{"id":1593,"date":"2020-01-14T09:15:28","date_gmt":"2020-01-14T09:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/?p=1593"},"modified":"2023-01-04T13:11:58","modified_gmt":"2023-01-04T13:11:58","slug":"what-is-vr-escape-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/blog\/what-is-vr-escape-room\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a VR Escape Room?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<blockquote><p><em>An introduction to how virtual reality can redefine the escape room as we know it.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\t<p><i>You enter the room, and the door slams shut behind you.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>Then, without warning, an axe flies out of nowhere, missing two of you by inches&#8230;<\/i><\/p>\n<p>A very dramatic &#8211; and suitable &#8211; beginning to an escape room mission, right?<\/p>\n<p>The only problem is, a real axe flying at the team members will put them in danger, and you can&#8217;t really do that, in a real life escape room.<\/p>\n<p>But you can do it in a VR Escape Room.<\/p>\n<p>You can simulate the event of an axe flying at team members, but without exposing them to any real danger.<\/p>\n<p>And that, in a nutshell, is the key advantage of a VR Escape Room &#8211; it allows you to create an escape experience that would have been impossible,or at least very difficult, in real life.<\/p>\n<p>[toc]<\/p>\n<h2>\n\t\tWhat is Virtual Reality?\n\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/set-up-game.jpg\" alt=\"set up game\" itemprop=\"image\" title=\"set up game\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\n\t<p>Virtual Reality is an experience that may bear as much or as little resemblance with the real world as is desired.<\/p>\n<p>It allows the user to interact with a simulated environment through various kinds of input (I will revisit this in a bit).<\/p>\n<p>Think how shooting a movie kept evolving with general advances in technology &#8211; from black and white, stuttering affairs (which were a novelty of their time) to going 3D and consulting with experts to create sets, props, and special effects.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s all aimed at placing the user in the hot seat, in the thick of the action, so they can &#8216;live the event&#8217;.<\/p>\n<h2>\n\t\tWhy is Virtual Reality a fit for Escape Rooms?\n\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Why.jpg\" alt=\"Why\" itemprop=\"image\" title=\"Why\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\n\t<p>There are three main reasons why Virtual Reality is a good fit for Escape Rooms:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Immersion,<\/li>\n<li>Range of experiences, and<\/li>\n<li>Removes some challenges of running a traditional Escape Room<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>\n\t\tImmersion\n\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/immersion-vr-escape-room.gif\" alt=\"immersion vr escape room\" itemprop=\"image\" title=\"immersion vr escape room\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\n\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/303magazine.com\/2020\/01\/immersive-art-denver-colorado\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cori Anderson (renowned Art and Culture writer) defines immersion<\/a> as &#8216;the creation of a world around the person in a way that makes them feel part of and inside of it&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p>It makes the participant an active stakeholder in the experience, as opposed to being merely a passive observer.<\/p>\n<p>If you think about it, that&#8217;s a core feature of an Escape Room &#8211; create a make-believe world for the escape team to lose themselves in.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s the feature that makes team building in an Escape Room so effective; by making the team believe that they are in the Escape Room world, it gives them a stake in the final outcome &#8211; whether they can find their way out of in time.<\/p>\n<p>And immersion, if you think about it, is <i>THE<\/i> defining feature of Virtual Reality &#8211; creating an alternate reality for the user to live in and interact with.<\/p>\n<h3>\n\t\tRange of experiences\n\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/zero-gravity-flight.gif\" alt=\"zero gravity flight\" itemprop=\"image\" title=\"zero gravity flight\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Players experience zero-gravity flight, shoot lasers, fight against hostile robots, and use telekinesis&#8230;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t<p>That&#8217;s from the actual description of <i>Space Heroes<\/i> &#8211; one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/games\/\">VR Escape Games<\/a> offered by Entermission.<\/p>\n<p>Could zero-gravity flight and telekinesis effects be achieved in a traditional Escape Room?<\/p>\n<p>And, even for effects and experiences that may be offered in a traditional Escape Room, a Virtual Reality Escape Room would be able to bring them to life a lot better, due to the extensive system of inputs that runs the experience. More on this in a few minutes.