Ladies and gentlemen gather ’round for an incredible tale of mystery, puzzles, and the thrilling rise of the escape room phenomenon!
Our journey began in 1988 when John Wilson created Behind Closed Doors, a text-based game that introduced the concept of a player trapped within a room. This innovative idea gained traction over the next fifteen years as “escape the room” video games evolved, adopting the popular point-and-click gameplay style. The genre took off in 2004 with the release of Crimson Room by Japanese creator Toshimitsu Takagi. This game, which is still available online today, gained widespread popularity thanks to the growing accessibility of the internet.
Known as Takagism, after Takagi, these games typically start with a brief text introduction and are played from a first-person perspective. The atmospheres often evoke feelings of isolation with ominous music, minimalistic interfaces, and a lack of other characters. Players navigate the room by hovering the mouse and clicking on objects, all with the ultimate goal of escaping through a door. These engaging video games eventually inspired the creation of real-life escape room adventures.
Fast forward to 2007, when Takao Kato from Kyoto decided to bring these digital adventures into the real world; inspired by his love for adventure and a desire to make life as exciting as the stories in books, Kato created the first real-life escape game.
The first escape room events, held by SCRAP Entertainment (founded by Kato), took place in various bars and clubs across Japan. These initial events, although temporary, featured the same mysteries, puzzles, and challenges that define modern escape rooms. Right from the start, Kato made it intentionally difficult to escape. At the debut event, only 6 out of 150 participants broke free.
The concept quickly gained traction, and by December 2013, there were over 100 escape rooms open in Asia, with the trend rapidly spreading across Europe. By June 2015, 1,765 escape rooms were registered worldwide, with over 300 in the United States alone. Cities like San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, New York City, and Nashville saw a surge in these exciting venues.
Today, escape rooms are a global phenomenon, inspired by a mix of live-action role-playing games, classic adventure puzzle games like Myst, traditional treasure hunts, and even haunted houses. They offer an immersive experience where players must work together to solve clues and puzzles to escape a themed room within a set time limit.
The evolution from text-based adventures to immersive real-life experiences is a testament to the appeal of puzzles and mysteries. Whether inspired by childhood games or the thrill of solving a complex puzzle, escape rooms offer a unique blend of challenge and entertainment that continues to captivate people worldwide. Ready to dive in? Your extraordinary adventure begins now!
Elizabeth Hanke
Kato Escape in Mankato Minnesota
Research:
Live The Best Escape Room Experience In Boise, ID. https://labyrinthescapegames.com/live-the-best-escape-room-experience-in-boise-id/
Escapism reaches a new level – Calgary Journal. https://calgaryjournal.ca/2016/09/06/escapism-reaches-a-new-level/
