MY FIRST ESCAPE GAME

You probably had high expectations when you first did an escape room. For some people, this first experience turned out to be mediocre, even unpleasant, and that’s why they don’t like escape games. But where does this bitterness come from? Humans!

Anyone who’s had a bad experience in an escape room will tell you that the main disappointment comes from the customer service or the group of people with whom you’ve done the activity. We agree: if the game master attendants don’t adjust to the level of the group and ensure cohesion in the clues given, the experience will be greatly affected. There’s not much you can do about that, except wish it were better next time (and choose a different location for your next escape room).

As for the group you play with, you need to choose the right people beforehand. So how do you choose who to play an escape game with? I’d like to share with you my first experience in an escape room.

After a pleasant dinner with my group of friends, we decided to test our skills by booking an escape activity. There are five of us, the perfect number to make the chosen room. Four of us had never set foot in an escape room, but one of us (Amélie) had already played one. Before this evening, no one in my group knew Amélie except for the evening’s organizer.

We quickly realized that the key to solving the puzzles and progressing through the challenge is the chemistry between the players, as in all team sports. I also realized that each band member’s personality came to the fore as the excitement and stress increased. I would never have imagined that Amélie was a real boss! She didn’t listen and didn’t work as part of a team, because she was the only one with experience of escape games. Nothing could be more frustrating for people who do their best to find the solutions to the riddles and come up with the right answer, but waste more than 15 minutes trying out all the other possibilities of the “chief expert”.

As a result, we completed only 22% of the game in the allotted time. Two members of our group simply stopped playing and talked about field hockey during the activity. For my part, I got angry. My organizer friend felt bad about being caught between her friend and our group. As you can imagine, instead of talking about our unforgettable experience over a well-deserved drink after the activity, we went our separate ways and determined that escape games weren’t for us.

But you don’t have to be afraid of escape games! It’s possible to get over a disappointing first experience, and I assure you that there’s no need to be bitter about this type of activity. After all, I decided to open 4 Escapology rooms at BoulZeye and all my group members came to try them out… even Amélie! However, they didn’t do the escape games together. They chose their teammates with great care, and we all had a drink together at the resto-pub after their activity. There’s something for everyone!

We’re looking forward to your next escape game at BoulZeye!