Boom in escape rooms for Christchurch entrepreneur
Hundreds of families and workplaces are lining up for an hour or two of stimulated danger and escapism as escape rooms go mainstream in Christchurch. Escape rooms are themed adventure games where teams work together to hunt for clues and solve puzzles to escape a simulated danger in 60 minutes. Logan McMillan, managing director of Christchurch Codebreakers , runs five escape rooms in the central city with his brother, John, and business partner, Andrew Dean. Themes range from an Art Heist to steal the Mona Lisa , stopping a terrorist organisation on Christchurch streets in Operation Mindfall, escaping a former prison in the old central city courthouse, solving a puzzle in the Lost Hut of Antarctica or stumbling around In the Dark. READ MORE: * Coronavirus: the business of sport is left exposed as Covid-19 takes hold * The inescapable rise of escape rooms * Escape rooms: Adventure parks for nerds * It's no puzzle why 'escape room' adventures are popular ''We have families coming through where it's nana and grandad, mum and dad and their teenage kids in a team and in the school holidays we [were] completely booked out, and we have eight sessions a day.'' McMillan said. After the Covid-19 lockdown, people became fed up with solitary screen pursuits, and wanted to be ''safely social'' again while ''getting away from reality''. Escape room staff watched via camera, ready to provide hints if players got stuck. But sometimes players forgot they were there. ''We have one escape room, Into the Dark , which is completely dark and players must solve clues while not being able to see. He said there had been times when two people spend the whole time making out but staff ensure it doesn't go beyond that. Players can become quite competitive: ''You see really quickly who the alpha dog of the group is.'' The puzzles are designed to appeal to different types of knowledge, which allows all players to have the adrenalin rush of ''being the hero of the hour''. McMillan started Christchurch Codebreakers in a shipping container on a central site in the winter of 2016, drawing on his background in film and video. ''It's really grown much more than I ever imagined it would,'' he said. ''The majority of escape room players are locals, so we don't rely on tourists. The lockdown has changed the way people think and opened their eyes to different opportunities.'' When Covid-19 forced the escape rooms to close temporarily, McMillan came up with his own escape plan and went global at the same time. He created online interactive games where friends and family anywhere in the world could connect via Zoom, Skype or HouseParty and play together. The two games, Hunting a Killer and # Missing , helped pay the wages of four full-time and four part-time staff during lockdown. Players have the assistance of Google Maps, Facebook, YouTube and other sites to solve clues. ''Our main sales are in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. But we've also got sales from Singapore, China, the United States, Ireland and even Kazakhstan, McMillan said. Where people are in lockdown and working remotely, companies are using it to help staff interact. In Australia teams of 40 people are playing it.'' It's not the first time McMillan has created such an interactive video experience his successful interactive zombie video for Hell Pizza has had more than 14 million views.