It sounds almost too good to be true, but you can actually use TV series for something useful - to help you in the escape room world. We've gathered three series that can help you beat an escape room. Doesn't that sound like another good excuse to binge-watch another series?

Criminal Minds

The hit US series follows the FBI's elite Behavioural Analysis Unie (BAU) group of profilers who analyse the country's most dangerous suspects in the hope of predicting their next move. The team analyses everything from potential childhood trauma to recent diagnoses, all of which helps them one step closer to understanding the killer and his motive. By building a profile of who the killer is and what he wants, they also get closer to the clues the perpetrator may have left behind. Think like the suspect is the main way the team uncovers the most clues.
If you're trying to escape the basement of a psychopathic serial killer as in our The Killing Room, you can utilise the same elements that the BAU team uses. Despite the fact that you may not have the time and resources to analyse childhood trauma, you can still make use of many of the Criminal Minds group's techniques. The better you are at familiarising yourself with the escape room's protagonist, the easier it is to find potential clues and clues in the room itself. Think like the killer - where would he hide the key to the lock?

A Series of Unfortunate Events

The series, titled "An Accident Rarely Comes Alone", follows three Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus and Sunny, who have been orphaned by the death of their parents during the destruction of their home. As the children are bounced between different foster homes, they are pursued by Count Olaf, who wants to gain control of the vast Baudelaire legacy before the children come of age. But to get the inheritance, Count Olaf must first get rid of the three siblings. Throughout the series, their lives are put to the test again and again, where only their creativity can save them - as it does time and time again. The three siblings are an invincible team that we wouldn't want to compete in an escape room with, but whose working methods we can learn from. Violet has the expression: "there is always something" when it comes to escaping unfortunate or potentially deadly situations. She always manages to find materials that can be used to escape, no matter the circumstances. This can be applied to escape rooms with good reason. Because there is ALWAYS something. Have you looked over in the corner? Is there actually something between the cushions on that sofa? Or maybe the answer is hanging right above you on the ceiling? Follow Violet's lead and keep this saying in mind - you'll definitely have more success finding clues and keys in an escape room.

FRIENDS

We know what you're thinking, but yes, FRIENDS can actually help you win an escape room! Despite the fact that the show has no criminal undertones whatsoever (apart from the episode where Phoebe dates a cop), there's still a lot you can take from it that will benefit you in an escape room. One of the most popular shows of our time, it follows six friends Joey, Ross, Chandler, Rachel, Phoebe and Monica through their ups and downs in New York City. The elements worth noting when it comes to escape room techniques is that despite their differences, the six friends always stick together. One is a palaeontologist while another works in fashion, but that doesn't stop them from having fun and working together in the face of adversity. When you're in an escape room as a group, group dynamics are put to the test. Not only do you have to be patient with each other, but you should also capitalise on the fact that you all come with different mindsets, approaches and techniques. This is not only your chance to prove that you are sharp enough to work together and escape the escape room, but it's also your chance to show that you are at least as united as the FRIENDS team - even under pressure.

Have you already seen all three series? Then why don't you book your escape room today and see if the theories hold true.

People are different and this is especially evident in an escape room. When groups of people come together with a common goal, they tend to take on four different roles. Read on to find out which role you are.

1. Leather

The leader is the player who, seconds after entering the escape room, takes responsibility for winning the game. The leader will usually distribute the workloads and roles, as well as develop a strategy for how to best and most efficiently explore the entire room. In other words, the leader is the glue that holds all the players together. When and if you manage to win the game before time runs out, the leader is also the one who will be most proud, as they feel their leadership skills are partly to thank for the victory.
Are you a leader? The characteristics of them are:

• You are good at creating an overview
• You stay calm in stressful situations
• You have a clear mission and stay focused on achieving it
• You make sure everyone feels included

2. The adventurous one

The adventurous one is the player who brings the most energy to your team and maintains team spirit. They are happy to tackle the room with their teammates and are always looking for surprises in the escape room. They may be the first to notice that there is a hidden room behind the bookcase, or they may volunteer to crawl through the uncovered air duct. They make sure their team supports each other and utilises each person's strengths.
Are you the adventurous one? Characteristics of them are:

• You're always ready for new experiences
• You are brave and enjoy challenges
• You take headwinds with a smile
• You see the glass as half full

3. The wire collector

Clue collectors are observant and curious. They are good at spotting things that look remarkable and identifying important parts of the escape room. Clue collectors are the first player to dismantle the escape room to search through all drawers, folders and under carpets. They pick up all the clues and are convinced that they will all be needed later in the game. In addition to this, clue collectors are also good at communicating when they have found a clue so they can share them with the other players to get the whole team working. They also have a sticky brain and remember every single clue they come across throughout the game.
Are you a clue collector? Characteristics of them are:

• You can find a needle in a haystack
• You're the type who NEVER loses your keys and can always find yours.
• You have a magnificent memory
• You might tend to be a bit of a collector (but that's okay, because it benefits the team later!)

