Digital Escape Rooms: Boosting Team Creativity and Problem-Solving Skills

Dig into digital escape rooms! A 2021 study found that escape rooms are efficient and effective tools for learning and training, with most people enjoying the gameplay. Yet you shouldn’t rush into creating one just yet.

Understand the benefits of digital escape rooms, and you can design the perfect games for your employees. Here is how escape room team building works.

How do escape rooms work? An escape room (also called a puzzle room or an escape game) is an activity in which players work in teams to solve puzzles and complete challenges in an enclosed space. They may need to obtain items, determine the answers to riddles, and perform tasks before a timer runs out.

A game master oversees the game, ensures the players are safe, and provides clues if the players are stuck. Rooms usually have plots and themes, creating an immersive environment for the players to explore.

You can complete an in-person game or a mobile escape room that you solve using a computer or tablet device. A digital or mobile escape room is a good alternative to in-person games. You can train large groups using one game without needing to transport people to the game site.

Most escape rooms are for recreational purposes. But escape room activities are gaining popularity as tools for corporate training and team building in small and large groups.

Escape rooms can help build teams because they require players to work together. Players must communicate with each other about the items they find and the puzzles they solve. They must delegate tasks based on each other’s skills and interests, allowing them to get to know each other better. After completing the room, the players can discuss what they did correctly and incorrectly and learn from their mistakes.

To design the best escape room activity, consider each of your employees carefully. Pick a theme and plot that will be appropriate for all of them. If someone may get anxious or cannot think clearly under pressure, create easy tasks for them so they feel accomplished.

Related: How Gamification Can Improve Training

Benefits of Escape Rooms

Escape rooms for team building can have many benefits for your corporate needs. Here are just a few of the most significant benefits of playing escape rooms.

Increases Problem-Solving Skills
An escape room event can contain dozens of tasks, challenges, and puzzles. These activities encourage your employees to use their analytical, creative thinking, and critical thinking skills during the entire experience. They can transfer these skills into the workplace, applying them to everyday tasks.

Looking for a digital escape room that trains your employees for your specific workplace? Contact Emeraude Escape’s team of digital escape room designers now!

Improves Memory
A 2018 study found that solving puzzles can improve cognitive skills, including memory, speed, and flexibility. Players in an escape room need to remember words, visuals, and sounds to solve puzzles. They may need to carry objects between rooms, so they have to remember each steps that prompt to solve each puzzle.

The emphasis on memory keeps your players’ cognitive skills sharp. They learn how to store memories and keep them fresh in their minds for extended periods. Always advise to write things down playing an escape room game with pens, papers, and whiteboards, which can help the players retain their memories and develop note-taking strategies.

Expands Communication Skills

Players must communicate with each other throughout escape room events. As they enter a room, they need to talk to each other about what they see and what tasks they need to complete. As they complete those tasks, they need to tell each other what they have done and what clues they have found.

Players learn how to communicate clearly and succinctly because they only have a limited amount of time to get everything done. Some players will show some particular way of expressing themselves and communicating with others that would allow them to apply at workplace and build trust with their colleagues, which can help keep your employees with your company for years.

Related: Using Gamification for Employee Retention

Boosts Productivity
Employees are far more likely to accomplish tasks when they are having fun doing them. A 2020 study found that gamifying work tasks can increase employees’ productivity, especially if they are in leadership positions. Escape rooms are designed to be fun, interactive, and immersive. Players will sharpen their skills and learn how to work together without realizing they are getting better.

The time limit requires everyone on the team to work together quickly. Players must find the fastest possible solution to tasks and learn how to manage their time. These are skills that are applicable to many situations in the workplace.

Strengthens Team Relationships
Some players may be able to perform tasks on their own, but they must work together on other tasks and share what they are learning about the room. You can train a department by sending only its members into your escape room. You can also mix departments together or senior-level employees with junior-level ones. These mixtures help employees learn about all branches of your company, making interdepartmental tasks easier.

Exposes Team Strengths and Weaknesses
Not everyone will complete the tasks in an escape room on time. After the timer runs out, players can break down how everything went and see what their strengths and weaknesses are.

You can use data from your escape rooms to build better ways of employee learning and development. You can watch your employees complete tasks and learn more about their skills and rapport.

Do you need help determining what game you need for the best employee training? Conduct a guided search with Emeraude Escape today!

Natural Leaders Emerge

Some people will thrive in the escape room. They will take the initiative, tell others what they should do, and delegate tasks to others.

Improves Time Management
Players need to figure out how to arrange tasks so they get through everything on time. They must learn how to start working as soon as they enter the room. They also need to learn how to break into small teams or individuals and come back together to share information, which helps them save time.

Boosts Creative Thinking
Some rooms require players to brainstorm ways of solving problems. You can have open-ended puzzles with multiple answers, allowing players to come up with original solutions.

Virtual escape rooms are your best tools for team building and employee training. When the players are looking for clues in multiplayer mode, they learn how to communicate well with each other and be observant. When they’re solving puzzles, they learn how to delegate tasks, manage time, and think outside the box.

Related: Why an Escape Game Is the Perfect Team-Building Exercise