The talk first aired at RECON Remote 23 on Sunday, August 20, 2023.
Errol Elumir is back with another puzzle design talk. Errol is a RECON mainstay and is one of our most popular speakers. He returned in 2023 with even more sound advice for puzzle designers everywhere. Plus, his meme game was on point.
6 Mindsets to Overcome as a Puzzle Designer
This video is now available on the Room Escape Artist YouTube channel!
Speaker: Errol Elumir
Company: (formerly) Room Escape Divas
There are common misconceptions beginner puzzle designers adopt such as needing to ‘beat’ the player, needing to be original, and needing to work solo. This talk will focus on how to move past those mindsets and design puzzles for player enjoyment!
This talk is a sequel to Errol’s RECON session from 2021.
Why This Topic?
Because Errol suggested it! We are always happy to listen to what he has to say and this time was no different. Puzzles are an important part of escape rooms and learning is an important part of RECON. One of the best ways to learn about improving your own puzzle design skillset is to attend RECON and learn from experienced designers like Errol.
This talk focuses and what designers can do to help get out of their own way and avoid simple mistakes. It reminds us to think about the players… and so many other common sense (but easily missed!) techniques to help make escape games smoother and more fun.
Highlights From The Live Discord Chat
The folks in the live chat loved Errol’s style and delivery. There was much agreement with each point as he presented it. The mention of bonus puzzles and puzzles where players need to guess at the answer really got the chat flowing.
There was strong agreement about the dislike for puzzle or game designs that take pride in their difficulty or low solve rate. In the chat, attendees offered ideas such as lighting and sound changes to enhance in-game cluing for certain types of puzzles.
Informative and hilarious was the general consensus of the group watching this talk and chatting alongside it.
RECON Los Angeles 24
Join us in person for RECON’s next curated lineup of talks. We’ll be in Los Angeles, California, August 18th & 19th, 2024.
Tickets are on sale now! Purchase your ticket today to get the Early Bird discount.