4. The code breaker

The code breaker is an essential part of any escape room team. They are good at noticing patterns, solving challenges and cracking codes. They think about ideas and puzzles until they figure out how to solve each challenge they face. When the team gets stuck or feels their time is best spent helping elsewhere in the escape room, they all look to the code breakers for hope. Codebreakers are often super sharp too, seeing solutions that others only see gibberish.

Are you a code breaker? Characteristics of them are:

• You see patterns and repetitions in everything
• You have a steely backbone and do NOT give up
• You eat puzzles for breakfast
• When others say "I simply can't solve this" you take action

The corona crisis has hit all of Denmark. Distance requirements, hand sanitiser and assembly bans have become a habit for most of us. Danes must avoid physical contact to minimise the spread of infection.

But, you've been in home quarantine for a while now. You've already been on the phone with all your family members, baked a few too many sourdough buns and attended way too many Google Hangout meetings with your colleagues. The restlessness, hunger and boredom are starting to set in. You ask yourself: What can you do during the corona crisis?

TAKE AN OUTDOOR MYSTERY HUNT IN THE KING'S GARDEN

One of the things you can do when you're bored at home is to head outside. But it can be hard to get inspired to go for a walk for the twentieth time. The brain, like the rest of the body, needs exercise and stimulation after months of shutdown. Home workouts can do a lot, but you miss using your laughter muscles most of all, and they rarely come into play when you can't see your friends. It's getting hard to find creative and fun ways to spend time together at a distance - you really need some tips.

BEST TIP

Our top tip for a fun and healthy activity is a Mystery Hunt. We guarantee you won't be bored! A Mystery Hunt is a historical cultural treasure hunt in an iconic area. You'll be put to the test in problem solving and creative thinking - and best of all, it can all be done with your friends without breaking the distance requirement. It's a great idea for what to do when you're bored.

WHAT IS A MYSTERY HUNT?

A Mystery Hunt is an exciting and fun treasure hunt for adults. Here your intelligence will be put to the test. It's the perfect way to kill boredom.

We have four different Mystery Hunts, all packed with mystery and history.

One of our Mystery Hunts takes place in Copenhagen's old castle. Here you will discover the secrets of war and the noble arts of warfare. If you know the difference between true and false and you can trust your friends, together you can solve the puzzle and complete the mission. This Mystery Hunt takes place outdoors.

READ MORE ABOUT MYSTERY HUNT CASTLE

You can also go hunting in the King's Garden in the heart of Copenhagen. Here you will discover royal secrets. This is where you can prove you have blue blood in your veins if you can solve the court jester's riddle and help the dying king. This Mystery Hunt is outdoors.

READ MORE ABOUT MYSTERY HUNT KING'S GARDEN

Explore Christiansborg Castle. You'll find hidden treasures in the castle's many beautiful halls. If you can crack the code, you'll get close to the power struggles for the Danish kingdom. This Mystery Hunt takes place indoors.

READ MORE ABOUT MYSTERY HUNT CHRISTIANSBORG CASTLE

Experience Kronborg Castle like never before. Christian the 4th sits on the throne. His vast wealth is the root of the kingdom's problems. There is now a curse on the kingdom. Under Kronborg lies clues, if you can find them you can break the curse on Denmark. This Mystery Hunt takes place indoors.

READ MORE ABOUT MYSTERY HUNT KORNBORG CASTLE

Of course, we follow the recommendations of the Danish Health Authority. All participants are divided into teams of four to eight participants. We take every precaution. If you want to be extra careful, you can choose one of our two outdoor Mystery Hunts.

A Mystery Hunt is our top tip for a healthy activity that ensures community, fun and brain exercise - next time you ask yourself: What can you do during the corona crisis? - you'll have your answer. At least now you have a great tip on how to beat boredom.

NOTE: We open for bookings again from 8 June.

