You might have heard the phrase, “suspension of disbelief”. It’s loosely defined as a person’s willingness to ignore logical thought in favour of enjoying a story. For example, we can watch a superhero movie and become invested in the story even though we know that the characters and scenario are entirely fictional. Suspension of disbelief is a powerful tool used to embrace and surrender to everything from novels to television shows, and it’s the key ingredient to an incredible escape room experience.
A good escape room will have a basic story for you to follow. A great escape room will have a story that draws you in and makes you invested. You should be afraid when you play a horror game, you should believe that you’ve been transported in time if the game is historical. You can’t feel immersed without suspending your disbelief, and without immersion what’s the point of an escape room? Immersion defines the escape room experience, without it, games are about as interesting as solving puzzles at home.
A great escape room experience requires you to suspend disbelief, but the game has to help you do so. Every detail like the set, the puzzles, the narrative, all of it should contribute to transporting you out of your reality and into the world of the game. Once you step inside, you should temporarily forget about the trials of your day-to-day life, or rather, the game’s reality should take over for the hour while you’re playing. Special effects like ambient sounds or fog help enhance the realism of the experience and create the illusion that you’re lost in another world.
It’s easy to become immersed in a story when you feel like you have control. An escape room that gives you the illusion of agency is sure to make you forget all about your work deadlines or upcoming assignments, at least temporarily. If you feel like you’re shaping the story, you’re more likely to surrender to it, a good escape room will create that opportunity. When you play, you should be the star of the show; you should feel like you’re in control of the game and shaping its direction. By exercising your agency and suspending disbelief, you can truly maximize your next escape room experience.