Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games

In episode 6, we sit down with Anthony Robinson, an enthusiastic larper, former castaway on the reality show Survivor Fiji, and long-time contributor to the immersive theatre website No Proscenium. Anthony introduced David and Peih-Gee, who met (and found their mutual love of escape rooms) as guests on an episode of the No Proscenium podcast. It only seemed fitting to bring Anthony onto our show to chat about immersive gaming and Survivor. Anthony is an old school larper (Live Action Role Play) who also happened to play Survivor, which is one of the most immersive games in the world. Larping is one of the original forms of immersive gaming, and it was a blast chatting with him about the different types of larp. We also discuss how to incorporate role-playing into our everyday lives. As you may know, David is a huge Survivor fan, so it was fun chatting about Survivor, and how much the editing can slant to create a certain narrative. This episode in particular was more of a conversation between friends who have a shared love of deeply nerdy topics, and we hope you'll enjoy listening along. Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Lisa Spira Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

In episode 5, we had a lovely chat with Barry Meade, founding member of Fireproof Studios and one of the co-creators of The Room, an incredibly vivid mobile game first released in 2012. The Room had a tactile, immersive quality to it, from its haunting soundtrack, to the weight of physical objects, and how the environment handled the lighting design. These design elements, combined with a series of intricate puzzles, have delighted and inspired countless escape room enthusiasts and designers. It was fascinating to hear about how a limiting set of circumstances created the perfect recipe for an evocative 3D puzzler. What came through clearly was their sharp sense of focus. They knew what they were good at and didn't waste resources trying to be too many things. After chatting with Barry, we could see how Fireproof Studios really embodies the spirit of an indie design studio.   Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Lisa Spira Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

In this episode, David and Peih-Gee chat with Chris and Anne Lukeman, owners of the escape room company CU Adventures and the escape room shirt company Solve Our Shirts. We talk about how a trip to Wisconsin and to two attractions in particular "opened their eyes to a level of weird that became a commercial business." Those attractions were Wizard Quest, a fantasy-themed scavenger hunt and House on the Rock, which Anne describes as a "skyscraper hobbit-hole of kitsch." We learn about their background in indie filmmaking and how it has influenced their escape room design process. As part of his design philosophy, Chris says that anywhere in one of their escape rooms, “it should feel like a picturesque, lived-in space, and either tell part of the story, inform part of the puzzle, or be weird, or be funny. It HAS to do one of those things." They talk to us about the pros and cons of operating in a smaller community. We find out why they decided to release their remote game Lost Temple as a print-and-play. David and Peih-Gee gush over Solve Our Shirts, their latest project, which is an escape room in a t-shirt. Chris and Anne tell us about their plans to expand with a fantasy-themed mini-golf course with additional gamification, a bar, and gaming rooms.   Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Lisa Spira Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

Episode 3 is an interview with game and puzzle designers Juliana Moreno Patel and Ariel Rubin, the Wild Optimists. This brilliant duo designed the world’s first Escape Room in a Box which is released worldwide by Mattel. Juliana and Ariel met, founded their company, and created their first product all while pregnant, which should give you a good idea of their intense passion. They are known for their thoughtful designs in immersive gaming and continue to push the envelope when it comes to creating new types of game design.   Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Lisa Spira Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

In this episode, David and Peih-Gee chat with Myles Nye, a Survivor Challenge consultant and  designer of team-building games. Myles took Peih-Gee to her first Escape Room, and we discuss tips and tricks for newbies. Myles talks about improv and how to create experiences that tap into the essence of play. We learn about how Myles became a challenge consultant for the reality show Survivor, and discuss the nuances of designing puzzles and games for television. He puts to rest some of the conspiracy theories about Survivor challenges, and also talks to us about why certain challenges probably won’t make a reappearance on the show again. We also talk about Myle’s love of legacy board games. Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Lisa Spira Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht

Listen to game designer Elan Lee talk about creating the world's first ARG, the immersive world of escape rooms, and how the best-designed games make players entertaining. Discover his love for Survivor and why he considers Jeff Probst a top game designer.

David and Peih-Gee talk about how they met a year ago on a podcast, what they’re hoping to accomplish with this podcast and their escape room origin stories. While this is technically episode 0, it's labeled as episode 1. It's a puzzle. Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law Produced by Lisa Spira Music by Ryan Elder Logo by Janine Pracht