...that won’t help you in 99.9% of escape rooms around the world.
You might be thinking, what could POSSIBLY feature in a blog on escape room tips and tricks that WON’T help you in 99.9% of escape rooms around the world?
Gif courtesy giphy.
Well, think about it like this…
Imagine you’re back in college, there’s an exam next day, and you’re frantic.
An exam trick that will help you in such a situation is to put your books away for a while, and go for a short walk. It may calm your nerves and help you focus.
On the other hand, an exam trick that WON’T help is to take up your room mate’s offer to sell you an exam performance enhancing drug.
Sounds like a great idea, BUT...
...you have no idea what they’re giving you or how you’ll react to it.
And that’s a huge risk to take before sitting for an exam.
Just like that, these escape room ‘tips and tricks’ - which have actually been used by some players at one escape room or another - sound like great ideas, but they are NOT.
Picking locks
Image courtesy Georg Bommeli on Unsplash.
When you’re struggling to open a lock, or against time...or just feeling a swag...picking a lock to open it and proceed might seem a good idea.
But, trust me when I say this:
99.9% of escape rooms don’t want to test your lock picking skills.
It might get you past the physical barrier, BUT…
You might be disqualified for doing it.
You might damage the lock and be held liable for the cost of replacing it.
You might miss out on a clue that would have been revealed had you opened the lock the right way.
Of course, there might be that odd escape room that’s really a recruiting front for the CIA to pick its next Bryan Mills, in which case they WOULD want to test your “particular set of skills”...
Going overboard with the numbers
Gif courtesy giphy.
Being asked to do a few additions in your head, arrange numbers in a particular order, are typical escape room tasks.
You could MAYBE be asked to do simple numbers-based puzzles.
But, if you’re going overboard with the numbers, applying complex equations, and trying to remember long number series, ten to one you’re doing it wrong.
An escape room will NEVER require more than average or general expertise in any skill.
If it doesn’t work, try, try, and try again!
Gif courtesy giphy.
While that might have led Robert of Scotland to victory over the English, it might not be the best strategy in an escape room.
If there’s a puzzle or a task that you’re trying - and failing - to crack repeatedly, it might be because you don’t have all the information you need to do it.
Or because it requires a skill set that someone else on the team has.
So, if you can’t do it, leave it alone for the time being.
Mark it in your mind as not done, and proceed.
Using your own screwdriver to unscrew sockets
Image courtesy Tekton on Unsplash.
If any tools are required to proceed inside an escape room game, they will be provided to you by the escape room.
For example, if you need to unscrew something, the screwdriver will be provided to you during (or before) the game.
If frustration is driving you to unscrew stuff using the odd screwdriver you might have in your pocket, you’re doing it wrong.
It could also be dangerous...as it might involve live electricity.
Shouting at each other
Image courtesy Tumisu from Pixabay.
One of the key points inside an escape room is communication within the team.
Different people may be working at different puzzles, at different places in the room.
And that is why it’s essential for escape room players to communicate among themselves, so everyone has an idea of what’s going on.
Some well-designed puzzles will require multiple players to coordinate, which involves effective communication.
HOWEVER…
...sometimes, under extreme pressure, communication spirals into shouting at each other.
Take it from me, someone who’s both played escape rooms around the world AND runs an escape room themselves
Shouting doesn’t work.
Avoid it.
Do you have any other escape room tips and tricks that won’t help people in an escape room game?
Tweet them out, with the hashtags #dontdoit #fiabchicago.
Banner image courtesy krakenimages on Unsplash.
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