WHERE CHALLENGE IS A GAME

The term escape room, pardon the pun, no longer captures it. With the evolution of the immersive entertainment industry over the past decade, an escape room has become a far more visceral experience. It has evolved into a real-life adventure game where players can engulf themselves in a story that is supported by surroundings, detailed set design, props and special effects.

Automation systems, augmented reality, personal digital assistants and other modern technologies and devices are used to create explorative, atmospheric and enthralling worlds. Live actors also interact with the players to increase the degree of realism in the game.

In such an immersive atmosphere, players will find it easy to engage themselves in a plot which requires them to search for hidden clues. They will get hints from non-player characters, solve puzzles, decipher codes and accomplish their ultimate goal－break free from the room in a race against the clock.

According to a report conducted last year by the Meituan Research Institute, over 83 percent of consumers who play escape room games are aged between 20 and 35, and around 10 percent of the players are aged from 35 to 50. The institute is set up by Meituan Dianping, an on-demand services platform in Beijing.

The report shows that by the end of 2018, there were nearly 10,700 escape room venues across the country, most of which were located in metropolises, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing. More than 40,000 users had made at least five bookings to play escape room games via the platform last year.

The reality show Great Escape, where a team of celebrities experience such escapades, has been released to bring the fun to both players who have experienced the game and viewers who have never tried it before.

The show's director He Shu says that the escape room game, which requires teamwork, speed, problem solving skills, creativity and patience, has become a trendy and popular social outlet for young people. Many of them prefer to play the game with friends in their leisure time rather than going to the cinema or shopping together.

"It gives us a strong sense of achievement, when people meet the challenge and break out from the escape room, which requires reasoning skills, physical effort and efficient collaboration," she says. "It's a good ice-breaking tool to make new friends, as well as grow closer with old ones."

Its second season, aired on livestreaming platform Mango TV since June 30, has seen a group of celebrities－including actress Yang Mi, actor Deng Lun, pop idol Huang Minghao, singer-songwriter Zhang Wei and cross-talk performer Guo Qilin－experience thrilling adventures in several well-designed escape rooms, some of which offer a theme pertaining to moral issues.

After the first season, Yang wrote on micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo: "As a beginner who hadn't tried the game before, I learned how to trace clues and solve puzzles and enjoyed overcoming each barrier with my teammates. It not only gave me a group of close friends, but also guided me to ponder over such issues as environmental protection, animal conservation and sound education for children."

So far, the second season's first episode has notched up more than 200 million views, according to box-office tracker Maoyan.

One viewer's comment about the show on the review platform Douban may be echoed by many followers. It reads: "I haven't been to an escape room for several months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The show helps me to recall the happiness, excitement and nervousness I experience when playing the game. Sometimes the celebrity guests' reactions and interactions can be hilarious, and watching the show is relaxing."

Scenarios are designed to be thought-provoking. For instance, in the episode named Secret of the Barbecue Restaurant, players entered a place which looks like a stray animal shelter, but as they deciphered codes and collected more clues, they found out that it was actually a barbecue restaurant where the sheltered animals would be slaughtered and used as food. It addressed the issue of animal protection, He says.

Other escape rooms in the show's first season are set as a mysterious cave, an abandoned school, a boxing gym and a spooky mansion. In total, there are 10,563 props in 61 rooms, which cover 7,900 square meters.

Staff from major domestic escape room providers, including You Yu Entertainment and Mr X, work as consultants to improve the immersion experience and adjust the degree of difficulty of the show.

Building up these sets is a challenge for the production team, but as a way to ensure their sustainability, He says that the escape rooms will soon be opened to the public.