in the form of a game. All players are locked
in a room, and the goal is obviously to escape. There will be a key or some
method of escape hidden somewhere in the room.
It may be locked in a safe or hidden in a clever spot such as behind a
painting. There’s likely to be a clue or riddle of some kind to help players
find any hidden keys. This could be a combination or a book title with a hole
cut into the pages to hide an object.
An escape room doesn’t have to be limited to
just one room. The players may make their way through a building such as in a
haunted house. Figuring out the various challenges in order to escape can
require thinking outside the box a bit, but solving them can be fun and rewarding.
Escape rooms also have a time limit for how long players have to make it out of
however many rooms there are. Players may be given five minutes to make it from
one room to the next, or fifteen to twenty minutes to make their way through
all of the rooms.
All escape rooms are different, so players never know what kind of challenges they’ll be solving. Clues or even the way to escape can be cleverly and creatively hidden, so players should thoroughly search the room. Even just looking under a rug or searching a drawer for a hidden nook or cranny may reveal a hint. No spot in any room should be seen as too silly to search.
Typically, escape room players are grouped into
teams. These teams are likely to consist of family members or friends who
arrived at the escape room together. They may also consist of separate groups
of strangers working together. Communication is definitely important among all
team members when a clue is found and being deciphered.
One team member may be struggling to figure out what the clue is referring to
while another team member may figure it out within seconds. There is no shame
in throwing out guesses. Any guesses, whether clever or seemingly silly, can
lead to figuring out the solution.
An escape room can be a fun activity for a
family or a group of friends who have nothing planned for the weekend. An
escape room is also a great team-building or bonding activity. If there’s a
birthday to celebrate or a friendly get together (goodbye or welcome home
party), an escape room can be a fun and memorable activity.
For the group that finishes first and comes out as the winner, there will be a
reward of some kind to commemorate their teamwork and speedy puzzle-solving
skills. Even if a group doesn’t win, being a player in an escape room can be
fun. Participating in an escape room is good for keeping the mind sharp and
improving puzzle-solving skills.
Anyone who has participated in or is familiar
with how escape rooms work may be inspired to host their own escape room.
Instead of going out to an actual escape room for a birthday or get together,
there can be an escape room type challenge at the gathering itself.
The host of this gathering can have fun
creating their own version and watching the guests work to solve it. This can
be an alternative if an escape room isn’t around to check out.