Did you look under the floorboard? Maybe these numbers mean something. Can you give me a hand with this flashlight?
These are all things you're likely
to hear while in an escape room. Escape rooms require you to solve
puzzles to escape a room in a given time frame. They require critical
thinking and teamwork.
If you unlock the door before the
timer runs out, congratulations! You've escaped. You'll get to brag about your
skill with signs and t-shirts announcing your success.
Whether you're planning a corporate
event or a birthday party, escape rooms are a great choice for your next event.
The real-life adventure experience is a great choice because of its
versatility. Keep reading to hear our top 10 reasons to book an escape room for
your next event!
1. Encourage
Team Building
Escape rooms present a unique
opportunity for team building. Nothing brings people close like locking them in
a room together!
Each escape room will present its
own individual set of puzzles and challenges. Most require participants to work
together to achieve success. The anticipation and ominous countdown timer will
propel team members into action.
Every escape room has a different
goal, but most of the time, there are high stakes. Whether you're diffusing a
bomb or participating in a heist, you and your team members will need to work
together to achieve your goal.
Within the room, you'll find
multiple puzzles and clues. Team members should divide and conquer to solve the
puzzles as quickly as possible.
As the game progresses, some team
members may become frustrated or discouraged by a failure or inability to solve
a puzzle. This presents a fantastic opportunity for other team members to come
alongside them and encourage them.
The great thing about escape rooms
is that there's a role for everyone. If a team member struggles with math, they
can work on word puzzles instead. If a team member doesn't like finding clues,
you can assign them a job as "timekeeper" and have them warn you when
a specific amount of time has passed.
2.
Increase Communication
In order to escape in time, it's
important that you and your team communicate. You'll need to make sure you're
all on the same page so no one repeats tasks or misses a clue.
An escape room is a great
alternative to other events like bowling nights or museum tours. In an escape
room, you don't have the option to sit quietly on the sidelines. Participants
will be forced to engage and talk to others in order to escape!
Communication is important not only in the business world but also in your everyday
life. It can help you develop close relationships, be a leader, and bring
cohesion to your team.
Despite the necessity for
communication in everyday life, many people struggle with communicating. Since
the COVID-19 pandemic began, many people have begun to find communicating more
difficult. One study revealed that since the onset of the pandemic, 33% of people
say that communication has become more of a challenge.
A real-life adventure game removes
some of the anxiety people feel around communication because they focus on the
problem at hand. You'll need to come to mutual agreements about the order in
which you solve puzzles, your requests for clues, and the combinations you want
to try.
3.
Motivate Leaders
There's a lot to accomplish in an
escape room, and it can become overwhelming to try and figure out who is going
to do what. For this reason, one person often becomes the designated
"leader" of the group.
When you first enter an escape room,
the game master will explain the storyline and wish you luck. At that point,
they'll close the door and "lock" you in! Game masters will not tell
you where to begin or what to do.
Eventually, someone will need to
decide where to begin. They'll likely be the one to start pulling on things or
feeling their way around the room. They'll call out to other people to ask for
help.
Although you may not enter the
escape room with a pre-selected leader, the natural leaders in your group will
surely rise to the challenge.
4. Choose
From a Variety of Themes
One of the cool things about escape
rooms is that they're all different. No two escape rooms will be exactly the
same!
Each escape room is designed by a
team of game masters. They come up with a general theme and then dive into the
narrative, creating an interactive experience for you to enjoy.
There are hundreds of escape room
themes to choose from, but here are some of our favorites:
- Sherlock Holmes
- Bank Heist
- Murder Mystery
- Bomb Diffusion
- Alice in Wonderland
- Zombie Apocolypse
- Lost in Time
- Prison Break
- Rescue Mission
- Where in the World?
Each of these rooms is designed
around the theme. The props, puzzles, and storyline will match the theme,
leading to a world within the game!
At the Great Escape Room Minneapolis,
you can experience a truly original escape room theme - Escape Artist: The
Seance. This escape room is themed around the famed magician Harry Houdini. You
and your team will travel back to 1920 to help his wife reconnect with her
husband in the afterlife.
When choosing a theme, make sure you
pick one that your whole group will enjoy! If you have kids, you'll want to
ensure your escape room is family-friendly. If you're hosting a work event,
it's important to find a room that's work appropriate.
To make event planning easier, use
your escape room theme to plan events after you escape. Perhaps after your
Sherlock Holmes mystery, you have tea and black licorice pipes!
5.
Create Lasting Memories
Escape rooms prove to be a memorable
experience for all involved. If you go into the room with a positive attitude,
you can ensure that your group members enjoy the experience.