<\/p>\n\t<p><strong>Removes some challenges of running a traditional Escape Room<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\t<h4><i>Prop damage, and prop wear and tear<\/i><\/h4>\n\t<p>One of the main problems faced by traditional Escape Rooms is prop damage.<\/p>\n<p>Players may try to force something that&#8217;s meant to be opened via logic, simply from adrenalin, resulting in breakage.<\/p>\n<p>Even a decorative prop could be damaged inadvertently.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/no-props-in-vr-escpe-room.jpg\" alt=\"no props in vr escpe room\" itemprop=\"image\" title=\"no props in vr escpe room\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\n\t<p>None of these issues will arise in a VR Escape Room &#8211; because there <b><i>ARE<\/i><\/b> no props!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The entire experience is a computer program.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, it&#8217;s not damage, but wear and tear that degrades props over time. Once again, a VR escape game removes that worry.<\/p>\n<h3>\n\t\tSpace constraints\n\t<\/h3>\n\t<p>Recreating the escape scenario in real life will take up space &#8211; space for which, unfortunately, rent will need to\u00a0 be paid.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/vr-escape-room-saves-rent.jpg\" alt=\"vr escape room saves rent\" itemprop=\"image\" title=\"vr escape room saves rent\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\n\t<p>Breaking into a room scenarios could be staged in an average sized room; however something like escape the haunted school would ideally need a large room, or multiple rooms for a realistic staging.<\/p>\n<p>Whereas, were you to open a VR Escape Room, one entire escape room could be housed within a 170 sq. ft. space, compared with 4 players wandering around a 400 sq. ft. space in a traditional Escape Room. In other words, a VR Escape Room helps you get more profits per unit area of your premises.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/reduced-space-vr-escape-room.png\" alt=\"reduced space vr escape room\" itemprop=\"image\" title=\"reduced space vr escape room\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\n\t<p>It also helps you overcome space constraints &#8211; for example, while remaining in the same 170 sq.ft. area, players could traverse from one setting to another, say from a desert to a forest.<\/p>\n<p>The same switch in a traditional Escape Room would require two separate rooms.<\/p>\n<h2>\n\t\tVR Escape Rooms involve multiple kinds of input\n\t<\/h2>\n\t<p>The key selling point of many a VR <a href=\"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/\">escape room franchise<\/a> (including Entermission) is a &#8216;multi-sensory experience&#8217;, that is, an experience that involves most, if not all the five senses &#8211; sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.<\/p>\n<p>Accordingly, a VR escape experience will involve multiple kinds of input for the player:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Visual<\/li>\n<li>Audio<\/li>\n<li>Olfactory (smells)<\/li>\n<li>Haptic (touch)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It is this extensive gamut of inputs that makes the virtual world &#8216;come alive&#8217; to the players.<\/p>\n<h2>\n\t\tVR Escape Rooms involve multiple kinds of input\n\t<\/h2>\n\t<p>The key selling point of many a VR <a href=\"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/\">escape room franchise<\/a> (including Entermission) is a &#8216;multi-sensory experience&#8217;, that is, an experience that involves most, if not all the five senses &#8211; sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.<\/p>\n<p>Accordingly, a VR escape experience will involve multiple kinds of input for the player:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Visual<\/li>\n<li>Audio<\/li>\n<li>Olfactory (smells)<\/li>\n<li>Haptic (touch)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It is this extensive gamut of inputs that makes the virtual world &#8216;come alive&#8217; to the players.<\/p>\n<h3>\n\t\tEquipment, a VR Escape Room would need\n\t<\/h3>\n\t<p>The equipment a VR Escape Room needs fall roughly under 3 categories<\/p>\n<h4>\n\t\tEquipment to create the multi-sensory experience\n\t<\/h4>\n\t<ul>\n<li>Headsets, LED accent lighting &#8211; for visuals<\/li>\n<li>Haptic device &#8211; like a special transducer, for creating the sensation of touch<\/li>\n<li>Wind generator, heat generator &#8211; to make the experience even more real life<\/li>\n<li>Scent generator &#8211; for olfactory (smells) input<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>\n\t\tEquipment to deliver the experience\n\t<\/h4>\n\t<p>At its base, a VR escape experience is a computer program. To run the program successfully, you need<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A VR core<\/li>\n<li>A hand tracking device &#8211; which tells the computer how the player is acting, so the next stage of the game can be configured accordingly<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>\n\t\tOther, practical equipment\n\t<\/h4>\n\t<ul>\n<li>UV cleansing wand and cleansing spray \/ wipes &#8211; to clean the headsets<\/li>\n<li>Back-up face foam for VR headsets, equipment and cabling &#8211; that&#8217;s the only bit of a VR Escape Room that may be exposed to wear and tear, so you need to keep some in reserve<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\n\t\tThe various VR Center Formats\n\t<\/h2>\n\t<p>If you&#8217;re serious about <a href=\"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/blog\/how-to-start-vr-escape-room-business\/\">starting a VR Escape Room<\/a>, or an VR Gaming Center, you&#8217;ll need to draw up a business plan. And one of the first things you&#8217;ll need to decide is, what kind of a VR Escape Room do you want?