I remember learning tally marks in elementary school. It never crossed my mind that there might be different ways to tally.
About a year ago this image showed up in one of my feeds and I saved it:
I’m not sure of the origin of this image, if you know, please contact me.
Since saving this, I’ve tried the other two methods of tallying (mostly while puzzling) and I have some opinions and conclusions to share.
I love the “box” method
After trying all of these out, I’ve found what I’ll call the “box” method is considerably better for me.
Drawing
Drawing the box feels better because I can do it without looking, and without picking up my pen.
With the other two methods, I have to at least be aware of what my pen is doing and where it’s placed.
Viewing
At a quick glance, the box method has a visual distinctiveness that I find easier to process than the other two.
With the vertical tallies that I grew up with, sometimes I have a hard time visually processing whether there are 3 or 4 lines.
Intricacy
According to Dig Mandarin, “Chinese tally marks add up to make the shape of the Chinese character 正 (pronounced zhèng), which means “correct” or ‘true/right.'”
I think it’s really cool that there is a tally method that has meaning in addition to function, but I couldn’t comfortably make this work for me. However, I imagine it would feel a lot more natural if I grew up drawing Chinese characters.
There’s No Right Or Wrong Way
There’s no right or wrong way to tally. Speaking for myself, I’m glad that I found a new way to accomplish this task.
I would have been fine using the method that I grew up on for the rest of my life, but I am happier with this new one. I always find it cool when I learn a better or different way to do a thing that I had assumed was only done one way.
As our RECON Value Book Offer, today we’re releasing a Patreon Bonus Episode from Season 1 to give you a sneak peek of our REPOD Patreon perks.
Bonus Content
After each episode, hosts Peih-Gee and David record another show, just for Patreon backers ($5/ month and up). Sometimes the guests stick around for the aftershow.
Where the main episode is a heavily edited and produced experience, the bonus content is a freeform conversation.
Season 1 Episode 4
This sneak peek is the REPOD S1E4 Patreon Bonus Content, recorded with Anne and Chris Lukeman from CU Adventures in Time & Space.
As a Room Escape Patreon backer, you get lots of great perks including early access to blog posts and access to every podcast bonus episode.
Plus, as a backer at any level you get to join our discord channel, one of our favorite places for escape room (and other) conversation. It’s a great group of folks!
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.
When we started the REA Hivemind in April of 2020, our approach was a response to an industry in crisis. As so many online games emerged, we considered each one in the context of our lives without in-person escape rooms. As such, we built the following scale, represented by stars:
The hivemind review stars have specific meanings, tied to a time of quarantine. As each reviewer has slowly emerged into the world outside their homes again, some more than others, the stars have remained indicative of thoughts on a game during a period of quarantine.
Now, 18 months later, the REA Hivemind is still going strong, but we’re leaving the stars behind… and honestly, it’s about time.
Today’s online escape room products are much more akin to tabletop escape rooms in that they are their own genre, intentionally designed for their medium and not as a substitute for something else. We’ll continue to review them in the more classic REA way, relying entirely on prose to help a discerning audience decide if this is the game for them.
Upcoming In-Person Reviews
In addition to continued online and tabletop escape game coverage, in-person escape room coverage will be back in full swing this fall.
Provided all traveling goes according to plan, you can expect reviews from:
We’re excited to be visiting friends, family, and escape rooms again!
Thank you
Thank you to our Patreon backers, who continue to support us as we shift how we cover escape rooms and strive to provide the best content we can for this industry.
Ace Amanda Harris Andrew Reynolds Andrew Sturridge Angie Meyers Anna Lysova Anne Lukeman Ben Rosner Bethany Bill Chang Breakout Games Brett Kuehner Brian Resler Brian Vinciguerra Bronna Butler Byron Delmonico Bytes C.J. Smith Cara Mandel Chris Cannon Chris M. Dickson Chris White Daniel Egnor Daniel Kolb Darren Miller David Longley deadpan 1113 Derek Tam Drew Nelson Elaine Emile Wang Eric Mittler Erich Schultz Farand Pawlak Greg Marinelli Haley & Cameron Cooper Herbert Chan James Shearer Jan-Luc Van Damme Jason’s Fitness Consigliere Jenna Jim of PARADOXsquared John Wardrope Jon Kaufthal
Jonathan Dautrich Jonathan Driscoll Joseph Allen Joseph Friesen Joseph Mayeux Josh Kendrick Julie Burge Justin Nevins Kathryn Kelly Kevin Kurt Leinbach Laura E. Hall Lee-Fay Low Leo Dennett Lindsay Froelich Lonnie Lori Miller Marisa Capobianco Mark Blume Mark Denine Matt Beverly Matt Keyser Matthew Stein Michael Andersen Michael Wolman Michelle Rundbaken Mihir Kedia Nathan Walton Neda Delavarpour Negina Kolesar Nick Moran Nick Rose No Proscenium Olivia Anderson Omer Aru Patrick McLean Patrick McNamara Paul Paul Tashima Paula Swann Philip Ho Phillip Justman Psych Out
Puzzling Company Rebecca Horste Rene Sorette Rex Miller Rich Bragg Richard Burns Rob Tsuk Ruud Kool Ryan Brady Ryan Hart S T Cameron Samantha Koehler Sara Reed Sarah Zhang Scott Olson Sean McBride Sendil Krishnan Seth Wolfson Spencer Arnold Stark Stephanie McNeill Steve Ewing Steve Gaddy Steven Valdez Stuart Bogaty Stuart Nafey Tahlia Kirk Tammy McLeod Teo Litto Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp The Escape Room USA The Wild Optimists Theresa Piazza Theresa Wagner Tiffany Schaefer Todd Geldon Todd McClary Tom Henley Tommy Victor van Doorn Vivien Ripoll Wesley James Will Rutherford YouEscape
To those of you reading who have the means, we hope you’ll consider joining this wonderful group of supporters.