Most escape rooms don't allow you to
take photos inside of the rooms, as you could use them to "cheat" and
help future participants. However, you'll often find a photo booth set up
outside of the room with fun props and signs. Use the opportunity to take fun
photos for everyone to remember the event by!
You may also wish to take mental
notes about some key moments from your escape room experience. At a future
point in time, bring up the memory to build your relationships and spark
positive conversations! Bonus points if your key moment involves someone doing
something well.
6. Improve Time
and Task Management
Once you're locked in an escape
room, you only have a limited amount of time to escape. You'll need to delegate
tasks evenly between your team and keep an eye on the time.
In addition to watching the time,
you'll need to be decisive about how much time you dedicate to each task. If a
puzzle is taking you an extraordinary amount of time, it may be a good idea to
take a break and return to the puzzle at a later time. A fresh set of eyes may
reveal something you missed before!
It's important to develop your time
and task management skills within the escape room, but these skills will
also carry over to everyday life.
In the workplace, time management is crucial to business productivity. The quicker you're able to get
things done, the more efficient your business will be.
Similarly, task management is vital
to success in the business world. You'll need to be able to delegate tasks and
manage the tasks you do have.
At home, families can
apply time and task management skills to things like homework, chores, and
screen time. An escape room is a great way to teach your kids how to manage
their time. In addition, they'll learn how to divide tasks in order to reach
their goals more quickly!
7.
Promote Creativity
When you enter your escape room,
you'll find yourself in a different world. Whether you're entering Wonderland
or the 1920s, you'll no longer be living your day-to-day life. You'll take on a
whole new persona and have to suspend disbelief to engage with the world inside
of the escape room.
This experience is sure to promote
creativity and encourage your group to look at things from multiple
perspectives. Some escape rooms even have costumes for you, making the
experience all the more immersive!
You'll also be required to use
creative thinking to solve puzzles. Don't be afraid to think outside the box
and try to solve puzzles in nontypical ways! The fun part about
escape rooms is that they're made to be obscure and different.
When you're completely immersed in
an alternate reality, your brain will be forced to look at things from a
different perspective. After you (hopefully) escape, you may feel inspired to
write a story, paint a picture, or create something!
8.
Challenge Yourself
Humans have an innate desire to be challenged. A healthy amount of challenges will lead to pleasure and
satisfaction. Challenges can also improve personal growth.
An escape room is a great way to
challenge yourself and see what you can achieve! You'll feel a sense of
accomplishment when you complete a task, and your teammates will be proud of
you.
Inside an escape room, you'll be
faced with a variety of challenges, including numerical, logical, and
analytical puzzles. Many escape rooms also include visual and language-based
challenges.
Although the goal of the room is to
escape, you'll likely feel accomplished as you complete individual challenges
within the room. Everyone has different strengths, but don't shy away from
attempting a puzzle that you're unsure about! You may be surprised to learn
that you have talents you were unaware of.
9.
Improve Brain Health
Escape rooms are all about puzzles
and problem-solving. For decades, psychologists have associated puzzles with
improved memory and overall brain health. An escape room is a great choice if
you want an event with added health benefits!
So how exactly do escape rooms improve your memory capacity? Studies show that working on a puzzle reinforces
connections between brain cells. These connections are associated with improved
short-term memory.
While working on escape room
puzzles, you'll likely have to try a few different approaches before you
solve them. You'll use trial and error to find the correct code or solution.
Your attempts will lead to improved problem-solving skills and critical
thinking.
Solving puzzles also leads to the release of dopamine in your brain, leading to feelings of euphoria and
relaxation. The increased dopamine in your system will lead to lower stress
levels and happiness.
10.
Have Fun
We saved the best reason for last:
escape rooms allow you to have fun! From working with your team to appreciating
the design that goes into the rooms, you're sure to enjoy your experience.
Escape rooms provide an opportunity
to unplug from your technology and outside responsibilities. For the hour
you're locked inside, escaping will be your only focus.
While you're not really
locked inside a room, you may still feel a rush of adrenaline as you try to
escape. This adrenaline rush will lead to an enhanced experience for you and
your group.
You'll find that you and your team
get into a rhythm once inside the room, and everyone will have their own
specialty. Stay present and enjoy the experience!
Book
Escape Rooms for Your Next Event
With over 2,500 escape rooms in the United States, you'll have no problem finding one
for your next event. Make bonding a priority with this unique experience. Your
event is sure to be a success, and you'll definitely have a lot of fun!
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One more thing: Good luck escaping before time runs out!