Summer 2020 will be a different kind of summer. But different doesn't mean boring. At Mystery Makers, we've lowered our prices all summer long, so you can plan a holiday full of puzzle-solving in Denmark and still save up for that big trip abroad next year. Read on in this blog post where we give you five reasons why a Mystery Makers activity is the perfect summer holiday activity.

1. A break from the usual summer activities

All winter long we dream of warm temperatures and lying on the beach again. However, once you've been sunburnt for the tenth time, swallowed enough seawater and become the undefeated champion of the game of kings, boredom can quickly set in. That's where our activities come in. A trip to the Mystery Room or the Hunt is anything but the usual summer holiday activity. Whether you're looking for a themed activity suitable for a trip with family, friends or colleagues, Mystery Makers is sure to have an experience to suit you and your party. Immerse yourself in our different storylines and explore a universe that is completely different from the daily grind.

2. Intelligent entertainment

Although our activities range widely in theme, they all have one thing in common: they stimulate your brain. Through our games, you'll challenge your puzzle-solving skills and put your team's co-operation to the test. Has working at home during the pandemic left you feeling a little light-headed? And do you think the kids are getting a little too lethargic after months of distance learning? Swap the bland summer activities and put the whole family's brains to work by booking one of our experiences.

3. Opportunity to be outdoors

Perhaps you're put off by the idea of staying indoors when the weather outside is marvellous. Luckily for you, at Mystery Makers we also have an outdoor alternative to the classic Mystery Room. Our Mystery Hunts all take place outside in Copenhagen's green spaces such as Kongens Have and Kastellet.

4. Mystery is not only found in the dark winter

For some, mystery may go hand in hand with dark nights and cold months. Even though the summer nights aren't particularly long or dark, that doesn't mean the mystery has to disappear completely. When you choose one of our activities, you get the opportunity to step into a hair-raising universe regardless of the season.

Summer may have turned down the darkness of the outdoors, but we've turned up the fun in our activities.

5. Safety is a priority

Despite the first half of the pandemic appearing to be over, many of us will still be taking some precautions to ensure health. All our activities have been given the green light by the government and will be organised in a safe manner. Whether you choose our Hunts or Rooms, only you and your loved ones are in the game. Our experiences don't require you to be in contact with anyone other than those you would otherwise be in contact with. Whether it's your colleagues from the office, your family or your closest friends is entirely up to you.

We look forward to seeing you in one of our Rooms or Hunts during the summer!

At Mystery Makers, we characterise our experiences as brainstorming - So the words 'entertainment' and 'brain' combined, which of course means that what we do is intelligent entertainment. Although we don't believe that our experiences are either seasonal or follow a specific fashion wave, we like to immerse ourselves in our industry. New phenomena and aspects of intelligent entertainment are constantly being developed, which we at Mystery Makers find exciting. We've taken a look at some of 2020's biggest trends in intelligent entertainment and put them into perspective for our own experiences.

1. Activities that contribute to your personal development

It probably comes as no surprise that the beauty, fashion, sports and health industries continue to grow in popularity and are industries that we spend an increasing amount of money on. But in fact, it's no longer just the appearance aspect of personal beautification that consumers crave. There is a growing interest in products and services that contribute to personal development - including through entertainment. Developing and acquiring new skills is in high demand, especially if this can be achieved through fun activities. When you choose to go on a Mystery Hunt, you not only gain new knowledge about the history and culture of Copenhagen, but you also develop your problem-solving and teamwork skills. These are exactly the kind of skills that consumers want to develop, as they are skills that can be useful in the workplace as well as at home. So when you choose an activity that aims to challenge these skills, you feel that it's an investment in personal development that will pay off in the long run.

2. Mastering staying focused

It's easy to get caught up in the stresses of everyday life and with multiple balls in the air at the same time, you forget what it feels like to give yourself 100% to a specific focus point. Not being distracted and instead giving your full attention to the here and now experience is truly a concept that more and more people are demanding. Studies show that the average employee only has 11 minutes of real work time during an 8-hour workday in the office. When you get 60 to 120 minutes to immerse yourself in one of our experiences, it can be seen as a privilege. Time to focus also means time to really get caught up in a mood, or in the case of our experiences, a specific story. This helps make the feeling of being entertained seem more intense. It's comparable to sitting through an entire film without checking your phone once. You just feel the story better and immerse yourself in the universe when there are no interruptions or distractions. Not only is it a break from the stressful everyday life where everyone is constantly pulling at you, it's also good brain exercise that forces you to train your concentration. It's a proven fact that humans can usually only focus for about 10 minutes at a time. Why not take back control and challenge how long you can concentrate on a single thing? Our mysterious puzzles and exciting environments allow you to focus on the task at hand for at least 60 minutes, a six-fold increase compared to the average uninterrupted concentration time.

