5 Reasons Why Players Struggle To Break Out Of Escape Rooms

An escape room is the perfect game to enjoy with family and friends and an excellent indoor team-building activity for corporate entities. That said, not everyone is cut out to break out of an escape room, and they have difficulty getting a knack for it despite repeated attempts.

If you’re one such person that has a hard time putting the pieces together or doing it fast enough before time runs out, there may be some practical reasons for it. Below, we cover what these common reasons are, and if some apply to you, don’t take it personally—knowing the issue and fixing it will give you a better chance in your next game!

1. Your communication skills need improvement

Not everyone is naturally good at communicating. Therefore, you may not be quite versed in getting your point across to the team, or you may be too open to the other’s ideas. There’s also the chance that this is the case for most other players on your team, leading to a jumble of ideas all over the place and a lack of direction. While leadership is a wholly different aspect when it comes to escape rooms, the point remains that being a good communicator starts with being a good listener.

2. You don’t play well with a team

Some people work better alone, while others work better in a team—that’s just how things are. Just because escape rooms need players working as a team doesn’t mean it is not a game for people who work best alone. There will always be mysteries and puzzles in escape rooms suited for a single person, especially if they have a skill no one else on the team has.

3. Time limits are not your thing

Keeping a cool head and being good at handling chaos and pressure is not something everyone can do. People develop this trait from past or current experiences and are thus far less vulnerable to panic. If you find yourself panicking from the lack of progress in an escape room, take a pause and do some deep breathing exercises. Try not to take on too many puzzles at once, and remember that it is better to slow it down a notch. After all, escape rooms are just a game at the end of the day, and not winning won’t be the end of the world. You can always try again next time and do better!

4. Maybe it’s your team

Keep in mind that how well you do in escape rooms isn’t all on you. Perhaps in some games, your team members simply do not mesh well, there are too many players wanting to take the lead, or the team chemistry simply isn’t there.

In short, there could be many reasons why your team is playing as a team. Thus, look for players with the same personality, temperament, and skill level as you, as a team of like-minded players could do wonders for your game.

5. You just need more practice

One or two games aren’t enough to make anyone familiar with how escape rooms play; just like everything, they take practice. The puzzles and challenges in escape rooms are not something that you encounter in your daily life. For instance, engineers have pre-wired expertise in dissecting problems, while teachers possess exceptional patience and communication skills.

Thus, the more games you play, the more they will become easier as you get the hang of it. And remember that since escape rooms exercise skills that are only seldom used in everyday life, playing often helps hone them until you get better.

Conclusion

If you feel down about not winning your recent escape room attempts, don’t fret, as you can get better like any other game. Moreover, winning is not exactly the point of escape rooms to begin with; it’s to have fun with the loved ones you bring along for the ride!

To mix up your next attempt, consider visiting The Escape Artist’s Habourfront Shopping Centre escape room! Try out our wide range of escape room adventures, from on-site to virtual experiences. If you’re interested, we also take our escape rooms to novel locations around Singapore, such as Fort Siloso, The National Gallery Singapore, and Haw Par Villa, through our Mass Escape Game.

To book a session or enquire about information, email us at Hello@TheEscapeArtist.sg or call 69889467 from 1.30pm to 10pm.