Escape rooms were not a thing before the 2000s. We know, it is hard to believe, but they are quite a new phenomenon. The first room was actually established in Japan and until a few years, this trend did not even spread to other regions of the world. The big boom happened when the escape room trend became popular in the US. From this time, the escape rooms conquered the world of entertainment and became a really trendy way for group activities, let it be with friends, family, or couples. Let’s see how they changed over the years!
How did escape rooms start?
As we mentioned above, the first escape room was established in Japan in 2004. The idea came from an early computer game, which was released in 1988 (‘Behind Closed Doors’), however, the real boost was the 2004 Crimson Room by Toshimitsu Takagi. This game was really popular at that time and its strategy and how the game was built are really similar to the escape room themes and styles you know today.
What was before escape rooms?
The origins of escape rooms continue in Japan. In 2007 Takao Kato made these games into reality. He was fascinated by the idea of getting out of prison-like situations with puzzles and riddles and made the first real-life adventure puzzle-solving experience. The idea spread through the country quite fast but did not really conquer the rest of the world for a while still.
When did the first escape game become available?
The Japanese puzzle room was the beginning, but there were other early escape rooms as well that were responsible for the widespread phenomenon. For example, in the early 2010s, there was a Hungarian gentleman, called Attila Gyurkovics, who created Parapark in Budapest. He was really fond of hidden object computer games, and the idea partly came from them. He created the first room in a place that is similar to the typical ruin bars in Budapest, so basically in a basement! It was a huge success, and the idea quickly took off and spread across Europe.
What is the difference between the first escape games and today’s ones?
Comparing the early puzzle rooms and today’s escape rooms there is one thing we can say for sure: the evolution was huge throughout the years. The biggest change is that through the basic concept the several stories, sets, and alternative solutions created a whole new industry in the entertainment sector. Nowadays there are several fantasy, sci-fi, history, political, thriller, horror, etc themed rooms. The list could go on forever. You can also use tools and narration during the game. Parapark also evolved, and they have portable escape rooms now, which can be built anywhere you would like.
What really gave the boost to the industry, was the mid-2010s. At this time, experimental entertainment became a thing, where people were bored of just sitting back and watching exciting stuff, they wanted to be involved in them! You can get to be the hero you always wanted to be and save the day, as a lot of escape rooms are built around the theme of Armageddon or utter destruction of the world if you don’t solve the puzzles in a set period of time.
Talking about saving the world, at American Escape Rooms there are 2 themed escape rooms that fit into this category. The Cold War Crisis is a history-themed one, where you travel back in time to 1967. You have to stop a state agent who wants to escalate the tensions between the two sides by exploding a nuclear bomb. The other room is closer to a thriller movie, as it is based on a zombie apocalypse. A crazy scientist developed a virus that mutated over time. In this dystopian world order after several wars and crises, not many people are left on the planet, and the rest are also in danger. The virus turns them into brainless zombies. You have to develop the elixir and save the day!
Summary
Escape rooms became a thing and grew with Generation Z: they are not even 20 years old! Despite the fact that the phenomenon is ‘young’, it became really popular around the world, no matter the age, whereabouts or background of the people who try them out. They are a great form of group activity for family and friends, and even for corporate team building! As the holidays are coming, you can gift escape room tickets to your loved ones too, as the biggest gift is the time you spend together!
