If a friend or family member has recently invited you to participate in an escape room adventure, you may be wondering what to expect–or just curious about the broad appeal and skyrocketing popularity of these venues. Once a staple of entertainment in Western Europe and Asia, escape rooms have gained a serious foothold in the U.S., with rooms spread throughout the country from Boston to Honolulu. Read on for some of the factors behind the incredible draw of the escape room, including those found locally at EscapeWorks Denver.
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Tap Into Physical, Social, and Mental Energy
Over the past several generations, gameplay and hobbies have shifted wildly, with evenings playing stickball in the street giving way to evenings spent indoors playing video games. While some may bemoan what they see as sports giving way to screens, humans are naturally drawn to activities that combine both physical and mental exertion, and the evolution of social gaming has illustrated this point.
Solitary, sedentary video games have transitioned into social and role-playing games in which multiple players communicate through headphones or chat screens. These have, in turn, given way to video games with physical controllers that require you to jump, swing, or duck in order to avoid danger or collect prizes. Many see escape rooms as the natural evolution of this trend, combining intellectual challenges with physical ones and adding in a ticking clock to create a sense of urgency.
Perform Better Under Stress
Sociological and physiological studies have shown that humans tend to perform better at both mental and physical activities when feeling just the right amount of stress. While too much stress can cause you to shut down or even become ill, the stress that comes with completing a challenging assignment or achieving something for the first time can put both your brain and body into overdrive, helping you perform at your peak.
Some have suggested that this regular induction of performance-enhancing stress can even improve your brain’s neuroplasticity, or the ability to quickly retain and retrieve information and adapt to changes in circumstances.
Bond Through Shared Experiences
Many employers use escape rooms for team-building activities not because they can sharpen their employees’ brains, but because studies have shown that sharing an experience almost always brings people closer. If, as is often the case, a group of employees doesn’t have much in common besides their employer, an escape room experience can provide them with not only a rich source for future small talk but the mental and emotional experience of tackling (and hopefully succeeding at) a challenge together.
If these factors have left you wanting even more, check out EscapeWorks Denver for your next friendly gathering or family night out. EscapeWorks has more than half a dozen themed rooms that are perfect for just about every interest, from the classic Casino Heist to the timely Outbreak, and can accommodate groups as large as 12 for each escape adventure.
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