8 Skills and Abilities Utilized in an Escape Room

Published by and copyright, Bryan Sloan @ Legacy Escape Box

Awareness

o   Be aware. Sometimes people have blinders on. Blinders on horses are meant to keep them from looking to the side. But in an escape room, you’ll need to look to the side. And under. And above. Is there a clue taped to the ceiling? Be aware of your surroundings. If you pull a lever or remove a book, will you find something new? You’ll never know until you try.

Collaboration / Teamwork

o   You have to work together. Working through an escape room promotes teamwork and collaboration. It’s important to work with others and exercise those skills. The more you do this, the more it will carry over into other areas of your life.

Communication

o   In an escape room, you have to communicate. As soon as you find a new clue, pass along the information. You might be holding something that someone else needs to complete a “bigger picture” puzzle.

Competitiveness

o   An escape room really brings out competitiveness in some people. In some rooms, you are competing against the room itself (and the game designer), and in other escape rooms, you are literally competing against another group, whether that’s to see who can escape faster, or gather more treasure. There is no second place! Well, there is, but it’s called last place.

Concentration / Focus

o   You’ll need to stay focused in an escape room. Focus on the puzzle in front of you. If you are distracted by something shiny on the other side of the room but a teammate is already on it, try and take the final steps to figuring out the clue right in front of you.

Creativity

o   You’ll have to exercise those creative juices when in an escape room. Think outside the box. What is it that you are really trying to figure out? Half the battle is trying to figure out what the puzzle wants you to figure out. Look at things from various directions to find what’s unique.

Patience

o   Be patient. Not everything comes all at once. Sometimes you need multiple pieces to a puzzle, and then you need multiple solved puzzles to put together the big picture. Realize that it takes time to find the clues, and be patient while you search.

Persistence

o   Persistence is key. Let’s face it: escape rooms can be difficult. You might need to lean on a teammate for one type of puzzle while you could be amazing at a different type of puzzle. But whatever you do, don’t quit. Even if you leave a puzzle and come back to it, you have to solve it. Work hard, think hard, and stay with it. You can do it.