“We really wanted to make a game that would encourage creators to make more weird stuff.”

Low budgets, tight spaces, and a DIY mentality. As it turns out, indie filmmaking and creating escape rooms have a lot in common. James Hamer-Morton & Charlie Bond of Deadlocked Escape Rooms in Reading, UK, know this better than anyone. They joined us on REPOD to talk about creating their quirky, puzzle-driven games.

James and Charlie actually met as actors on the set of a film, and they’ve been partners in life and business ever since. David even wrote a post about one of their projects, Echoes of Darkness: A Star Wars Fan Film .

These origins really honed their “do-it-yourself” ethos. As Charlie puts it, “It originally stems from a lack of funds. But also it’s enjoyable to do it yourself, and to learn a new skill in the process.” Where Deadlocked really shines though is in their creativity. Their games have quirky mechanics and stories. They’ve employed clever tricks to make the sets feel larger than they are.

Relying on quick wits and creativity have allowed Deadlocked to stay nimble. During the pandemic, they created a wonderful virtual game called The Insiders that gave them global recognition in the escape room world. This led to them giving a talk at the very first RECON about Adapting Your Escape Room Business to New Mediums.

James and Charlie have spent the better part of a decade building one of the UK’s most distinctive escape room companies. Deadlocked is currently ranked the #1 escape room in the UK, and their newest game, The Reading Witch, recently topped the TERPECA rankings for England.

One of my favorite stories from this episode is about the time they were playing an escape room and they stopped mid-game to help the owners fix a broken prop. They are two of the most charismatic, creative, and relentlessly hands-on people in the business, and I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG’s Playhouse, and Buzzshot. 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: RECON – The Reality Escape Convention
• 04:23 Lessons From Film Sets
• 08:49 Deadlocked Origin Story
• 13:06 Designing The Time Machine
• 17:52 Sponsor Break: Buzzshot, Escape Room Marketing Software
• 20:59 Building The Reading Witch
• 25:30 Acquiring Knockout Escape Rooms
• 29:09 Inventing the Locktopus
• 32:23 DIY Ethos and New Skills
• 37:10 Fixing Props on Vacation
• 38:57 Sponsor Break: Room Escape Artist Patreon – Bonus Episodes, Spoilers Club & More
• 41:25 Pandemic Pivot to Online Games
• 43:57 A New Term for Imposter Syndrome
• 45:50 Escape Room Books
• 52:35 The Power of Live Talks
• 54:19 Sponsor Break: PG’s Playhouse – Puzzles, Pals, and Trivia
• 55:53 Glastonbury Porta Potty
• 01:05:32 Learning from Big Budgets
• 01:09:56 Thanksgiving Culture Shock
• 01:19:19 Credits
• 01:20:48 Bonus Story: Empowering A Scared Player

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

• Deadlocked Escape Rooms Website
• Knockout Escape Rooms Website
• James Hamer-Morton Website
• Escape from the Gallery (Book available on Amazon)
• Deadlocked Reviews on REA:
  • The Time Machine
  • The Reading Witch
• Online/ Virtual Reviews on REA:
  • The Insiders
  • The Cyphstress
  • The Movember Virtual MoScape Room
  • Tunnelling Through Time

About James Hamer-Morton and Charlie Bond

Deadlocked Escape Rooms

• Instagram: @deadlockedescaperooms
• Facebook: Deadlocked Escape Rooms

Charlie Bond

• Instagram: @misscharliebond

James Hamer-Morton

• Instagram: @volvi1

Charlie Bond and James Hamer-Morton are the co-founders of Deadlocked Escape Rooms in Reading, England. Their newest game, The Reading Witch is currently ranked the #1 escape room in the UK. They are known for experiences that prioritize narrative immersion and inventive puzzle design.

Both are working actors, and that performance background shows up in everything Deadlocked makes. Charlie has appeared in British film and theatre, including a sold-out run of Dracula at the Leicester Square Theatre, while James’s credits include My Bloody Banjo and Eating Miss Campbell. James has also authored multiple escape room puzzle books.

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