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b><i>VR Arcade<\/i><\/b> &#8211; It features a series of VR terminals one after another, with each terminal offering the entire menu of games you have. Players book a time slot at a terminal, and play whichever game(s) they want to.<\/li>\n<li><b><i>VR-only Escape Room<\/i><\/b> &#8211; Players book an entire room, which may feature a single game or a menu of games. Each room will have chairs for the players to sit on, VR headsets, controllers and headphones. The entire experience will be in the virtual world.<\/li>\n<li><b><i>Hybrid VR Escape Rooms<\/i><\/b> &#8211; Here too, players will book an entire room. However, in addition to chairs, headsets, controllers and headphones, a hybrid VR Escape Room will also feature real world inputs. For example, an explosion simulation will feature the chairs rumbling, wind and heat blowing into the face, and even a smell of gunpowder.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\n\t\tWhere can VR Escape Rooms prove useful\n\t<\/h2>\n\t<p>The key aspect of a VR Escape Room is the incredibly high level of immersion, and the wide range of inputs that can trigger various senses.<\/p>\n<h3>\n\t\tA more immersive and interactive experience\n\t<\/h3>\n\t<p>The participant can engage a lot more with the experience, via the computer program running the escape game.<\/p>\n<p>And, the multisensory input system offers a well-rounded experience, coming very close to the &#8216;doing something tangible&#8217; quality that a lot of enthusiasts cite as the reason escape rooms are so popular in the first place.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/vr-escape-room-party.gif\" alt=\"vr escape room party\" itemprop=\"image\" title=\"vr escape room party\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\n\t<p>These qualities are bound to make it popular among the &#8216;family friendly things to do&#8217;, &#8216;birthday party activity&#8217; and &#8216;corporate event&#8217; demographics.<\/p>\n<h3>\n\t\tTeam building in VR Escape Rooms\n\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/team-building-vr-escape-room.gif\" alt=\"team building vr escape room\" itemprop=\"image\" title=\"team building vr escape room\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\n\t<p>By giving people a stake in the outcome, a VR Escape Room can be a good option for organizing a team building event.<\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p>Because, having a stake in the outcome gives participants an incentive to take part in the activity wholeheartedly.<\/p>\n<h3>\n\t\tTraining in a VR Escape Room\n\t<\/h3>\n\t<p>The wide range of inputs that can be given &#8211; wind, temperature, different kinds of video and audio &#8211; can be very useful in simulating real-life situations, while removing real-life dangers from the equation.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/training-vr-escape-room.jpg\" alt=\"training vr escape room\" itemprop=\"image\" title=\"training vr escape room\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\n\t<p>So, for example, if you&#8217;re training a pilot, an escape experience can train them to face various kinds of critical situations, very realistically, giving them almost &#8216;practical experience&#8217;.<\/p>\n<h2>\n\t\tTo sum up,\n\t<\/h2>\n\t<p>The core of a Virtual Reality Escape Room is immersion.<\/p>\n<p>You can control various kinds of input to the player, creating a multi-sensory experience that is, well, virtually real.<\/p>\n<p>This not only makes a VR Escape Room a top draw for &#8216;an evening out&#8217;, but also makes it very important for team building events and training exercises.<\/p>\n<p>If you are interested in starting a VR Reality Room you can learn more about Entermission VR Escape Room Licensing and Franchising here.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An introduction to how virtual reality can redefine the escape room as we know it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1616,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":162,"label":"VR Escape Room"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/what-is-vr.jpg",800,600,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Christal Ho","author_link":"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/author\/christal\/"},"comment_info":25,"category_info":[{"term_id":162,"name":"VR Escape Room","slug":"vr-escape-room","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":162,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":162,"category_count":4,"category_description":"","cat_name":"VR Escape Room","category_nicename":"vr-escape-room","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterthemission.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}