Virtual escape rooms are a new and exciting way to experience the thrill of escape rooms from the comfort of your home.
This guide will provide an overview of virtual escape rooms, their background, features, benefits, different types, and best practices for building teams at work.
What are Virtual Escape Rooms?
Virtual escape rooms are online versions of physical escape rooms and team-bonding activities. They provide puzzles, clues, and tasks that a team must solve to progress and “escape” the room within a time limit.
Virtual escape rooms can be played across training rooms, on a computer, tablet, or mobile device.
Background on Escape Rooms
Physical escape rooms first became popular in Asia around 2010 before spreading globally. They involve locking a team inside a themed room filled with puzzles.
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The team must find clues and solve all the puzzles using logic, teamwork, and critical thinking to escape within 60 minutes.
Virtual escape rooms emerged as a way to provide a similar experience online. They remove the geographical limitations of physical escape rooms, making them more accessible. We hear this from customers that regularly use of our training courses.
The first virtual escape room was created in 2018.
Features of Virtual Escape Rooms
- Playable on a computer, mobile device or tablet from anywhere with an internet connection.
- Immersive stories and themes.
- Puzzles and clues to solve as a team.
- Time limit to complete the full experience.
- Leaderboards and ability to compare team performance.
Benefits of Virtual Escape Rooms
- Provide an engaging team building activity remotely.
- Allow people across geographic distances to play together.
- Offer a unique way to interact and socialize virtually.
- Provide an immersive experience and thrill of escape rooms from home.
- Are more affordable and convenient than physical escape rooms.
10 Types of Virtual Escape Rooms
- Adventure – e.g. search for hidden treasure or mystical artifacts.
- Mystery – e.g. solve a murder mystery or investigate a disappearance.
- Sci-fi – e.g. escape an abandoned spaceship or research lab.
- Horror – e.g. escape a haunted house or abandoned asylum.
- Historical – e.g. 1980s, medieval, ancient civilizations.
- Casino – e.g. pull off an elaborate casino heist.
- Prison – e.g. break out of prison before time runs out.
- Spy – e.g. infiltrate a secret enemy base as a spy.
- Holiday – e.g. save Christmas or Halloween from disaster.
- Pop culture – e.g. themed around books, movies, video games.
10 Best Practices for Virtual Escape Rooms
- Have an interesting story and theme to immerse players.
- Design a variety of puzzle types and difficulty levels.
- Make sure all clues are logical and solvable.
- Allow communication between teammates.
- Have an appropriate time limit to add challenge.
- Provide hints if teams get stuck.
- Have a user-friendly interface.
- Test extensively before launch.
- Set up a virtual lobby and space for team discussions.
- Gather player feedback for improvements.
Summary
Virtual escape rooms offer the excitement and teamwork of escape rooms in an online format. They provide an engaging experience and unique virtual interaction for remote teams.
With creative themes, puzzles, and features, they allow people across distances to collaborate and accomplish goals within high-pressure time constraints.
Following best practices elevates the experience and makes virtual escape rooms more immersive and enjoyable.
With over 30 years of experience in training and development, I am the founder of Oak Innovation, a company dedicated to empowering training professionals with high-quality, editable course materials. I hold a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from University College Cork and have furthered my expertise with qualifications in Professional Development and Training from University College Galway. Since founding Oak Innovation in 1995, I have focused on helping busy training professionals and business managers enhance their courses efficiently by providing them with instant access to customizable training materials. Our training solutions have been trusted by leading organizations such as Apple, Time Warner, and Harvard University, reflecting our commitment to excellence.
