A few posts ago, I wrote about how Escape Rooms on Demand got started. A friend and I made one for our daughters and their friends, and then at a planning meeting for Cub Scout Day Camp, it came up that I had done one. So, an idea here, a code there and I was on my way. But not really. I’m riffing off (riffing, not ripping!) an idea that others had made work one way, and here I am, trying a completely different method.
Traditionally, escape rooms started on line as video games in about 2004 (so as traditional as 16 years goes back) and then moved to real life. In 2017 and 2018, over 2200 rooms were run by 800 companies in Paris, which is as many as the U.S. had in total in 2018.
Being “locked” in a room with only your wits to escape has brought all kinds of people together, from families to groups of friends to coworkers using it as a team building exercise. The entire experience lasts about 75 minutes, including check in and either pictures with the clock, or the hangdog look of the group that couldn’t solve the codes.
As I set up ERoD, I had to think about what makes me different. I started by bringing my codes and puzzles to the location – first a youth activity, then Cub Scouts, then larger groups. With the larger groups, the best way to rotate through, giving each group the opportunity to solve the puzzles. With Cub Scouts, I only had about forty-five minutes, and they were working on badges, so I split the groups in two, and for half the time, they wrote codes to their friends using decoders and the other half, they solved the puzzles.
I realized that this is the just one difference that I offer. While other escape rooms are static location-wise, and change the rooms once a year, I offer to come to the location. This means that the party doesn’t end when I leave and take all my supplies; I’m just one part of the activity. This also means that, unlike traditional location based escape rooms, I am ADA accessible, because the host has planned around any guests who may not be able to be in small places.
I love traditional escape rooms, and based on the rising numbers both in the US and in Europe, there is all room for all.
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Escape Rooms on Demand 