Feature: Avatar-Led Remote Escape Room, Part 1: Introduction And Preparation

Stay safe at home

BIRTH OF A NEW CREATION

Playing an escape room on a computer or smart device was never new. In fact, that's how real life escape games got started--they were inspired by early "point and click" exploration games available online:

Back then, on a computer screen in a Flash interface (remember those?), you click on a box, open it, find a key, so on so forth, you escape the locked room! In more recent times, things got real--literally--and you get to do the same actions, except live in person, in the real world.

That is until recently, COVID-19 pandemic hit, and many, if not all, of our favorite escape room entertainment venues were forced to close indefinitely due to safety reasons. Resilient business owners, determined to combat the misfortune, went back to the basics, and provided a viable alternative...

Playing an escape room remotely back on the computer!

LIFE CAME FULL CIRCLE

It's interesting to note that, what started out on a computer monitor, has now found its way back to its root.

While it's grossly inaccurate to say digital escape games and remote escape rooms are the same--they are definitely NOT--it's hard not to notice the resemblance. But just as there are recognizable similarities (play onscreen), there are also striking differences (eg, live video feed).

Having done a select few remote escape rooms by now, I feel as though different businesses are approaching this "remote" idea with varying formats. While not all companies are conforming in the same fashion or "interface" per se, it does seem to boil down to two main elements:

The 1) live video feed, and 2) a supplementary panel for additional info, clues, hints, and whatnot.

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THE VIDEO FEED

This is what makes remote escape room the essence of what it is. You are still enjoying an actual brick and mortar room, somewhere out there at a location, you're just not physically there. Through the marvels of technology, we can now see and hear across the city, the country, or even the globe via high speed internet. You're already familiar with this, hello, Facetime.

What is essentially happening is, your once "game master" will now be your "avatar". They will now act as your eyes, your ears, your hands, and your body. They've probably donned on one or even several cameras on them, on their head, on their torso, in their hands, streaming live.

You tell them to turn right, they turn right. You tell them to look up, they look up. Get it? (But command with respect!)

An instance of actual remote game footage ▪ Amaze Escape Events

THE SUPPLEMENTARY PANEL

Not physically being there though, presents several fundamental problems. Possibly, you won't be able to see things up close, hear with full clarity, and colors could be distorted. Hey, these are just realistic limitations of modern equipment. They are good, but at times, they just fall a bit short.

Thus, many remote escape games opt to show the players additional information on another "panel", or screen, in another browser. This extra panel can achieve a variety of purpose, all depending on how it's utilized:

Your avatar can show you a detailed look of a map, broadcast a sound file that he's listening to, or even help you keep track of an inventory of items you've collected or used thus far.

Our friends at The Escape Game made a pretty informative video:

Example of inventory panel used in a remote game ▪ The Escape Game

MORE TO COME

And that's the basic idea.

I haven't quite played enough remote escape rooms to form a solid opinion for this new form of entertainment, and what it can truly offer, but as days go by, it's becoming more and more evident to me that this is a sustainable alternative if a healthy dose of creativity is mixed in.

But I shall elaborate on this more later.

Expect to see future Part 2, Part 3, or even beyond.

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Zoom, often a requirement to play ▪ Zoom

READY TO JOIN THE PARTY?

If you're ready for your first remote escape room, then you gotta download the conference app of choice. Check with your venue or its website to see which one they are using. I'd say a majority of the time, it's Zoom.

Zoom is an application that specializes for enterprise video conferencing with real-time messaging and content sharing. It's available on a variety of platforms; I use mine with Windows on a PC.

You can learn more about Zoom on its official site.

FIDDLE WITH ZOOM

Don't just download Zoom and let it sit though. It's extremely important and highly recommended that you familiarize yourself with the app.

First, verify that your system has all the requirements to run the program. Namely, you should have reliable, high speed internet, and your computing system should have proper processing power.

Next, run it, and check to see if all necessary components are working. Can you receive video feed? Can you hear audio cues? Can you transmit your own video and sound to another party? Some escape room companies offer a test page prior to launching the game, so do so way ahead of game time.

Also, fiddle with the setting, both in app and out. Is the video setting ideal for smooth running? Is the sound loud enough, or too loud? Do you want to set a customized virtual background? (In that case, set up a green screen behind you in real life.) Do you want to tidy up your house a bit before broadcasting to your team?

You decide.

Don't get caught off guard, know what to expect

PRACTICE NOW

Finally, for those of us who are a little slow on using all things tech-y, let's be honest: there's a learning curve.

Practice using Zoom with your friends and family, run a mock conference or two. Get accustomed to moving your mouse cursors quickly, and darting your eyes back and forth between the video feed and your supplementary panel. (Or just be comfortable with the idea on the day of.)

For best results, use two monitors, screens, or devices.

It may be a little daunting at first for some, but wasn't that also true when first stepping into a physical escape room? Just have a little "rehearsal" before the game day, do your best the day of, and gradually master the newfound skills of remote escape gaming.

OPTIMIZE YOUR SETTINGS

Lastly, I would highly recommend that you just do an assessment on your PC if that's what you're using. Remove any extraneous programs that you no longer need, or at least disable them during actual session. Restarting your idle devices 1-2 hours prior to start may be clever, too.

Any kind of lag can only ruin your experience!

And trust me, you don't want any technical difficulty or operation interference. The typical 60 minutes time frame is *a lot* shorter than you'd think for remote game play. (But I shall elaborate on this in later blog posts.)

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BE READY AND ON TIME

I think you're pretty much set.

"Arrive" or sign in to your Zoom meeting on time. Don't keep your fellow teammates or the host waiting. Respect is still important, quarantine times or not.

Please understand that many small businesses are still struggling. Do your part, be on time, so they can run all their scheduled sessions without delay.

And oh, have pen, pencil, eraser, paper, and a calculator in front of you. Those will often help. And no, I don't care if you think using calculator is cheating. I need it. Desperately.

You may now continue to Part 2, if you wish.

Signing off,

ESCAPE MATTSTER

Instagram @EscapeMattster ▪ Facebook.com/EscapeMattster