Editorials

The Advent of VR (No Escape)

June 10, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

Originally conceived as video games, escape rooms only came into mainstream awareness when designers started making real-life versions.  Now the activity is coming full circle, with advances in virtual reality opening the door to new types of video games that work to combine the best of what both real world and video games do best.  It’s a really interesting space to explore, and the people at No Escape in Buffalo Grove & Aurora IL are at the forefront of testing these new digital frontiers. I visited both locations and tried multiple experiences with their different VR rigs, and I was […]

Game Masters Make a Huge Difference

May 30, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

Here’s a potentially controversial statement – an average escape room with a great game master provides a better experience than a remarkable escape room with an average game master.  Christina posed this to me as a hypothesis, and thinking back to the most memorably bad experiences I’ve had, I have to agree. The top four or five experiences that came to mind all had issues with the game master.

Just Like Artwork

April 22, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted anything related to my opinions on escape room design. This weekend I had an interesting juxtaposition of experiences which helps to explain why I don’t like making blanket statements about the quality of rooms or choosing favorites.

Why 60 Minutes?

February 17, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

Something like 99% of the escape rooms I’ve visited have used the standard one hour limit.  It’s a nice round number, but does it really make the most sense?  Some venues push the limits by offering 90 minute experiences, while others pull back and try to contain everything within 45.  What difference does it really make?