What Do You Do Working At An Escape Room? Game Master Secrets Revealed
What is it like to work in an escape room? I have worked at an escape room for over 8 years and this is a question I’m asked all the time. Don’t worry I’ve got all the answers you need about becoming a Game Master at an escape room.
Working at an escape room requires high levels of interaction between the Game Master and the customers, so Game Masters need to be comfortable with presenting themselves as an authority to enforce the rules and present the escape room-related material (introductions, clues, answers, and FAQs) to the participants. Escape rooms present a certain level of theatrics so some acting and customer service experience is helpful.
Game Master Training Process
Game Masters are responsible for the entire customer experience from start to finish. As a game master, you will be required to know all of the “ins and outs” of all the experiences. That way you are able to assist customers when they need help, as well as, provide the answers to the puzzles if they’re not able to escape. Game masters may also be referred to as Room Facilitators.
Game Masters are required to:
- Memorize the room introductions and reset sheets
- Become familiar with the escape room booking software.
- Book and reserve rooms for customers.
- Present all of the rules clearly to participants before entering the escape room.
- Expect to enforce those rules if not followed.
- Recite and present the room introductions to the group before starting.
- Present the group’s goals and objectives clearly
- Start the timer and manage the timer during the room experience.
- Observe the group closely while they are doing the escape room.
- Provide assistance if the group begins to struggle or if they request a clue.
- Once the group has finished, whether they’ve won or lost. You will take their picture.
- Before the group leaves, you will pitch any merchandise or other services. (T-shirts, games, other experiences, etc.)
- Reset and prepare the escape room for the next group.
- Some Game Masters can participate in the escape room creation process as well.
- Keep the facilities clean.
Escape Room Game Master needs strong public speaking skills
Escape rooms need to have customers feeling excited. The first person they see when visiting is the game master. Therefore, the game master needs to be knowledgeable, speak comfortably and clearly, and present themselves in a way that will get the group excited and ready to do the escape room.
The first thing a game master will do is present the rules and then the room introduction. The rules should be presented in a fun way. Nobody likes a monotone room introduction since it can make things sound really lame and dull. The room introduction should be exciting in order to get the customers excited to do the escape room. The game master needs to be able to speak clearly and effectively in order to infect the group with positive energy to hype them up before attempting the escape room. Think of a room introduction like an actor performing a monologue on stage. There is some theatrics involved.
Expect To Improvise
Usually running escape rooms will go according to plan, but all groups are different and will require some improvisation.
Not all groups will need the same clues. If participants get stuck in a part of the escape room; then, as a Game Master, one will be expected to know what clues to present to the group at certain points of the room. Knowing what to say or what clues to send does require some level of improvisation since it will be different every time.
People can behave rather oddly and get rather creative inside escape rooms, so expect to inform people to not attempt certain actions. For example, I have had many participants attempt to stick different props inside electrical outlets. I shouldn’t have to tell people not to do that, but I did.
Coming up with a fun way to tell someone not to do something can be a valuable skill. Creating a joke, rather than commanding them to stop and slap someone on the wrist, can keep the experience enjoyable for the group.
Some escape rooms actually have Game Masters go inside the room and interact with the group in order to provide a clue. This will require on-the-spot thinking and improvisation as game masters will have to determine what clues they need and what to say in response to their questions.
Reset Escape Rooms Quickly And Carefully
Game Masters are responsible for resetting the escape rooms and making sure everything is set up properly for the next room. Game Masters typically only have anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to reset a room. Therefore, they need to be quick yet also careful because if they were to miss a lock or misplace a clue, that could throw off the game flow of the next experience.
Things Will Break
When working in an escape room, it’s inevitable that something will break, whether it’s a lock, a prop, or a clue. The more tech that is involved in a room, the more likely things can go wrong. It can help to have a game master that knows all about the tech or how to fix the locks, but that won’t always be the case. This will require a high level of critical thinking and improvisation in order to come up with an alternate route so the group’s experience doesn’t suffer. If a lock breaks; then it is up to the game master to decide what to do.
During reset is also a time when Game Masters may discover a prop, lock, or other item is broken and they will need to quickly find a way to either fix it or find an alternative solution to make the room work. At least until they are able to find a proper fix.
Should You Work At An Escape Room?
If you are interested in getting into the escape room industry or working at an escape room. Make sure you have the skills mentioned in this article. If you think you have what it takes to become a game master; then try out some escape rooms in your area. Mention you are interested in applying. Don’t forget to have fun as a Game Master. If the Game Master shows they are having a good time; then that energy is bound to influence your customers.
