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You went into work this morning and discovered an email stating that you and your co-workers would be going to participate in escape rooms in Raleigh. You are filled with a combined sense of apprehension and curiosity. You wonder how small these rooms are, how long you will be confined to the rooms and how many people will be in one room at one time. You also wonder what kind of challenges you will be presented within an escape room.
What an Escape Room Looks Like
When you first walk into an escape room, a staff member will give you some basic rules and let you know that the object of the game is to find a key that will lead you and your teammates to freedom. Your host may give you a few hidden clues when they brief you, so pay careful attention. The game will generally have a theme such as breaking out of prison or international espionage and the room will be decorated accordingly. The space will contain what appears to be many unrelated objects, such as clocks, books paintings and sculptures. You may also be given a written list of clues that will hint at where you should look first. You and your group will have a set amount of time (usually an hour) to free yourselves or lose the game. Check out Escape Ops for more escape room challenges.
Tips for Getting Out of an Escape Room
When you first get into the room, split up and look for clues around the room. A good place to look is under tables, behind clocks and in books. You should never have to disassemble anything like a light socket or a lamp in a well-designed room. The initial clues should be fairly easy to find, as your time is limited. Remember to keep the theme of the room in mind when looking for clues. Remember that the clues work together and no one clue will get you out of the room, so collect all of your clues first. Always tell your co-workers about every clue you find. Always leave your keys in any door you have already opened so you don’t get them mixed up.
You want to divide yourselves according to your strengths and weaknesses. If someone is especially good at planning things, you may want to have them organize the clues as you find them. If someone has a particularly good memory, they might be good at figuring out clues involving trivia. Solving a mystery is just like solving a problem at work, so assign a project manager to oversee everything. Team members should tell the project manager everything they find.
What are the Rules of Escape Rooms?
Bring yourself and your A game, but not your Smartphone. Most escape rooms do not allow them. Never try to force anything to open when you are in the room. If a key doesn’t open something it is not stuck, you just have not found the proper way to escape the room.
Escape rooms are growing in popularity and fun for families and parties, but they are most often used for team building. When you work together on escaping a room, you will learn about your co-worker’s strengths and weaknesses and use that knowledge to build a stronger more efficient team.