3. Analogue entertainment has its charm

Whether you're a big consumer of it or not, there's no getting around the fact that the world has become digitalised. This is also true when it comes to entertainment. With digitalisation and technology comes many cool opportunities such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence incorporated into entertainment experiences. However, the massive consumption of digital resources can sometimes get out of hand. The challenge in the digital era is learning to balance the analogue with the digital. Our everyday lives are so heavily influenced by digital that there is a growing interest in analogue alternatives. This is especially true when it comes to socialising. At Mystery Makers, all our experiences are completely analogue. In both our Mystery Hunt and Mystery Room, all parts of the game are physical objects that you can touch and feel. In our Mystery Hunt, the rules of the game are written in black and white on paper, while clues are designed on cardboard. This gives a completely different feeling of being present when taking part in analogue entertainment. It also provides a break from the sometimes technological zombie state we find ourselves in. Everything we do doesn't have to be swipe-able or dependent on a stable internet connection. Not only is analogue entertainment super trendy, but we also believe it's healthy to give your head a screen break, just once in a while. When you book an experience with us, we guarantee that you won't be able to find anything more interesting on your phone anyway.

Whether you feel like jumping on the bandwagon or not, we're sure to have an experience that suits you. What all our Mystery Rooms and Mystery Hunts have in common is that you are the centre of attention.

MYSTERY MAKER'S FIRST DECADE

On the occasion of our 10th birthday, Tuesday 25 August, this blog post will look back on the decade that has now passed. Birthdays are always a great opportunity to reflect and think back on the past years. With a bit of reflection and contemplation, you are reminded of all the good things you have learnt and gained over the years. It's a great opportunity to emphasise how grateful we are for Mystery Maker's first decade and how much we look forward to the next.

Let's start with the latest first, and then move chronologically back to where it all started...

WE ARE THE TRAVELLER'S PREFERRED CHOICE

Not only did we celebrate our anniversary in August, we were also presented with the Tripadvisor award, Travellers' Choice Awards 2020. The award is a huge recognition and praise that we are very, very proud of. Each year, the award is presented to experiences, sights, restaurants and attractions that consistently receive the best reviews from travellers on Tripadvisor. In 2020, Mystery Makers has been part of the top 10% of the best reviews worldwide. This award is very special to us, not only because it's a great recognition of our work, but because the recognition comes from you, our guests. It really warms our hearts when we feel and are reassured that you like our mysterious and adventurous experiences. We started Mystery Makers with the ambition to create intelligent entertainment that would give our guests a different, fun and exciting experience. When you give our experiences good reviews, it shows that we are on our way to fulfil our ambition, and we are very grateful and proud of that.

2020 was not the only year Mystery Makers was honoured with an important award. In 2018, we won Berlingske's AOK award for the city's best cultural experience, and back in 2012, Mystery Makers became Danish champion in creative entrepreneurship and won the Creative Business Cup. Every time we receive a new award that recognises our work, it makes us proud and happy to the core. It motivates us to continue to develop and innovate our experiences so that they continue to be the kind of entertainment that our guests like - that's the most important ambition.

FROM COPENHAGEN TO AUSTRIA

Ever since we opened our first Mystery Room, The Lab in 2014, we have continued to add new experiences to our mysterious world. Three Mystery Rooms have been added, along with our four Mystery Hunts, which provide adventurous experiences in historic areas around Copenhagen, including the old barracks at Kastellet. In 2018, we expanded with another experience outside Denmark, in the beautiful historic city of culture, Vienna. We're excited to continue our mystical adventure elsewhere in the world, and what better place than the Art History Museum in Vienna. We think this location fits perfectly with our philosophy of intelligent entertainment, and we are grateful for the opportunity to give even more international guests an insight into our mystical world.

A decade has passed, but a new one has begun

When we look back on the past decade, we are filled with joy and pride! Everything we have experienced and achieved during the ten years that Mystery Makers has existed, we can only thank our guests for. We wouldn't be where we are today if it wasn't for all of you. The last decade has been the greatest ever and we're already looking forward to the next one in the company of our wonderful guests - we're confident that the second decade will be even better than the first.