”What I like about creation is leaving the players with something to remember.”

The Dome has dominated the TERPECA list of top escape rooms in the world since it opened in 2019. It’s stayed in the top 10, and for two years in a row, it was considered the world’s #1 escape room by enthusiasts everywhere.

Eric Spring in ‘t Veld is the owner of Mama Bazooka and the mind behind The Dome and The Girl’s Room, located in the Netherlands. We dig into the concept behind his games, why he designs escape rooms a certain way, and the challenges he faced along the way. I especially enjoyed learning about the American TV show that was a huge inspiration for The Girl’s Room.

In fact, over the course of the interview, Eric often came back to the importance of finding your inspiration. His two most well-received games were both conceived when an inspiration “lit a fire inside (of him).” He also very candidly tells us about losing that inspiration while in the process of playtesting The Dome, and how he needed to step away to regain a fresh perspective. This worked, because David tells us that there was a marked difference in players’ reception to the game in the very early days of the game’s launch compared to after Eric returned from his break, reinspired.

Creating anything requires not only a huge investment of time and money, but it also requires a strong belief in your concept. I certainly found inspiration from hearing Eric tell us about his escape room journey, and I hope you will as well.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: Weldwood Marketing, Buzzshot, and COGS. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.

Topics Discussed in this Episode

• 00:00 Sponsor Break: Cogs By Clockwork Dog, Interactive Show Controls
• 02:30 The Beginnings of the Netherlands’ Escape Room Scene
• 06:10 How His Early Games Have Changed Over the Years
• 11:12 The Girl’s Room
• 15:55 Sponsor Break: Weldwood Digital Marketing Agency
• 18:03 Describing The Dome
• 19:26 The Challenges of Creating The Dome
• 25:57 Sponsor Break: Buzzshot, Escape Room Marketing Software
• 27:55 The Lost Trailer for The Dome
• 29:41 Reworking The Dome for Multiple Teams
• 31:45 The Feeling of Being at the Top of the TERPECA List
• 36:17 Inspiration for the Mama Bazooka Name Change
• 37:14 The Iconic Doorway & the Mama Bazooka Team
• 40:10 Sponsor Break: RECON & PG’s Playhouse
• 41:20 A Unique Approach to the Lobby
• 44:05 Effect of Mama Bazooka’s Popularity on a Small Town
• 48:05 What Comes Next for Eric
• 51:10 Credits
• 53:53 Bonus Story

Leave a Voicemail

Got a question or thought for the podcast? You can submit a voice recording by calling the Room Escape Artist not-so-hotline that always goes straight to voicemail (551-227-7273).

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Mama Bazooka Website
• REA Reviews
  • The Laboratory
  • The Girl’s Room
  • The Dome
    

About Eric Spring in ‘t Veld

Instagram: @mama_bazooka

Eric grew up backstage, in a home filled with music, puppets, and spotlights. His parents managed famous Dutch artists, while his mother, a puppeteer, ran a life-sized puppet theatre, with his father taking care of set design, lighting, and sound. Little Eric soaked it all in. He later toured for years as a drummer, playing festivals and theaters across Europe and the Caribbean.

Then, in 2011, a new adventure came knocking: escape rooms. After playing one in Budapest with his then-girlfriend, they decided to bring the concept to the Netherlands. Together with a crew of creative friends, Eric helped build the country’s very first escape room, The Laboratory, opening it to the public in 2013. It became a hit. Soon followed The Girl’s Room, which won international awards, and a few years later THE DOME, crowned best escape room in the world twice by TERPECA.

In his work, Eric enjoys exploring the space between absurdity, unpredictability, tension, humor, illusion, and beauty.

Support REPOD

• Subscribe to Patreon for bonus content.
• Please rate and review our podcast!

Thanks for listening!

Support Room Escape Artist’s Mission

There are lots of ways to support Room Escape Artist, like buying from Amazon or Etsy after clicking into the links included in this post or backing us on Patreon.

The money that we make from these helps us to grow the site and continue to add more value to the community that we love so much.