If you haven’t heard yet, which would be impossible if you lived anywhere near a city, there are things called “escape rooms” now. It’s a physical adventure game in which players solve a series of puzzles using clues, strategy, and arguing to complete the “Saw”-like objectives at hand. In the last few years, these escape rooms have risen in popularity and represent a evolution of what it means to engage with a simulated environment, sort of like a real life video game, but not as cool.
If you haven’t tried an escape room, we’re sure one of your friends has kindly told you every detail of their experience. Some people even get monthly passes. Yeah, that’s a thing. But why are we so drawn to the idea of escaping a locked room?
Well, somewhere within the process of unveiling the secret plot hidden within the rooms players trigger some of the same principles that empower most video game players. The collective need to solve a goal starts to influence our perception of reality and the resulting adrenaline can become addictive. Hopefully one day we’ll get escape room rehab centres.
Psych IRL’s newest video explores the escape room phenomenon by likening our time in the rooms to a real life version of “Westworld”, but without the killer androids. If you’re not already skeptical, the video above may make you think twice about solving silly puzzles with friends.
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