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PODCAST

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games

David Spira & Peih-Gee Law

A Room Escape Artist Production In a world gone digital, doing things in person is strangely revolutionary. Reality Escape Pod is an interview podcast diving deep with people who make the world’s best immersive games and experiences: ARGs, puzzle hunts, tabletop games, theme parks, and of course, escape rooms. Our aim is to bring together different segments of the gaming world to share ideas between them. Hosts David Spira & Peih-Gee Law explore immersive gaming from all angles with a unique

leisure games

All Episodes

57:13

Elegance in Puzzles: Sandy Weisz, The Mystery League...

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/12/03

“Inelegant is a lot of random noise.” For a long time, I thought that puzzle hunts weren’t for me. They seemed completely inaccessible, like something that only geniuses from MIT could solve, with the price of admission being a massive brain and a penchant for quantum computing. Then, over the pandemic, I discovered The Pilcrow Bar. This was a free, online puzzle hunt commissioned by Michelin 3-star restaurant Alinea and designed as a collaboration between Sandy Weisz of The Mystery League, and

en

06:28

Get Packing (Puzzles) with Oskar van Deventer

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/11/28

In this Bonus Show puzzle designer Oskar van Deventer tells us about some of the latest designs he's working on, and we talk about different types of mechanical puzzles. We also share some tips for how to start solving them, and dig deeper into speed-cubing, ending with discussing mechanical puzzle design in escape rooms.In this clip, we talk about how to get started solving packing puzzles which is a puzzle type where you have to fit a set of puzzle pieces into a specified container, usually a box

en

01:00:23

Mechanical Puzzles: Oskar van Deventer (S8E9)

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/11/26

“The Pursuit Of Difficulty” I’m on a first date, sitting at a hip bar in Los Angeles. In the course of making semi-awkward conversation, he discovers that I like escape rooms. Ta-dah! He brings out a weird little metal ring, pulls it apart into two pieces, hands it to me, and challenges me to form it back into a ring. I was pretty much in love after that… with mechanical puzzles. While that relationship didn't work out, the one with puzzles persists to this day. At one time or another, I’m sure

en

06:56

Designing For Flow & Adaptive Difficulty

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/11/25

Curtis Ratliff and Derek Townsley join us again for more discussion about The Escape Ventures. They share an absolutely outrageous escape room story. We talk more about game stores and the importance of inclusivity. David gives an argument against longer games and escape rooms. We also get into some of the regional differences between the Orlando and Los Angeles scene. in terms of escape room culture and design. In this clip, we talk about the Escape Venture's design philosophy on puzzle flow and

en

01:10:15

Move Fast & Make Things: The Escape Ventures (S8E8)

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/11/19

“We try to do something new every three months.”In 2018, Curtis Ratliff and Derek Townsley were both attending college, studying business management and theater set design. Additionally, they were both working at an escape room when the horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day happened. Severely understaffed, beset with disasters, and lacking resources or appreciation from the owners, Curtis and Derek realized that if they wanted things to run more smoothly, they were going to have to do it

en

06:42

Yannick Trapman O'Brian's Risky Payment System

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/11/15

Yannick Trapman-O'Brien joins us again to share some valuable insights on what I think is an especially great episode of our Bonus Show. He tells us about how he accidentally got admitted to college in Abu Dhabi, and we also talk about the importance of Arts Funding and Grants, and how to leverage it. Yannick takes a very thoughtful approach to designing his intimate experiences, and he really gets deeper into how he crafts his shows. He also talks to us about his work with Temple of the Stranger,

en

06:27

"It was full of life!" Blackwell Manor's Spoilers...

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/11/14

Blackwell Manor is a magnificent horror game created by New Mexico Escape Room in Albuquerque, New Mexico.In this preview we explore the extreme level of detail that was put into this game, and some of the challenges that this devotion created. You can find the rest of this Spoilers Club episode by supporting us on Patreon at patreon.com/roomescapeartist

en

01:22:31

Audience of One: Yannick Trapman-O'Brien, Creator of...

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/11/12

"Bait for the Curious"We’re no strangers to covering secretive experiences. Escape rooms continue to guard their mysteries closely, because a large part of the joy is in the discovery. And yet, because escape rooms generally follow a relatively standard structure, we have a framework when it comes to discussing them. Interviewing Yannick Trapman-O'brien was a bit of a gamble. We knew that we couldn’t explain how any of his immersive shows worked. As Yannick puts it in the episode: “It's the

en

05:52

Word Nerdery - Writing, AI, and the Importance of...

