When states shut down for COVID-19, one emerging entertainment business nearly shut down, too.
But the escape room business has redefined itself (at least temporarily) as a kind of group video game run via video conference software.
Escape rooms emerged around 2013 as an in-person adventure and mystery game you could play with friends. Players get 60 minutes to go into a real room (or a group of rooms) where they solve riddles, puzzles, and search for clues to a mystery, until they find the answer or the key to the door.
The pandemic hit the entertainment business just as it was growing. In 2014, there were about 24 such spots for escaping. By 2019, there were 2,350.
But in 2020, there were no groups heading to their local escape room.
So the industry adjusted, in a way.
According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the industry swiveled from reality to virtual reality. At Tampa's Rock Avenue Escape Room, owner Rob Faiella ended up strapping cameras to himself to create various guided, virtual escape games, all of which are in search of the elusive Dominic Fontana.
The virtual games have been popular and you don't have to be in Tampa to appreciate them. But the future? Reactions are mixed. Some virtual games will no doubt continue after the shutdowns end. But companies have invested heavily in their in-person venues where, after all, a real in-person experience is still a thing.
