THE STORY BEHIND THE WORLD'S FIRST ESCAPE ROOM

Since 2010, more than 1,035 escape rooms have been created and the number is growing every year. But how did the idea for the first escape room actually start?

Escape rooms as we know it today is actually an evolution of a Japanese video game from 2004. The game "Crimson Room" was developed by Japanese Toshimitsu Takagi and was the first escape room video game on the market. The game, as we know it from today's escape rooms, was about solving puzzles and clicking around a room to escape the room before time ran out. Three years after the game was released, Japanese company SCRAP Entertainment was inspired to create an analogue concept that later became an escape room. They adopted the idea that players had x number of minutes or hours to escape a room. Puzzle solving, mystery and brain twisting were the developers' keywords. The escape room became so popular that the rest of Asia, Europe and the US were eager to try and develop the new game. In 2010, SCRAP Entertainment opened their first escape room in San Francisco, USA. Just two years later, 367 escape rooms were registered nationwide in the US.

Escape rooms have since evolved tremendously and mystery makers across the globe are constantly working to build even wilder, more innovative and unique escape rooms. Because escape rooms are a unique segment of the market and continue to grow in popularity, a number of marketers have also researched the phenomenon. In 2015, for example, a study was conducted that showed the types of puzzle and clue designs most commonly found in escape rooms:

Physical objects hidden in space: 78%

Team communication: 58%

Using something in an unusual way (out-of-the-box thinking): 47%

Searching for objects in images: 43%

Mounting a physical object (such as a puzzle): 40%

Algebra and other maths: 39%

Pattern identification (such as visualising a shape in a set of dots): 38%

Mirrors: 26%

Strategic thinking (like chess): 20%

Whether you're more interested in the more video game-like escape rooms or those where your maths knowledge comes into play, we're sure to have the right escape room for you. Contact us today to find out more.