10 Ways Escape Rooms Push You Out Of Your Comfort Zone
Be it your first day of school, first day on a new job, or simply your first time in an escape room, partaking in new experiences are always daunting. First off, you’ll have no idea what to expect. There’s always that initial shock when you’re in the moment itself, after you’ve spent time thinking about it, perhaps going over the moment in your sleep, but now you’re here and it’s your reality. But now’s your chance to experience something new, for the first time.
As we age, we tend to experience fewer and fewer new things. When we decide to seek out new adventures, we enrich our lives and gain valuable experiences that can go on to benefit us in the future. If you’re in the El Paso area and you’re looking for something fun, exciting, and original to do, consider visiting Operation Outbreak. We’re proud to be one of the city’s top escape rooms. Sure, you might’ve read about escape rooms or even watched a few YouTube videos about them but nothing compares to actually partaking in one yourself. Keep reading to see what you’re likely to experience during your first escape room experience.
1) Put Your Problem Solving Skills to the Test
When it comes to escape rooms, the main objective is always to solve a certain problem or puzzle. The answers aren’t going to be just given to you, you’re going to have to work in order to decipher the problem at hand. And, since every escape game is under a 60-minute time limit, you also have to solve as many problems without cracking under the pressure. If you’ve ever fancied yourself a problem solver (perhaps you even have that in your resume under “Skills”), then now’s your chance to put those skills to the test.
Escape rooms are strategically designed to be full of many “problems” which take time and patience to solve. Perhaps you’ve never thought of yourself as a great problem solver. Well, now you’ll be able to use your creativity or decision-making skills in order to solve the problems at hand. Once the problem is solved, you will swell with positivity. In fact, any success you find in this can be used in your real life! How often have you had to deal with a difficult customer? Now you’ll be able to see certain problems as escape rooms where you need to find the hidden key or correct code in order to move forward.
2) Become a Leader
Escape rooms put you in the middle of the action so, naturally, a leader will rise above and provide guidance and tell everyone else what needs to be done in order for the group to achieve success. But what if no leader rises up? This will be your chance to take the reigns. Even if you don’t particularly see yourself as a “leader,” you can still give it a shot. Escape rooms are designed for group work so you can organize your thoughts and tell your friends what they should do and why. Before long, you’ll be the leader of this particular escape game and you’ll be able to see just how well you fare against the clock.
At the moment, you will feel completely free and you will have the ability to take risks and chances in order to achieve the main objective. How often can you do that at work? If you don’t manage any employees, you may feel as if you don’t have any real-world leadership experience. Well, after partaking in an escape game and serving as the leader of your group, you’ll be able to use what you’ve gained and experienced to your advantage.
3) Learn Valuable Time Management Skills
Every escape game is against a 60-minute timer. This means you’ll have to put yourself to the test and solve every mystery before time runs out. One hour may sound like a long time, but once you’re in the thick of it, you’ll see just how quickly those sixty minutes will go. Whether you work in an office or you’re currently in school, you’re well aware of the importance of time management. Whether you think you’re great at time management or you think you could do better, it’s always a good idea to put yourself to the test.
How long might it take you to break out of an escape room? Can you manage your time accordingly? If you barely make it under the wire, you can go back to another one of our escape rooms and see how you fare against the clock. That’s what’s great about Operation Outbreak. We currently have three different escape rooms so you can have different experiences, which leads us to…
4) Fully Immerse Yourself
Look, we get it. Escape rooms may seem a bit silly on the surface (you and your friends have to “break out” of a themed room) but it’s important to immerse yourself in the escape room in order to have as much fun as possible. Escape rooms should be fun. Try not to take yourself too seriously and invest yourself into the narrative of the escape room. Trust us, it’ll be much more fun if you immerse yourself in the game! If your friends seem like they’re dragging their feet, let them know. If everyone’s into the narrative of the game, we know it’ll be much more fun
5) Give Your Friends and Family a Chance to Solve Certain Riddles
Escape games are excellent and fun choices for the entire family. If you bring your entire family to partake in an escape room, make sure they all get their chance to solve riddles. Sometimes, children may have to strain themselves in order to be heard over all the adult voices. Make sure that your children (or any other child) have his/her chance to get invested in the game. Escape rooms are much more fun when everyone’s having fun!
