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The escape-room games industry is booming

economist.com

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Re: The escape-room games industry is booming

#91

Post by jpindar »

jpindar wrote: post #87
b_tterc_p wrote: post #2

I can't read the full article but it the preview seems oddly mixed in whether its talking about how there are fire hazards vs. how they're a successful business model. Either way, I enjoy them. I do, however, think the business model could be a lot more scalable. Content providers should seek to either use the same space for multiple games, or use the same game across multiple scenarios. This would be a great use cas…

I make content for Open Simulator type virtual worlds and I could see this becoming popular there. Definitely in a spaceship, dungeon etc., the possibilities are endless.

Ah, there are some in SL, and I'm told they're popular.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFGZ7UFCYKs

Re: The escape-room games industry is booming

#92

Post by thatoneuser »

influx wrote: post #85
devgutt wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just as a side note, I wonder if this could be a better alternative to job interviews. An opportunity to have fun and interact with possible candidates.

Please don’t. I get that every time a programmer solves a puzzle they then want to turn that into an interview question, but those usually have no correlation to work performance, and having to solve problems in a physical space sure isn’t fair to folks who have disabilities that make that difficult but could still work fine behind a desk.

At first I thought it was a good idea. Not to verify problem solving skills but to maybe get a more dynamic interview of the person working in teams. But yeah, you’re right. This would quickly turn into a dick measuring contest and soon there’s be “cracking the escape room” books dedicated to optimal escape room strategies.

Hey at least escape rooms would be better than coding white boards. Probably more of an actual test of a programmers abilities ;)

Re: The escape-room games industry is booming

#93

Post by danpalmer »

taspeotis wrote: post #20
m_j_g wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> with all the negative safety implications https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/04/europe/teens-die-poland-e... Currently in Poland authorities starting to look into possible regulations to make escape rooms safer

In Australia all the escape rooms I’ve been to have an entrance and an exit, the exit is locked (that’s your escape) but the entrance is not. So in the event of an emergency you can always get out.

In the U.K. all the ones I’ve been to so far have a “game” lock or code or something to “escape”, and a big, non-game safety exit button that ends the timer and gets you out. It’s all electronic/magnetic locks, no physical locks (except for cabinets/subrooms/etc that you open).

Re: The escape-room games industry is booming

#94

Post by gkoberger »

talltimtom wrote: post #67
gkoberger wrote: post #37

I was really fascinated by the industry, so I got into it and eventually built my own as a side project ( http://StartupEscape.com ) It can be a good business if you have a few rooms. There's two types of people who get into it: passionate people, and people who buy designs online for a decent revenue. The latter makes more money, but there's some amazing escape rooms that are Disney-parks-level. Unfortunately, escap…

What are your favorite or most exotic gimicks? Like additional rooms hidden behind mirrors, or blacklight revealed writings on the walls? I’m always curious to find out what new things people are creating, but due to the nature of the game it’s quite hard to find “reviews” of escape rooms and I mostly just talk superficially with others about where they’ve gone and how they liked them.

I think the best are ones that fir the story well. Multiple rooms is always important, because if not you get bored of the main room after an hour and it feels like you're ending on a lull. It's best to have a small room at the end that's all new, so people get a rush.

Some things I've seen that are memorable are the ones that use senses you're not expecting. Ordering jars by smell, for example. Or shooting something with a dart... anything physical like that. I've seen some cool things with projectors, with actors, and more.

Re: The escape-room games industry is booming

#95

Post by marrone12 »

thatoneuser wrote: post #92
influx wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please don’t. I get that every time a programmer solves a puzzle they then want to turn that into an interview question, but those usually have no correlation to work performance, and having to solve problems in a physical space sure isn’t fair to folks who have disabilities that make that difficult but could still work fine behind a desk.

At first I thought it was a good idea. Not to verify problem solving skills but to maybe get a more dynamic interview of the person working in teams. But yeah, you’re right. This would quickly turn into a dick measuring contest and soon there’s be “cracking the escape room” books dedicated to optimal escape room strategies. Hey at least escape rooms would be better than coding white boards. Probably more of an actual…

It's also just nice to do an activity and not worry about work.

Re: The escape-room games industry is booming

#96

Post by ljf »

yakshaving_jgt wrote: post #68
ljf wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Total tangent, but if you enjoy Richard's work - check out The Double which he directed - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Double_(2013_film)

I enjoy Richard’s work, but I found The Double quite boring.

Each to their own. I loved the book and loved the film, though it was silly and dark. But agree it was 'paced' but that was something I enjoyed about it.
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