It may seem that escape rooms suddenly exploded across the country. However, few people are aware of where these rooms actually came from. Now, it surprises many to learn that there was no ‘original’ escape room that started the trend, but rather a series of similar experiences that eventually began to fall under that name.

They’re known for being a successful blend of gaming and live entertainment. So, without further ado, here are the actual inspirations that led to the escape room experience we know and love today: point and click games, video games, table top games, live action role playing, interactive theatre, TV and movies, and scavenger hunts.

By creating environments where players are encouraged to interact with their surroundings, interactive entertainments helped pave the way for escape rooms. In escape rooms players typically have more of an objective or goal to accomplish.

In 2015, Marketwatch published an article that helped to grow interest in escape rooms as a business venture. Marketwatch, a business and financial news site, tracks and reports on markets for investors in the USA.

The article reviewed the business of escape rooms and detailed how businesses like Puzzle Break started. The article also explored the incredible success that businesses saw from the initial investment.

Innovators and entrepreneurs broke into the field because there was almost guaranteed certainty it would succeed. Marketwatch encouraged the growth of the escape room business. This cultivated the new leaders that would start opening businesses and contribute to the even currently expanding field.

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