It has been a number of years since escape games have formally made their way to the United States. Present day, almost 2000 venues have opened across the US.
Orlando is home to a number of venues and, in some cases, has quickly become a leader in escape game attractions across the nation. After all, with the big names like Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld – nothing but the best will survive in such a market.
“Mom & Pop” or Corporation?
Around Orlando, you’ll find escape games of the “mom & pop” variety. These are usually games built on smaller budgets and tighter development teams. You won’t find more than one or two locations of a given brand either. Games tend to have more unique elements and friendlier staff. On the other hand, set design and tech usually take a hit mostly because the more expensive creative labor is not within budget.
Also around Orlando, you’ll find escape games of the “corporate” variety. These games are usually built on larger budgets that can afford more disciplined teams – sometimes, coming right from the major theme parks. You’ll find the same brand in multiple cities across the nation and when you play a game in one city, chances are that it’s pretty much the same in the other cities. This means that games may have grand sets, but the games feel packaged. To put it bluntly, games can suffer in innovation and customer service due to the larger development team sizes.
The Perfect Blend
These categorizations and observations do not apply to everyone, but they do hold true for some. That’s where Orlando Escape Games comes in. We’ll highlight the venue that I manage – The Escape Effect, which benefits from the perfect blend of friendliness, fun, and unique quality of a “mom & pop” with the high-quality and discipline of a corporation.
We’ll also touch on other newsworthy events – especially those that are creating the fun and making it unique for potential players visiting the Orlando area. And if you’re not in the area to play a game, then sharpen your skills with our puzzles or prepare yourself with some useful nudges that the experts have designed.
There’s quite a few more surprises in store. Here’s to a great journey in The City Beautiful!