It’s believed that many people have come up with new ways to stay in touch with their friends, relatives, or co-workers at any given moment. It can be video calling, chatting, or texting. But one better way to interact with your loved ones or colleagues online is by playing virtual escape games.
What Are Virtual Escape Games
Virtual escape games are online games designed to be played through video live streams or other video communications apps.
The main goal of virtual escape games is to challenge the participants to work as a team, collaborate, and communicate despite being physically away from one another to get through each challenge. That’s why these games are perfect for friend groups or company workers who are looking for ways to bond or strengthen their unity despite being locked down in their own homes or offices.
Now that you know how fun and interactive virtual escape rooms can be, the next challenge is how to survive when playing one.
Surviving Your Way Through Virtual Escape Rooms
For starters, escape rooms can be tough due to many beginners’ lack of gaming strategy and knowledge. To help you and your teammates boost your chances of winning and escaping every virtual room, here are seven strategies to bear in mind:
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Pick Your Team
It all starts with the people you choose to play with. The best technique is to play with the people you’re comfortable with. So, if you’re playing with your friends or co-workers, go for the ones with who you’re most at ease to share opinions and ideas.
Furthermore, make sure you group yourselves in a good size, preferably around half of the total amount of people a room can hold. For example, if the virtual space is suitable for ten people, you can have four to six members. Having a complete set of ten people in your group can make it harder to manage the whole team.
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Have A Team Leader
Even if virtual escape rooms require teamwork, assigning a team leader will make it easier to organize and streamline communications. The leader can be the person who’ll gather ideas from each member in an orderly fashion. A leader is a person that can provide a reliable soldier each participant can lean on.
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Designate Tasks
Once you and your teammates are inside the virtual escape room, make sure everyone takes time to observe the entire space and its objects. For a more effective viewing, you can designate each member to every corner or object, so finding clues and puzzles will be easier and much quicker. Meanwhile, if you find multiple puzzles, avoid solving everything yourself and designate the other activities for your team. The more eyes and minds work, the quicker you can all escape.
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Yell When You Find Something
This may seem distracting, but this tactic is actually effective to keep everyone’s mind active and racing. So, if you find any clue or solution, you can yell your answer or idea. You might be surprised how yelling can also boost everyone’s productivity and spirit, especially if you’ve been stuck in a room for a long time while feeling hopeless.
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Ask For A Clue
Remember in class when your teacher would tell you to skip a hard question and move on to easier ones so you wouldn’t run out of time? You can apply that in a virtual escape game. If you can’t skip to an easier challenge, your best move is to ask for a clue. Some players’ common mistake is refusing to use their clues as they try to save them for later.
However, letting your team get stuck in a problem for too long isn’t a smart move either. Not only are you wasting time, but it could also drain everyone’s minds and eventually reduce your chances of escaping. So, if it’s too hard, don’t hesitate to ask for a clue.
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Use A Laptop Or Computer
Although you can play virtual escape games on your phone, it can be hard to navigate the game while communicating with the team. Plus, a mobile screen is too small to find tiny pieces of clues or puzzles. For maximum favorable playing experience, use a laptop or computer.
If you’re using a laptop or computer, it’s also recommended that you split the screen into two: one for the game and one for the video live stream. This way, you can easily navigate both screens at the same time. If you have two monitors, use them for an even better playing experience.
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Prepare Pen And Paper With You
Some puzzles in an escape room may require you to solve some jumbled words, letters, or numbers. Memorizing or encoding them in your computer may seem like a hassle, not to mention a waste of time. As an easier alternative, prepare a pen and paper with you and jot down your answers, clues, or ideas in mind so you can easily read them aloud to the team.
Ready To Escape With Your Team?
Besides the strategies on this list, one thing you mustn’t forget is to simply have fun! Being frustrated, irritated, and anxious will only ruin the experience and make it harder to focus on winning the game. Meanwhile, if you’re having fun at the moment, your positive attitude could bring you and your teammates out of the escape room.
So, are you ready to play and escape with your team? Choose your virtual escape game now and make sure to remember these strategies once you’re in your escape room to boost your chances of acing the gameplay.
