Room Escape Artist

A guest piece by Tommy Honton via The RECON Observer

You know that feeling when you’re playing a game, and there’s a long cutscene that you’re desperately mashing buttons to skip? That’s how I feel when a gamemaster says, “So, do you know how this kind of lock works?” Because I know what’s coming and I desperately want to skip it.

Across the board, introductions are the weakest part of escape rooms. It doesn’t matter the location, the budget, or the experience of the company — virtually everyone is guilty of it.

The time between people arriving and the game actually starting is an awkward one. Once all the players have been waivered, bathroomed, lockered, and wrangled, a staff member will blast everyone with an overly-long video or a half-hearted speech going over a laundry list of rules that people will forget after 15 seconds. And then comes the dreaded transition: “Now I bet you’re wondering why you’re here…”

Keep it Short

Now I love a good story. Really, I do. But a long-winded, poorly-produced intro is NOT good storytelling. Rather, it’s an obstacle standing between me and the reason I came in the first place—to get to the action, solve the puzzles, and immerse myself in the world of the game. I do want story in the game! I just want it to fold into the structure and format of the game itself — not be a hurdle holding me back from playing.

The worst sin is when this long-winded intro takes place IN the room, and we’re told not to start playing until it’s over. The starting area has been spoiled, and everyone’s distracted, examining the space instead of paying attention to the set up exposition.

That’s not to say I haven’t seen good introductions. Sure, I’ve seen intros artfully done with slick videos, dramatic audio, or cool lighting or media tricks, but even the most dramatic accouterments don’t excuse making your customers suffer through a long intro. 

I’m not advocating for cold starts, mind you. Rules are important, as is setting up the world. But there’s an art to being clear and concise with rules, then letting the game do the rest.

Cut the fluff. Not everything you write has to be kept in. Edit it down or save it for the website. Give us the essentials and let us dive in. Keep the intro under a minute. Trust your players to organically discover the nuances through the experience itself — that’s true immersion.

“I wish that intro was longer!” said no one, ever. Creators, please streamline your intros. Hit the bullet points, set the stage economically, then get the hell out of the way and let us play. We’ll appreciate you for it, your story will be more compelling when unveiled organically, and hey, you’ll save time, too! 

So, for the love of all that is immersive, can we just get started already?

The RECON Observer

This piece was first published on August 18, 2024 in The RECON Observer, a print publication distributed at RECON Los Angeles. While the complete newspaper and all of its secrets were only available at RECON Los Angeles, we’re making a few columns available on Room Escape Artist for all to enjoy.

Attend RECON

RECON returns this August as an online event that you can access from anywhere in the world.

RECON Remote 25 will take place August 17-18, 2025.

The event includes:

• 8 speaker sessions with live Q&As
• An exhibit hall and live product demos from sponsors
• Facilitated discussions for professionals (and aspiring professionals!)
• Community conversations in our virtual venue
• An exclusive game designed just for this event
• And so much more!

Learn more about RECON here. Ticket are on sale now!