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/11/08

In this episode, David's wife and business partner, Lisa, joins us again in the Bonus Show to reflect on 10 years of Room Escape Artist. She paints a picture for us of the early years, when it was just David writing reviews in their living room. They talk about how their writing style has changed as they've added more writers to the team, and we discuss some escape room industry trends. There's also a trivia game I crafted based on the number 10. In this preview, Peih-Gee tells a story about how

en

01:17:20

Celebrating Ten Years of Room Escape Artist (REPOD S8E6)

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/11/05

“Room Escape Artist has built a community within this industry.”The year is 2014. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie just got married. Facebook is the largest social media platform. Celebrities everywhere are doing the Ice Bucket Challenge, and somewhere in New York City, Lisa and David Spira have just written their first review about a new activity called escape rooms. It’s hard to believe that it’s already been ten years since Room Escape Artist started covering escape rooms. A decade is a long

en

06:36

Developing Mastery in Play (Bonus Show Preview)

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/10/31

In this episode, Jeroen van Hasselt, co-creator of Demise of the Grisers, joins us again, and we talk about escape room waivers in the USA versus Europe, discuss some of the clever design choices in Demise of the Grisers, and David talks about trying to balance mystery versus consent, and what it means for game design and safety.In this preview of our Patreon exclusive Bonus Aftershow. We talk about designing games that optimize for mastery of a skill versus offering a wide range of interactions

en

01:26:28

Epic & Engrossing: Jeroen van Hasselt, Co-Creator of...

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/10/29

“It’s entertainment to experience the emotion of fear.”I creep out from the relative safety of the control center. Keeping to the shadows, I stealthily make the journey through an abandoned train yard. Somewhere in the sprawling tangle of train cars, a gricer is hunting me and my team. I complete my mission, and immediately I hear the clang of footsteps approaching. Before I even register what my feet are doing, I’m on the move, weaving through the debris. Reunited with my team, I’m whooping in

en

06:59

Defector Mechanics in Escape Rooms with Brooke Breit...

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/10/25

In this Patreon exclusive Bonus Show, Brooke Breit joins us again to talk more Jackbox Games. We talk about takeaways from party games that escape room designers should consider and she also gives us some recommendations for her favorite puzzley video games. In this preview, we talk about why defective mechanics are difficult to incorporate in escape rooms. If you enjoy these previews, I hope you’ll consider joining our Patreon. For only $5 a month, you’ll get access to our Bonus Aftershow, where

en

01:12:06

Comedy & Collaboration: Brooke Breit, Creative...

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/10/22

“We set players up to be the stars of the show.”We’ve gathered a group of 4-6 players to try some collaborative games with mechanics that appeal to a wide variety of skills. These games are hilarious and we emerge feeling smart and witty. No, I’m not talking about the latest escape rooms. We have just finished a session of Jackbox Games. Jackbox Games are games for large groups of people who can participate via personal devices, no controllers needed. They offer a wide variety of gaming

en

06:13

Solving the Titanium Jigsaw Puzzles of Lazels (Bonus...

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/10/18

In this clip, we talk about David's adventures in solving the beautiful and tiny titanium jigsaw puzzles of Lazels. These things are incredibly cool. If you enjoy these previews, I hope you’ll consider joining our Patreon. For only $5 a month, you’ll get access to our Bonus Aftershow, where we continually release new episodes, even in our REPOD off-season.

en

54:35

The User-Centric Design of Boxaroo with Fro Myers...

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/10/15

“User Centric Design”If you asked me to list some of the skills a good escape room designer should possess, it would look extremely similar to Robert ‘Fro’ Myers’ resume. With a background in theater set design, and a degree from MIT in mechanical engineering, it’s little wonder that David calls Fro’s escape room company Boxaroo “a total package company.” Boxaroo's creations encompass a wide variety of both theme and play structure. Whether it's escape rooms, digital puzzle hunts, or massive

en

06:20

Escape from Godot's onboarding (Spoilers Club Preview)

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/10/11

Escape from Godot is a wildly experimental experience that's half escape room and half theatrical show. This is an event that asks a lot of everyone involved. The multiple actors must be word-perfect. The guests must figure out when to be a passive audience and when it's time to become an active player. In this clip, Andy and Jeff Crocker of Mr & Mischief joins us and we talk about the intentionality of their design decisions. In this clip, they talk about their onboarding process for Escape

en

06:38

Magic, Social Media, & the Future of the Art with...

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/10/11

In this clip, we talk with magician David Kwong about social media videos that reveal the secrets behind magic tricks and the implications for the future of the art. If you enjoy these previews, I hope you’ll consider joining our Patreon. For only $5 a month, you’ll get access to our Bonus Aftershow, where we continually release new episodes, even in our REPOD off-season.

en

01:11:46

Puzzles & Prestidigitation: Magician David Kwong...

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/10/08

“Storytelling is really what sells the magic trick.” When David Kwong was a young child, a magician performing at a pumpkin patch fooled his father with a classic magic trick. From that moment, he knew he wanted to be a magician. He has since performed worldwide as an acclaimed magician and even consulted on many movies and TV shows like Now You See Me and After Party. Fast forward to today, David Kwong has written a book for every kid who ever wanted to fool their parents. In this episode

en

06:42

Elan Lee on designing Poetry For Neanderthals (Bonus...

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games ·

2024/10/04

In this Bonus Show Preview, Elan Lee, CEO of Exploding Kittens, joins us again for a conversation about Taskmaster, growing as a leader, and he gives us an exclusive scoop on the Survivor card game he's developing alongside Jeff Probst. In this sneak preview, he tells us the origin story of Poetry for Neanderthals, one of my favorite games from Exploding Kittens.If you enjoy these previews, I hope you’ll consider joining our Patreon. For only $5 a month, you’ll get access to our Bonus Aftershow,

en

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