How To Master Escape Rooms: Top 10 Etiquette Tips

From dressing up in fun costumes to building good teamwork skills, there’s no doubt that escape rooms are one of the best places to hang around with friends and family. However, for those who never had the experience of escaping from an escape room, the idea of having to escape from one may seem a little intimidating.

That’s why here at Escapology, we developed a list of How To Master Escape Rooms: Top 10 Etiquette Tips. This way, even first timers can have a good time escaping from the escape room. 

1. Arrive on time 

We understand that life gets in the way, sometimes. However, in order to make the game fun for our other patrons, it is advisable that you try to arrive on time before the game starts. So if you run into a situation in which you can’t arrive at the game on time, then please, give the game guide a call so he or she can either reschedule or give you more time to arrive. 

Here at Escapology, we’re more than happy to give our patrons a little extra time to arrive. So if you and your teammates know that you’ll be late, then please, give us a call at (901) 746-9257 prior to the start of your scheduled time. 

2. Make Sure To Take Care of Everything You Need to Before the Game Begins

This is not to say that you and your teammates won’t have the chance to take care of personal emergencies (phone calls, restroom break, eating, etc.) while playing an escape room game.

However, since you can’t really pause the game (with the exception of a medical emergency or power outage)  it's important to take care of everything beforehand. 

You don’t want to let your team down simply because you need to catch up on some gossip with your friend on the phone during the game.  However, if it is for a job interview or something unexpected let your team know, and feel free to step out.  

At Escapology, we want you and your teammates to have a blast with our games.  So if you need to take care of something important before playing the game, then by all means.

3. Don’t Remove or Dismantle Anything That Is Bolted to the Doors or Walls

If it’s bolted down, chances are it’s not part of the game. Understandably, when it comes to escape rooms, anything may look like a clue. However,  we will almost never hide clues in places that require you to disassemble fixtures such as mirrors, picture frames, lights, or tv sets.

Dismantling objects that are bolted to the walls and doors of an escape room, are not only considered dangerous, but it can also damage the room, which is not good. As a rule of thumb, if something requires a screwdriver to disassemble and you aren’t provided one in the game, its best to err on the side of caution, and when in doubt, ask your game master.

Say you know there is a clue for the Antidote involving a framed 1960s poster of Albert Einstein in the secret laboratory. You are examining the poster for Dr. Walter Brandt’s secret formula and can’t seem to find it.

Chances are the clue that  you’ll need won’t involve removing the frame, and as it turns out, you found a blacklight flashlight earlier which can reveal the important clue. Remember at Escapology, we will give you all the tools you need to escape.

4. Be Open to Other People’s Problem-Solving Styles 

If you want to make the escape room experience best for everyone, it’s important that you learn to be open to other peoples’ gaming styles. Remember everyone goes about things at different paces, and it's these nuances that make the game more fun. 

Let’s suppose that you and your teammates are trying to escape from the clutches of Captain Kellett. One of your teammates is standing in the room like a “deer with headlights” because he or she doesn’t understand how to play escape rooms. Instead of getting frustrated at that person, either advise him or her to search a different part of the room or (if possible) assign him or her a task to do.

If neither approach is possible, then try not to take offense of the person standing in the room. That person may be in the process of trying to get an idea as to what the layout of the game looks like. 

5. Don’t Spoil the Game for Anyone 

While our games do change from time to time, if you happen to do an escape room for the 2nd time, try not to make it too easy for other players. Most players enjoy games not from winning, but from overcoming new challenges.

Since escape rooms are games, if you give people the answers, this removes the challenge and the enjoyment of the game. 

There’s nothing wrong with repeating a scenario, but at the same time, the other players need a chance to experience what playing the game is like for themselves. Plus, you never know how much a particular game has changed since the last time you played it. 

Let’s say that you’re running in Fidel Castro’s palace searching for the clue to help you find the missing cigar box in order to solve the puzzle.

You remember seeing a pair of go-go boots next to the chemical cabinet, which contains the clue that you and your teammates are looking for. Chances are the clue may not be found in the go-go boots like it was 6 months ago. 

So next time your friends want to do a scenario you’ve already experienced before, try to pretend it's your first time, that way when you see your friends get through a puzzle you got stuck with they can get that “AH HA!” moment as well. 

Conclusion 

That's all we have for you this week. Until then let us know of any tips that we missed. You can reach out to us on any of our social media pages!