During the pandemic, we saw a huge rise in virtual escape rooms. It was a way for friends, family, or colleagues to get together and have a shared experience that boosted morale and fostered friendships. With more and more workers transitioning to remote roles, teams have never been as far apart as they are now.
As a result, it’s important to set aside dedicated time to connect with one another, since it’s not as easy as walking by someone’s desk anymore, or standing in the office kitchen for a chat while you’re making your morning cup of coffee! In this article we are going to discuss the positives and negatives that virtual escape rooms have had on team building.
Take on a real-life escape room
The Positives
Virtual escape rooms are an excellent way to connect with colleagues when your team is split between different geographical areas, whether that be across the US, or spanning several countries and continents! As long as your time zones align enough for you to join together at some point of the day, there is nothing that can stop you all meeting virtually…apart from a cat walking across your keyboard and closing the browser window!
Playing a virtual escape room is a little like a point-and-click adventure video game, and you and your colleagues will need to work together, communicate clearly, and think logically in order to solve the puzzles and win the game. It’s an excellent way to get to know more about your coworkers, including who is the most competitive, who knows morse code off by heart, who has a keen memory, or even who has a hidden talent for deciphering hieroglyphics!
The upsides:
- Less social pressure than meeting face-to-face in a real-life escape room.
- More cost-efficient than a physical escape room, in particular for larger teams.
- Still promotes out-of-the-box thinking and boosts brainpower.
- More fun than other traditional team-building activities.
- Improves staff morale and helps foster strong working relationships.
- If you have to stop at any point, some virtual escape room experiences allow you to pause the game, and continue at a later date or time.
The Negatives
Firstly, we support puzzle solving in all forms, whether that be virtual or physical. We also highly enjoy puzzle video games, in fact, we have many articles reviewing and discussing some of our favorites. However, we will say that as far as escape rooms go, nothing beats the physical experience of an in-person game. Clicking on a screen to unlock something, is in no way as satisfying as feeling it in your hands in real life!
There is nothing better than turning a key in a lock, opening a chest, or unlocking a door, and taking that first glimpse of at what is on the other side. Viewing an experience through a screen also means your movements and lines of sight are restricted. You won’t be able to angle yourself as you would naturally would, to either see more of a room or to get a closer look at a clue. You’ll be constrained to what the virtual format allows you to, and that can be frustrating.
As well as the loss of the tactile components within an escape room, not physically interacting with others has an impact too. Sure, you’ll still boost your puzzle-solving abilities in a virtual game, but you’ll lose the eye contact, closeness, and action-packed atmosphere of everyone exploring a real-life space together. Additionally, the high fives, hugs, and fist bumps that would usually happen as you solve a puzzle or complete the game, can’t be felt through a screen in the same way.
The downsides:
- Loss of the camaraderie you would experience in a physical escape room.
- Victories feel emptier when you’re not all in the room celebrating together.
- Lack of exciting atmosphere, without experiencing immersive theming first-hand.
- Easier for someone to get left out, or purposefully not join in.
- Those who shout louder, or are more vocal, can easily take over.
- Loss of body autonomy and feeling restricted with what you can and can’t do in the virtual space.
Final Thoughts
We think that virtual escape rooms are great for teams who cannot otherwise meet up for a real-life game. However, if you have the means to be in the same place together, in our opinion it is so much more beneficial to take part in an in-person experience.
Not only is the puzzle-solving a more immersive and tactile experience in a physical escape room, but you’ll get to know your colleagues much better too. In a real-life experience, it’s clear to see that everyone is involved, whereas in a virtual game it’s easy for someone to just sit back and let others take over. Overall, you’ll find yourself sharing more laughter, trust, and fun, when you are physically interacting with each other in a common space. You’ll feel like you’re all embarking on an incredible adventure together, rather than just staring at a screen.
If we’ve convinced you, and you’re located in Orlando, we would love for you to contact our events coordinator to put together your custom team-building package. We can work with you to create a tailored experience that will everyone on your team will enjoy, and you’ll love the brain-boosting, skill-building, friendship-fostering effect, it will have on your team!
Real-life escape room team-building
Talk to one of our event coordinators, and book an epic event that’ll get everyone in the office talking!
