What Is An Escape Room? – A Game Master’s Guide
Happy New Year, everybody! It’s that time again; Time for resolutions, new outlooks, new plans, and of course new adventures. If you are looking for something new to shake up your everyday routine, perhaps you should join the hundreds of thousands of people who are turning to escape rooms as their number one choice for interactive fun.
If you’ve never played before, you probably have some questions about what an escape room is. If you have played before, then you already know how difficult it is to explain an escape room without giving away any spoilers. Well don’t worry, I’m here to help. In this blog, I will be explaining what an escape room is as well as providing hints to help beginners approach their first escape game.
So… what is an escape room? An escape room is an interactive adventure where you must find clues and solve puzzles to escape a room within a set time limit.
Of course, this is a very broad description of an escape room. As all enthusiasts discover, each escape room is a little different; with different themes, puzzles, requirements, or strategies. For example, here at Cross Roads we currently have two different games with two very different themes. The Fun House is a kooky, zany circus-themed non-linear room, while The Hex Room is an intense horror-themed room where you are separated into individual rooms and must work together to escape. No matter the theme, each escape room is designed around the same ideas: the players are going to need to find clues, connect them (sometimes physically, sometimes not), and use them to solve a series of puzzles.
Why would I choose to play an escape room? An escape room is a way to get out of the house and have fun with your family and friends of all ages.
Instead of being stuck in a movie theatre for a few hours, unable to interact with the rest of your group, escape rooms provide the opportunity to talk, joke, interact, and socialize with your team mates. If you have kids with you, no problem! Some rooms, like Fun House for KIDS, are designed to provide fun for the whole family! If you want to read a more in-depth post on how to choose the best escape room for your family, check our earlier blog post.
And finally, in a special edition of Confessions of a Game Master, our game masters provide some tips on how to optimize your game while playing an escape room. These tips come directly from watching many players struggle in our rooms and make the same mistakes over and over.
I hope this blog has helped you to understand escape rooms a little better. If you’ve been thinking about trying an escape room, want help convincing someone to join you on your next escape room adventure, or are looking for tips on how to improve your games, I hope this has been a good start.
And of course, if you like our Confessions of a Game Master video, you can find them all on our YouTube Page. Have a question for our Game Master? Leave a comment on our blog below or on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube pages and you may see the answer in a future video.
Wishing you all a great and exciting New Year. Have fun escaping!
Geoff Durham
Manager, Game Master
Cross Roads Escape Games
January 26, 2018 @ 6:06 pm
I never knew that escape room games are essentially large puzzles. My spouse and I are huge game fanatics and love trying new and unusual games. Thank you for the information on what escape rooms really are and how fun and unique they can be.
August 8, 2018 @ 6:20 pm
It was fantastic to get some insider knowledge about escape rooms. Tried it once and failed. I’m the person who don’t like losing but it happened 😀 This time I’ll be prepared better! Thanks
April 7, 2020 @ 6:54 pm
It’s awesome to hear that escape room is usually pretty different and there can be many different kinds. My family wants to try an escape room this holiday season so we need to plan it out now. I think it’s a great idea to share some tips with everyone now so that we are prepared when the time to do our own room rolls around.
July 21, 2020 @ 5:07 pm
It stood out to me when you explained that escape rooms have provided interactive fun for hundreds of thousands of people. Now that I think about it, escape rooms would probably have team building benefits for employees due to the cooperative problem-solving nature of the activity. I hadn’t really thought about the benefits of escape rooms before reading your article, so I appreciate you sharing this info!
December 21, 2020 @ 12:31 pm
The master guide about escape rooms in this article is fantastic, and I could not help but love it as it provides me a lot of information about escape rooms, which I have been looking for quite some time.
March 3, 2023 @ 1:33 am
Wow, this looks so much fun! What am I trying to say is that I never thought that escape room games can be such a great way for family members to interact and cooperate. My siblings and I are going to Iowa this weekend where we plan to do something fun together. Maybe this option is what we should consider when we make a reservation later.