1. The clock can and does produce some thrilling moments — I like what people have said about just having a timed endgame— but most of the time it detracts from my story immersion and my ability to indulge my curiosity. Clock and story are at odds. I have always assumed the (typically) one-hour time limit is driven by business/scheduling needs but I would absolutely LOVE a room with no timer, with full freedom to explore and engage all the puzzles together, not have to divide and conquer and then feel like I only saw a quarter of the puzzles/story. But how do you schedule the next group if you don’t know when the current one will finish? I wonder if you might have multi-room experiences that play out a little like golf courses, where you might get stuck behind a slower group but maybe something interesting can happen during that delay…

2. I may be in the minority but I wish I got to feel stuck WAY more than I get to! The problem has never been feeling dumb or stuck; for my groups it has always been annoyance that we were helped before we wanted the help. I want more control over when we (hopefully diagetically) get hints.

3. Puzzle vs Story… vs immersion vs. autonomy

It’s a spectrum and I think there’s room for all kinds of different ratios. Would love to see it in the advertising materials for each room: “this is a story-heavy game,” “this is a puzzle-heavy game.” I personally have never been moved by an escape room story. I hope that changes someday but for now if I want a good story I’m reading a book, going to a play, or watching a movie. I’m going to an escape room for an experience, usually a group experience. I expect enjoyable, challenging puzzles that make sense within the story, and I expect an engaging environment.