6) Learn to Work as a Team
How many times have you been a part of a work-related team building exercise? How many times have you had fun while partaking in a work-related team building exercise? In most cases, you have to get incredibly close to people you’ve barely met in order to achieve an uninspired goal. When I first started working at my college newspaper, we had a team building activity that required the entire newsroom to hold hands and untangle ourselves from each other. For starters, being so close to a room full of strangers is uncomfortable and awkward. Secondly, it was not fun at all. In fact, we all felt frustrated when we finally achieved our goal. Aren’t team building activities meant to create strong bonds between coworkers?
Instead, this particular activity just made us wary of each other. You can avoid this outcome by bringing your coworkers to Operation Outbreak. Escape games are perfect for team building because they literally can’t be completed on your own. There is so much to do and uncover in such a small amount of time that teamwork comes about naturally. Your group will be able to work together, all while having fun. Let’s face it, most employees dread team building activities. But when you leave the office and have a change of scenery, your employees will be much more inclined to try something new. By the time the escape game is over, your team will be stronger than ever before!
7) Work With Strangers To Achieve a Joint Goal
Escape rooms are incredibly popular but we understand that sometimes, it’s difficult to convince your entire group of friends to partake in a game. If you come with one other person (or by yourself), you will more-than-likely have to join another group. This is because each escape game requires a certain number of people in order for the game to be successful. Sure, this may sound daunting but it’s a great experience so you can see how you work with strangers in order to achieve a common goal. You’ll have to join forces and put your strengths to the test. Who knows, you may learn something new about yourself and how you fare in certain situations!
8) Put Your Strengths (and Weaknesses) To The Test
We all boast certain strengths. Perhaps you fancy yourself a great problem-solver or maybe you love meeting new people and learning more about them. Whatever your strengths may be, they will be put to the test within the escape room. Additionally, all of your perceived weaknesses will also boil to the surface and you’ll have to make quick decisions in order to face problems head-on. Perhaps you’re shy or you consider yourself “socially awkward.” Well, when it comes to escape rooms, you need to put those weaknesses in the back of your mind so you can achieve success with your team. Trust us, you’ll have a lot of fun and once you reach the end of the 60 minutes, you’ll feel like new.
9) Deal With The Pressure
It’s true, escape rooms can lead to high-stress levels. This is because they’re not a passive form of entertainment (like watching television). Instead, escape rooms put you in the middle of the action and every game is up against a 60-minute timer so you only have a certain amount of time to achieve your goal. You might not feel the stress at the start of the game but as those minutes melt away, you’ll begin to feel the pressure building. How well do you think you’ll do under pressure? Will you be able to deal with the stress? Just remember to keep your head up, this is a game after all so it’s necessary to have fun and not let the situation get out of hand.
10) Experience Something New
Now we find ourselves at the end of this article and we saved the best advice for last. On top of everything else, the stress, the time limit, the pressure, the immersion and everything else we’ve discussed, it’s necessary to remember to have fun and be yourself when partaking in this new experience. Escape rooms are meant to be fun (that’s why they’re called “escape games,” after all!) So, you don’t have to do things you don’t feel comfortable doing. If you don’t want to be the leader of the group, that’s fine! If you feel more comfortable being a follower than a leader, then go ahead.
Escape games are for everyone, not just for outgoing individuals. People from all walks of life can enjoy themselves at escape rooms. In fact, they’re a great entertainment option during the holiday season. Let’s say it’s Thanksgiving and your family doesn’t know what to do in order to pass the time. Instead of going to the movie theater, you can visit Operation Outbreak to have an hour of pure, unbridled fun!
What Are You Waiting For?
Look, even the most avid escape room participants (or escape artists, as we like to call them) got their start visiting a single escape room on a whim or with their coworkers or something like that. And many people tend to say there’s never anything fun to do (especially in El Paso) but those people couldn’t be more wrong! Just take a look at how quickly our rooms fill up. You’ll see that there are many El Pasoans and tourists who absolutely love Operation Outbreak. We promise you’ll have a great time and you’ll be able to learn a thing or two about yourself when you finally escape.
Visit Operation Outbreak in El Paso, Today!
If you’re ready to put yourself to the test, then visit Operation Outbreak! Give us a call today or take a look at our Bookings page to see when you can partake in one of our three excellent escape games. Remember, our escape rooms get booked pretty quickly so it’s best to schedule your next outing sooner rather than later. Give us a call to learn more about what we have to offer and what you can expect from your first visit to Operation Outbreak!
