Julie Kaplan ’17 was locked in a room in middle of New York City earlier this year. There was a timer in the corner. Obscure puzzles were scattered around the room– a set of books with codes on their spines that unlocked a computer, and a chess piece with strange numbers inscribed.
Kaplan had one hour to solve the puzzles and free herself.
Kaplan wasn’t in a horror movie– she was in Escape the Room.
Escape the Room is a company based in New York City that has grown in popularity among Staples students. According to the company’s website, the concept is to put customers in a room that looks “ordinary,” but is “actually a mystery puzzle.” The website says that participants have one hour to “find the hidden objects, figure out the clues and solve the puzzles to earn your freedom.”
“It’s fun and at the same time really engages your brain,” Kaplan said. “I feel motivated to do it again because I didn’t escape.”
Bobby Becker ’16 went to a program similar to Escape the Room in upstate New York with his church youth group. He fared better than Kaplan, escaping his room with about eight minutes to spare.
“I had a newfound sense of freedom,” he said. “I felt accomplished.”
As more students make their way to the city to try to escape, the company’s popularity amongst Staples students increases.
Sophia Sherman ’18 has never done Escape the Room, but said she found the concept interesting.
“It’s testing your intelligence,” she said. “People want to prove they can do it.”