To get the best results, escape rooms require teamwork and coordination. Unfortunately, not everyone is a team player. When you enter an escape room, you may find your team is not as cohesive as you expected. Here are some common stereotypes you may encounter during your escape attempt.
The Shy One
While being shy is not a bad thing in day to day life, in escape rooms the shy one can be quite unhelpful. They may be too afraid of appearing bossy or inept, so they hang by the sidelines and let the rest of the team pick up the slack. Sometimes they even know the solution to a puzzle and don’t speak up! Luckily, the shy one can be turned into a successful member of the team with just a little encouragement.
The Control Freak
We all know the type. The control freak is someone who immediately turns the team into their own personal workforce. They order everyone around in hopes of escaping, but end up sucking the fun out of the whole experience. When it comes to escape rooms, success and fun should go hand in hand. A friendly reminder that working as a team can be more effective and fun before the door locks behind you is a good idea.
The Lone Wolf
No matter how good of an escape artist they are, the lone wolf is not an ideal teammate. Not to be confused with the control freak, the lone wolf attempts to complete each puzzle by themselves. They often rush around the room without letting their teammates know what is going on, which causes many issues in a team-based activity. The lone wolf can be reeled in by the occasional question “What are you doing over there and how can I help?”
The Rule Breaker
Some people just love to break the rules. And in a fun place like escape rooms, the rule breaker comes out in full force. They will move the furniture around for fun, touch and mess around with every prop in sight, and constantly look for cheats to a puzzle. In these situations, you would almost hope for a control freak to control them!
The Defeatist
Escape rooms don’t leave you completely on your own, you are free to ask for the occasional clue. The defeatist is the person in the group who abuses this privilege. The moment they feel a puzzle is too difficult, they ask for another clue. One of the most satisfying things about escape rooms is the feeling you get when you put your brain to the test and solve a difficult problem. By constantly asking for clues, the defeatist makes your experience less satisfying. The defeatist can be helped by the positive chant of “If we work together, we can do this on our own!”
Wildcard
This isn’t a negative stereotype, but it is an interesting one nonetheless. The wildcard can be the shy one, the rule breaker or even the defeatist. It happens when everyone is stumped and the time is ticking down. Out of nowhere, the wildcard solves the puzzle with ease and surprises everyone. This is actually one of the more entertaining aspects of escape rooms. It is always fun when someone comes through exactly when the team needs it.
Break the Stereotypes of Escape Rooms
In order to get the most out of an escape room, you need two ingredients – teamwork and a well-designed room. At 13th Hour, you provide the perfect team and together enjoy our high quality and entertaining escape rooms. We even offer an escape room and dinner combo courtesy of Hot Rods BBQ! Come join us for a thrilling experience and buy your tickets today!