Concept in Definition ABC

In the world of leisure and entertainment New proposals appear constantly. The Escape Room, which literally means "escape room", emerged in 2006 in California, specifically in Silicon Valey.

From the virtual to the real world

This game was originally conceived for virtual reality, as it was a video game inspired by Agatha Cristhie's crime novels. However, in a short time it was adapted to the real world and today the Escape Room is a very widespread form of entertainment throughout the world, especially among the youngest.

There are currently team competitions in most major cities.

Game mechanics

A group of players are locked in a room and the objective of the game is to solve an enigma within an hour. The tests to be passed are initially exposed by the organizers and can be of all kinds: games, riddles, puzzles, finding hidden objects, etc. In any case, it is a question of using the ingenuity of the participants to find the solution to a mystery.

To make the game more attractive, it is usual to frame it in a certain context. In this sense, there are medieval settings,

Science fiction, mystery, futuristic, adventure, etc.

During the 60-minute duration, the players are being observed by the organizers through a monitor. Thus, if there is some kind of problem or the players want to stop take part, they can contact the organizers and end their activity.

The keys to success

The Escape Room is an activity that attracts attention for several reasons:

1) participants have to cooperate and work in team to overcome the challenge,

2) the game has an obvious mysterious and enigmatic component and

3) the intelligence it is the determining factor to be able to solve the enigma.

The success of this new form of leisure is based on the following ingredients: a good atmosphere, a challenge that is difficult to solve and the interaction of the participants. It could be said that the Escape Room has some novel mystery and puzzle game set in a suggestive context, but being a team activity it is an ideal playful proposal to share time with friends.

Photo: Fotolia - kolotype

Themes in Escape Room