SHOW NOTES
Curt and Chris welcome special guests Christine and Jeremiah from Exit Games OC. The discussion delves into the origins and inspirations behind Exit Games OC, the nuances of their popular ’13th Basement’ game, and the impact of escape rooms on their marriage. Additionally, they share insights on the technical challenges and creative processes involved in escape room design, the importance of community among escape room owners, and their plans for future family-friendly games.
LINKS
- The Exit Game OC
- Mission Escape Games
- Wild Goose Escapes
- The Escape Game
- Playful Technology – Node RED
- The Haunt Girl
- Cross Roads
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Don’t sacrifice fun for theming. Fun has to be the main goal in game design.
- Don’t target enthusiasts in your marketing. They will find you. Find a way to market to everyone else.
- You can run the whole game on Node RED.
- Beta-Testing is VERY important. Don’t make players pay to beta-test your games.
- Don’t “open” a game until it’s ready. It’s hard to recover from bad reviews.
- Don’t stand for any of your staff saying bad things about your customers. That’s not the culture you want.
- Hire people with the energy that makes you want to be around them.
- Listen to your gut when hiring. Don’t hire out of desperation.
- Allowing in-room photos and video can be great for your business.
- Players who take photos or videos during the game aren’t looking to spoil things for others.
- Have flashlights available for those who have trouble seeing in low light.
- Set up the lighting so that it helps the players be it leading them to the next puzzle or illuminating a lock.
- National Escape Room Day is October 1st.
- Don’t build games for enthusiasts, build them for the new or casual players.
- Make your games as safe as you can. An unsafe game can destroy your business and would be bad for the industry.
- If you put your puzzles at eye level for those in wheelchairs, those puzzles can be accessed by kids. A great tip for family-friendly games.
CONNECT AND FOLLOW EXIT GAME OC
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