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.
Thank you to the many REA readers who joined us for RECON 21!
We really enjoyed seeing and meeting many of you in the RECON Discord.
RECON was a blur… with streamed talks, discussion groups, games, and even workshops sometimes all taking place simultaneously. In case you missed something, here’s what you need to know today.
Top 5 Things to Know
The featured talks will all be available on the Room Escape Artist YouTube channel in the coming weeks. Stay tuned. Or, better yet, subscribe! Then you’ll know as soon as they are posted.
For those who attended RECON, the post-RECON survey is now available. We’d really love your feedback. And on the final page, right before you hit “submit,” you can click to enter to win a copy of Box One signed by Neil Patrick Harris, and provided by Theory 11.
The RECON Discord isn’t closing. However, if you met someone at RECON who you want to stay in contact with, you should “friend” them on Discord. Then you can easily send direct messages. This is not a weird thing to do. “Friend” all the great people you met!
The RECON swag shop will be open only a little while longer. This is your last chance to grab some awesome RECON ’21 swag.
Yes, there was an ARG at RECON. And yes, you can still solve it. Enjoy!
Thank you!
RECON is only possible because of the incredible team of people working for months to put on this event and all the volunteers who kept it running smoothly. It took an army. Seriously. We cannot thank you enough.
We also thank Patreon backers, many of whom came out to RECON in so many different roles: speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, attendees, VIPs, and volunteers. You are the amazing community that makes this madness possible.
RECON Team
Brendan Lutz
Cara Mandel
Cindi Saiewitz
James Cobalt
Lee-Fay Low
Michael ‘Auggie’ Augustine
Theresa Piazza
Theresa Wagner
RECON Volunteers
Amanda Dupuy
Andrew Reynolds
Anne Lukeman
Ben Rosner
Bill Chang
Brett Kuehner
Chris Holland
C.J. Smith
Dan Egnor
Daniel Dilley
Darren Miller
Denise Kuehner
Errol Elumir
Heather Burns
Jason Lisnak
Jeb Havens
Jennifer S
Kate Wastl
Lindsay Froelich
Manda Whitney
Matthew Stein
Melissa Miller
Melanie Keep
Michael Andersen
Myra Ramdenbourg
Nick Moran
Noam Strassfeld
Richard Burns
Scott Olson
Shannon McDowell
Sheila Holland
Shuai Chen
Sim Lauren
Tammy McLeod
Tommy Honton
Tom Mortishire-Smith
Yuehwern Yih
Patreon Backers
Ace Amanda Harris Andrew Reynolds Andrew Sturridge Angie Meyers Anne Lukeman Ben Rosner Bethany Bill Chang Breakout Games Brett Kuehner Brian Resler Brian Vinciguerra Bronna Butler Byron Delmonico Bytes C.J. Smith Cara Mandel Chris Cannon Chris M. Dickson Chris White Daniel Egnor Daniel Kolb Darren Miller David Longley deadpan 1113 Derek Tam Drew Nelson Elaine Emile Wang Eric Mittler Farand Pawlak Greg Marinelli Haley & Cameron Cooper Herbert Chan James Shearer Jan-Luc Van Damme Jason’s Fitness Consigliere Jenna Jim of PARADOXsquared John Wardrope Jon Kaufthal Jonathan Dautrich
Jonathan Driscoll Joseph Allen Joseph Friesen Joseph Mayeux Josh Kendrick Julie Burge Justin Nevins Kathryn Kelly Kevin Kurt Leinbach Laura E. Hall Lee-Fay Low Leo Dennett Lindsay Froelich Lonnie Lori Miller Marisa Capobianco Mark Blume Mark Denine Matt Beverly Matt Keyser Matthew Stein Michael Andersen Michael Wolman Michelle Rundbaken Mihir Kedia Nathan Walton Neda Delavarpour Negina Kolesar Nick Moran Nick Rose No Proscenium Olivia Anderson Omer Aru Patrick McLean Patrick McNamara Paul Tashima Paula Swann Philip Ho Phillip Justman Psych Out Puzzling Company
Rebecca Horste Rene Sorette Rex Miller Rich Bragg Richard Burns Rob Tsuk Ruud Kool Ryan Brady Ryan Hart S T Cameron Samantha Koehler Sara Reed Sarah Zhang Scott Olson Sean McBride Sendil Krishnan Seth Wolfson Spencer Arnold Stark Stephanie McNeill Steve Ewing Steve Gaddy Steven Valdez Stuart Bogaty Stuart Nafey Tahlia Kirk Tammy McLeod Teo Litto Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp The Escape Room USA The Wild Optimists Theresa Piazza Theresa Wagner Tiffany Schaefer Todd Geldon Todd McClary Tom Henley Tommy Victor van Doorn Vivien Ripoll Wesley James Will Rutherford YouEscape
To those of you reading who have the means, we hope you’ll consider joining this wonderful group of supporters.
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.
