Escape to a new world — and then from it
Imagine that you’re trapped in a strange room, knowing that you must solve a series of devious puzzles if you hope to win your freedom. Fortunately, not only are you clever enough to escape, but you are surrounded by allies – friends, family or colleagues — who will combine their resources with yours to triumph over your captor.
This is the premise of attractions like Regina’s Escape Club. Kristy Winter, a supervisor there, said that the experience at Escape Club is adventurous, challenging, and cooperative, but not at all frightening. “It’s nice and light. People were scared going in because they didn’t know what to expect, but you go in there, and most people say things like, ‘Oh, I could be trapped here forever!’”
If a team becomes stalled on a particular puzzle, a game master will send hints to restart their progress.
Escape Club’s current room at 1115 Rose Street is decorated with a classic Arabian theme to reflect the content of the adventure. “It’s called The Curse of the Evil Genie,” said Winter. “You’re trapped in a genie’s lamp, and you have to find his 10 favourite stories of the 1001 Arabian Nights.”
The business, created and managed by Dale D’Silva, is in the process of expanding to a second location at 2410 Dewdney Avenue, which will contain new themed rooms. “We’re pretty close to being done building two more rooms,” Winter said. “One is going to be zombie-themed, and the other is called Child’s Play. It’s going to be set in pre-school classroom.”
Although different escapees may react to each situation differently, all of Escape Club’s rooms are designed to entertain a variety of age groups. “We’ve had anywhere between 12-year-olds and seniors,” said Winter. “It’s really interesting when families come in and they’re all ages – you have the grandparents, the kids and the adults.
“The youngest person that ever helped in a room was six years old, and they found things and saw things. Different age groups are interesting because kids see the world a bit differently than adults.”
Indeed, the experience can make adults feel like children again. “I love watching people in their 20s or 30s do it, because they get their playful nature back,” Winter said. “They go in the room, and, all of a sudden, they can explore, and discover, be curious and use their brain playfully.”
That intellectual challenge provides much of the appeal of an escape room. “We have a lot of people say, ‘That was so much thinking, but I had so much fun!’” said Winter.
The challenge is not an individual one however, as the rooms are designed for cooperative play with several people. “The room that we have open right now can fit up to 12 people, so it’s a fairly large room,” Winter said.
As a result, in addition to being a fun activity for celebrations like birthdays and bachelor or bachelorette parties, Escape Club can serve as a team-building exercise
for any work group. “This activity does encourage team-building, if you have groups or a group of staff, or a group of people that you want to break the ice with, or encourage them to work together, or get to know each other outside of work,” said Winter.
“You’re not looking at a screen and are silent,” Winter said. “You work together. For me, it also encourages communication and encourages variety. It’s okay that you are you – you don’t have to be like the other person, because you can solve this puzzle, and the other person can solve the other puzzle, and together you’ll get out.”