What is an Escape Room?

Over the past few years, escape rooms have become more popular. And there’s a good reason for this. An escape room is fun for everyone involved and can bring you and the other participants closer together. If you’re interested in trying an escape room or you just want to know why it’s so popular, continue reading and delve into the world of escape rooms.

The History of Escape Rooms

Although escape rooms have only been popular for a few years, they’ve been around for much longer. The concept comes from first-person adventure games like Myst and Crimson Room. Players needed to click on objects to find ways out of tricky situations. In order to escape or win the game, the players completed puzzles and other mentally challenging activities.

Eventually, those adventure games became known as room escape games. But escape rooms remained in video and computer games until 2007. That year, a Japanese company created the first known escape room. When playing the game, individuals were gathered in a room. They needed to solve puzzles and riddles to get out of the room. If they didn’t escape in a set period of time, they lost and the fame was over.

The first room led to many other escape rooms. In fact, it didn’t take long for the trend to become popular throughout Japan. Soon, there were escape rooms scattered around all of Asia. Eventually, Hungary was the first European country to have an escape room. The rest of Europe soon followed suit.

Escape Rooms in the United States

It wasn’t until 2012 that escape rooms were brought to the United States. But the trend quickly made its way throughout the country. By 2014, there were 22 escape companies in the United States. Currently, there are about 2,300 facilities in the country.

Not every escape room is created equal. At first, some escape rooms were quite meager. They were simple rooms with easy puzzles and only a few props. However, as their popularity grew, they became more complex and exciting. Today, you can find places like Amaze Room Escapes that strive to provide an immersive escape the room game experience. Red Bull has taken things even further and created a World Championship event for escape game lovers.

 Escape Room Fundamentals

Are you wondering what is an escape room game? If so, you can stop wondering and start learning. The game takes place in a themed room. You must try to escape the area by finding clues scattered around the room. Additionally, you must solve puzzles.

Escape rooms are meant to be done as a team. Together, you and your team will look around the room for clues and find a way out of the space. But the clock is ticking, and you only have a certain amount of time to escape.

If you want to win the game, you and the other team members need to be creative, patient, and efficient. Unlike so many other experiences in today’s technologically-focused world, this experience is shared. Whether or not you win the game, you and your team will bond and create memories that last forever.

So, what is an escape room? It’s a way for you to have fun, be social, and challenge yourself. If escape rooms sound appealing to you, then you should try one out for yourself.

The Rules of the Game

Before you enter an escape room, you should know more about the rules of the game. The Gamemaster will review general rules with your team and answer any questions you may have before your game begins. Usually, you are not allowed to use cell phones. You can only rely on your team’s intelligence to escape. That is the beauty of an escape room experience! True immersion into the puzzle and your team too.

How Long is an Escape Room Experience

At Amaze Room Escapes, you are given 60 minutes to complete the room escape game. However, the whole event takes about 90 minutes. Before the game begins, you are given a 15-minute introduction. After the game, you get 15 minutes to debrief and take photos.

It’s important to know that there’s no way to say for sure how long do escape rooms take. While your game can take no longer than 60 minutes, you could solve the room in a shorter time period. The better you and your team work together, the sooner you will escape.

FAQ for Players

When it comes to trying something new, people usually have some fears. This FAQ for players should put all of your fears at rest

Are You Locked in the Room?

If you need to leave the game at any point, you can. However, you may not be allowed to re-enter. Whether or not you escape the room at 60 minutes, you will be allowed out. No one is stuck or locked in indefinitely.

Is the Experience Scary?

There are some escape rooms with scary themes. But most of the rooms are not scary. They might have a dismal storyline, but you don’t need to worry about horror or people jumping out at you. It’s not a haunted house; it’s a game intended to test your observation power and puzzle-solving skills.

Do Kids Enjoy the Activity?

This is an extremely family-friendly activity. In fact, the experience often makes family members closer. If you bring your children, they are likely to have fun. Before bringing your kids, check with the facility’s specific rules regarding children. Some rooms require a set number of adults per child or have a minimum age for participating.

How Should You Dress?

You don’t need to worry too much about your clothing or footwear for this activity. That said, you may want to dress comfortably. The more comfortable you are, the easier it will be to look for clues.

Tips for Escaping the Room

There’s no shame in failing to escape. If you are unsuccessful, you still have your memories. But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to best to get out. By following these tips, you may improve your chances at winning the game.

1. Keep Your Clues in One Place

If the clues are scattered throughout the room, you will lose track of them. You never know when you’ll need a clue, so you should keep them all accessible and in one central location. When you begin the game, find one spot to store your clues. Everyone should place their clues there.

Once you use a clue, keep it in another central location. As you go through clues, place them all in the same designated area. This prevents people from trying to solve or use clues that have already been used.

2. Use the Buddy System

To get out of the room more efficiently, use the buddy system. As the game initiates, have every participant team up with one other person. Sometimes, having two sets of eyes is better than one. Follow each other around and double-check everything. If your partner looks in one drawer, you should look in that same drawer. This ensures that nothing gets missed.

3. Be Vocal

All team activities require full participation from team members, and an escape room team is no exception. Even if you might be shy or quiet, you need to speak up. When you have an opinion on something, tell others your opinion. If no one listens, be forceful and explain why you think your way is the right way.

When too many people in a room remain silent, the team has no chance of success. You need to work together and be vocal to get out of the escape room.

4. Use the Props

The room will be full of props, and they may not be just for the visual effect. Most of the props in the escape room will have some function unless they are clearly marked as not part of the game. But be aware that some of the props might be red herrings and have no purpose or use.

5. Limit Puzzles to a Time

Most people are stubborn and want to stay on one puzzle until they complete it. However, if an individual doesn’t solve a puzzle in about five minutes, they probably won’t solve it at all. Limit every player to only spending a few minutes on each puzzle. Once the time expires, let someone else try it. Better yet, ask someone in the group to help as this promotes teamwork and collaboration.

7. Ask for Clues

If you’re truly stuck, ask for a clue. Before you ask, be certain that no one on the team has any ideas or suggestions. If everyone agrees that the only way forward is to ask for a clue, request one.

How to Try an Escape Room

Now that you know what is an escape room, you might be ready to try one out for yourself. After all, it’s the best way to find out about escape rooms.

First, you need to book a reservation. Most escape rooms require you to reserve your spot, including Amaze Room Escapes. Then, you need to gather your team together. Some people use the room escape game as a birthday party, family reunion, or employee team-building activity. If you don’t have a team, you can be assigned random team members. They might start as strangers, but they’ll quickly become friends.

If you’re ready to make your reservation, book online at our website Amazeroomescapes.com or call us at Amaze Room Escapes 984-200-3402. Stop asking yourself, “So an escape room, what is it?” and start experiencing it yourself. We have three escape rooms from which you can choose. Contact us now to learn more.