Author: benfarquharson

Why Escape Rooms Are the Perfect Family-Friendly Activity

benfarquharson

Why Escape Rooms Are the Perfect Family-Friendly Activity

In the quest for engaging, memorable, and family-friendly activities, escape rooms have emerged as a top choice for families looking to bond, challenge themselves, and have a great time. These immersive, puzzle-solving adventures offer a unique blend of fun and mental stimulation, making them an ideal option for all ages. Here’s why escape rooms are perfect for your next family outing.

1. Promote Teamwork and Communication

Escape rooms require participants to work together to solve puzzles, find clues, and ultimately “escape” the room within a set time limit. This need for cooperation fosters teamwork and communication among family members. Each person’s unique perspective and skills are valuable, making everyone feel included and important. This collaborative environment strengthens family bonds and improves communication skills.

2. Cater to All Ages

One of the greatest aspects of escape rooms is their inclusivity. Many escape rooms are designed to be family-friendly, ensuring that puzzles and themes are appropriate for all age groups. Whether you have young children, teenagers, or grandparents participating, everyone can contribute to the adventure. The variety of puzzles—ranging from simple observation tasks to complex logic problems—ensures that everyone can find something they enjoy and excel at.

3. Encourage Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Escape rooms are not just about fun; they also provide a mental workout. Participants must use critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills to progress. These cognitive challenges are not only entertaining but also educational. Children, in particular, benefit from these activities as they develop important skills such as logical reasoning, spatial awareness, and patience.

4. Create Lasting Memories

The unique and immersive nature of escape rooms makes for memorable experiences. The excitement of discovering a clue, the thrill of solving a challenging puzzle, and the satisfaction of escaping (or almost escaping) creates moments that families will reminisce about for years. These shared experiences are the foundation of cherished family memories.

5. Provide a Break from Screen Time

In today’s digital age, finding activities that encourage families to unplug and engage in face-to-face interaction is increasingly important. Escape rooms offer a welcome respite from screens, promoting real-world interactions and physical activity. This screen-free time is invaluable for fostering deeper connections and encouraging mindfulness.

6. Offer Variety and Replayability

Escape rooms come in a wide range of themes and difficulty levels, ensuring there is something for every family’s taste and skill level. From haunted houses and treasure hunts to space missions and mystery adventures, the variety is endless. This means families can enjoy multiple escape room experiences without them feeling repetitive. Additionally, many escape room venues regularly update their rooms or add new ones, providing fresh challenges and reasons to return.

7. Safe and Controlled Environment

Escape rooms provide a safe and controlled environment where families can explore and challenge themselves without real-world risks. The venues typically have safety protocols and game masters who monitor the activity, ready to assist if needed. This controlled setting ensures that families can focus on fun and teamwork without worrying about safety concerns.

Conclusion

Escape rooms are more than just a trend; they are a perfect blend of fun, education, and family bonding. The collaborative nature, cognitive benefits, inclusivity, and variety they offer make them an ideal activity for families looking to spend quality time together. Next time you’re planning a family outing, consider stepping into an escape room for an unforgettable adventure that will bring your family closer and leave you with stories to tell for years to come.

Dispelling the Myth ESCAPE ROOMS AREN’T ABOUT LOCKING YOU IN ROOMS! 

() benfarquharson

Whether at a family party explaining that I run an escape room or speaking to prospective customers about what we offer – I keep finding that I hear the same misguided response “I’m scared I would never get out” or “I wouldn’t want to be locked in somewhere for an hour – I’m claustrophobic” – it seems that the focus always seems to be on the ‘locked in a small space’ aspect and not on what I believe it should be which is the interactivity, fun and sense of adventure that escape rooms bring! I often think that just the name itself ‘Escape Room’ is what has caused this myth – I admit it can sound a bit ominous! That’s why I would love to start a petition to change the name from Escape Rooms to Puzzle Quests or Adventure Games or something cool like that – but that’s another blog entirely!

Contrary to what some believe, Escape Rooms are all about having a fun bonding experience with your family/friends! Think of it like being in a gameshow like The Crystal Maze or Raven you have to solve puzzles and conquer challenges in order to complete the storyline objective before your time runs out!

Here are a few house rules at Hourglass Games;

  1. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE IS FOR YOU AND YOUR TEAM TO HAVE FUN! Say it louder for those at the back, folks. Honestly, I feel like I need to get this written on a t-shirt and across my forehead!
  2. Here in the UK, there are many, many laws that stipulate that you cannot actually lock people in spaces without means of exit.
  3. Claustrophobic or don’t like the idea of being ‘locked in’ a room? – FUN FACT – at Hourglass Games, you are never (EVER) locked in and can always leave the experience at whatever point you choose. Our games only have a curtain separating you from the outside world so never be afraid to leave the room if you so wish. Although we won’t stop the timer (the game will continue for the rest of your team), you can always be re-inserted back into your game once you’ve been to the toilet, taken a breather or just stepped out for a while!

Now we’ve got that out of the way, perhaps you should come and give Hourglass Games Escape Rooms a try! We promise to offer a fun and safe experience for everybody that walks through our doors!

Hope to see you soon,

Ben

Why Our Escape Rooms Are Perfect For First Time Players 

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Price – With prices ranging from between £8-15 per person – Our escape room games are cheaper than others on the market. This means less of a financial commitment if you just want to get a feel for what escape rooms are and if you want to do others in the future. It is worth saying that there are many other great escape rooms to try once you’ve caught the bug so do go out and try those once you’ve visited us! 

Difficulty – The ‘escape rate’ on our rooms are high. This means that the majority of players that play our games end up achieving the storyline objective  within the allotted timeframe. Whether this objective is escaping the pirate ship with your treasure before it sinks or finding a legendary Ancient Egyptian relic before the time is up – You and your family/friends can leave us with an amazing feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment to take you into future escape room experiences! 

Our games takes place in one room meaning that you don’t have room after room of puzzles to tackle – this makes the experience less intimidating for first time players – although multi room escape rooms are also really fun once you’ve got the knack! 

Well known/ accessible themes – Pirates and Ancient Egypt are well known and diverse themes meaning that they are suitable for adults, teenagers and children alike! This makes them the perfect family activity and introduction to new ‘escapees’.  This means that you don’t have to worry about being scared out of your wits in a horror themed room or doing unsuitable rooms as a family of different ages.