How an Escape Game Is Made: In a Nutshell
If you're wondering how to create an escape game, start with a quick look at how an escape game actually comes together.
The build itself is preceded by a lot of brainstorming and searching for the right idea, but also by studying the legislation and applicable safety regulations and other rules. It's definitely not as simple as it may look at first glance.
1. Outline
Choose a room where the whole game will take place. It should be big enough for the whole group to move around freely, without players crowding around any one task. You can also use more than one room.
Come up with an interesting setting based on your game's theme. With futuristic games especially, the possibilities are almost unlimited.
2. Theme
The theme of the game is very important. You need to come up with something that grabs players and holds their attention to the end. Popular themes include those based on the plot of a book or movie.
Don't forget to put a time limit on the game. The limit can't be so long that players get bored, but it has to give them enough time to complete all the tasks. The most reliable way to set it is based on a test run.
3. Plot
A good story has to match the theme of the whole game. Maybe your players need to get out of the room to obtain secret information, save themselves from a bomb blast or escape from prison. The plot should be easy for participants to digest (neither complicated nor too simple). Every part and every task has to be doable.
4. Challenges
Challenges are part of the story, and players discover them gradually. The bigger the group, the more challenges you need and the more of them should run in parallel, so no one is left on the sidelines.
Each one must have a solution. If the task is to unlock a door, you can choose whether players decode messages, open a lock and so on. After that, there should be another clue for completing the task.
5. Playing the Game
Choose props to give your escape room a more authentic feel. Visit decoration and costume stores that fit your theme. Use candles, but for safety go with electric or battery-powered ones. Branches, stones and other props from nature reliably create the feel of a forest or cave.
Every escape game needs music. Pick music that underscores the atmosphere of your chosen theme. For extra authenticity, choose costumes too; they help players get deeper into the story.
Test how the game works and feels. Set everything up in the room, prepare it and play through the whole game exactly as the players will.
Check that all the clues and puzzles make sense and guide players well through the entire story. Time how long your run took, then set the time limit with some margin, because the players don't know the game.
Then explain the rules to your players, introduce them to the story, warn them about some of the pitfalls and come up with a prize they get when they successfully complete their mission.
Experience Is the Key to Success
Successful escape rooms have almost always been created when experienced people built them. People who had played a few games, gained experience and the necessary knowledge, and only then threw themselves into creating their own game. Without experience, it's practically impossible to create an original game that won't be forgotten right away.
It's not enough to find a room, put up some decorations, hide a few keys and call it done. You need to know much more, and above all be willing to keep learning and improving.
Modern Technology Is Essential
Modern technology drives the whole world today and is an integral part of escape games too. Without it, you can't build a quality escape game. It amplifies the player experience and brings the room to life.
Where Escape Games Came From
The roots of escape games go back to video games. The game concept was first created in 2004 by Toshimitsu Takagi from Japan, back then only in virtual space.
It took another three years before the first real escape game opened, with the rules as we know them today. A group of players enters a cramped space full of obstacles, clues and logic puzzles, and their goal is usually to escape within an hour. That's also where the game gets its name.
Where Do Escape Game Themes Come From?
Game creators know that players are most drawn to subjects that capture the public's attention. That's why they most often turn to adventure movies and video games. These give rise to the typical scenarios you'll find in the list below.
A relative of escape games is the French TV show Fort Boyard, which viewers have known since 1990. Unlike a classic escape game, though, only selected players get to take part.
The genre didn't stay only on screen and abroad. Escape games have spread to many Czech cities, such as Prague, Brno, Olomouc and Pilsen. Some venues offer several themes, so you can come back again and again with friends or colleagues. The most popular themes include:
- escaping from a prison cell
- a return to the Middle Ages
- a space station infected with a mysterious virus
- a mad scientist's lab
- escaping through the looking glass into Alice's Wonderland
What Sets Successful Escape Games Apart from the Rest?
Why do you forget one game the moment you leave, while you talk about another with your teammates for months? Creators of successful rooms agree on two basic factors.
The first is their own experience as players. While playing other people's games, the creators ran into inconsistencies and weak spots they wanted to do better, or figured out what the scene was still missing.
The second is technology, and it doesn't matter whether an element is right in the room or hidden behind a wall. The room may well look like an alchemist's workshop from the court of Rudolf II, while plenty of technical operations run behind its walls. Only those turn it into a modern, fun game.
An Escape Game for Your Corporate Team
Building your own room takes a lot of time and testing. If you want to give colleagues the escape game experience without months of preparation, you can go for a ready-made program: for companies we run Escape Box, a mobile escape game that comes to you, and for remote teams, the Remote Escape Game.
FAQ
How do you create an escape game at home for friends or colleagues?
Choose a big enough room, come up with a theme, plot and challenges that always have a solution, and add props and music. Before the game, play through the whole thing exactly the way the players will.
Which themes work best for a DIY escape game?
Most often, subjects from adventure movies, books and video games: escaping from a prison cell, a return to the Middle Ages, an infected space station or a mad scientist's lab.
How long should the time limit be for your own escape game?
The limit can't be so long that players get bored, but it has to give them enough time to complete all the tasks. Test it during a dry run.
Why do people remember some escape games longer than others?
Successful games are usually built by people who have played a lot themselves and know what didn't work elsewhere. The second pillar is modern technology, which amplifies the experience and brings the room to life.
Everything Is Connected to Everything
In creating an escape room, neither modern technology nor experience guarantee absolute success. Behind it stands the right location, game theme, puzzles, design, props, and the care of people who are dedicated to creation.
The result of such effort is then perfect entertainment with escape games that offer everything you can expect from them.
