Trapped OKC
Recently, I participated in an escape room. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, it is a thinking man’s entertainment. If you know some intellectual or just downright nerdy individuals, find an escape room near you and take them. If you are in Oklahoma City, try Trapped OKC.
Some of our group fit the brainy description, the rest went along for the ride. We all had an interesting experience.
This concept is a no brainer. Why didn't I come up with it? For a business venture, the overhead isn’t great. Some locks and other props and rental space in a building with good parking are the main costs from the owner’s standpoint.
From the customers view you need a good price point. Fortunately we had a Groupon coupon for Trapped OKC, so the price in my opinion was a good value. However, others might think this type of entertainment pricey compared to a movie for example.
Creativity is essential. The Trapped OKC employees were very polite and provided the background for the challenge. My understanding is the rooms were designed by the employees. We were in the escape room Ms. Morris of Moscow. I think from a business standpoint, the scenarios would need to change often in order to have repeat customers.
As I have discussed before, many things have a learning curve. Our group chose an expert level escape room. The individuals in our group ranged from late 20’s to early 60’s. Some of the younger participants were veterans at escape rooms while others were definitely novices. As a novice, I was glad to follow the lead in the beginning, because even though I had watched the Big Bang Theory episode featuring a game room, I was clueless. Groups need veterans to enhance the experience.
Engagement came quickly. Three combination locks kept hidden clues to the solution. Additionally, we received three lifeline clues via a monitor. The clues on the monitor were quite helpful, but the first disappeared as soon as we requested the second. Once that happened, a member of the group adjusted by making note of the following clues.
While the younger generation definitely led the way, each individual aided in the quest. Some common sense is also needed and in our situation the elders of the group provided that component. We did chase some wild geese, but we succeeded in many ways even though the final lock eluded us.
I can see how this could be a good exercise for a training group. We were fortunate that tempers didn’t erupt as I can imagine sometimes happens. Instead, I exited the room with a feeling of camaraderie. And I want to go again.
