Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games

"Why did it have to be snakes?" "Since we started this podcast, I have been talking repeatedly about my desire for there to be more lower budget, experimental, thought provoking, and thoughtful productions." David calls this game "the black box theatre" of escape rooms, while REA Patron Dan Egnor called it "the best room in the world in awesomeness per square foot." You've probably never played th...

“For new listeners, we hope it will be a great introduction to what the podcast is all about, and for our regular listeners, a reminder of the most interesting and impactful moments from Season 6.” Already missing REPOD? Don’t worry, Season 7 of the podcast is launching very soon. In the meantime, our editor, Steve Ewing, put together some of his favorite clips from each episode of Season 6. In Se...

"We are so excited that a publishing company is using the medium of puzzles... to promote a book." The only thing I like better than puzzles is winning money while solving puzzles. Who Killed Ickey? is an online treasure hunt taking place January 27, 2024 with prizes worth $50,000. In this special release sponsored episode, we sat down with the Who Killed Ickey? puzzle hunt designer John Bromels f...

"One of my favorite things about Spoilers Club is getting to hear about those tiny little details that the designers sneak into their games." One of the things I love about playing escape rooms is that post-game discussion where we get to analyze everything that happened during the game. We can talk about all of our favorite puzzles, things that worked for us, and things that didn't work for us. B...

"You never know why something will go viral, and it doesn't matter why. They'll still come." If social media was an escape room, most owners and designers would never find the key. Navigating all the different trends and social media apps is a daunting task, and it's even harder when most escape rooms don't allow photos or videos of their games. That's why we brought in an expert. In this special...

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S6E13 with A.J. Jacobs and Greg Pliska of The Puzzler Podcast. In this clip. Peih-Gee confesses to some writing struggles and David shares a story of being utterly destroyed and then rebuilt by a writing professor back in college.  Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/roomescapeartist...

“Fun, bite sized, and entertaining.” In the final episode of season 6, we’re back with author and now podcaster A.J. Jacobs, along with his Chief Puzzle Officer, Greg Pliska. We first interviewed A.J. about his book, The Puzzler, in S3E11 . The idea for the podcast originated in part while recording the audio book version of The Puzzler. A.J. realized many of the puzzles in the book were visual an...

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S6E12 with Mike Dold and Rick George of Doldrick's Escape Room. In this clip. David makes his case against using animatronics in escape rooms and explains why Doldrick's Spoopy animatronic is one of the few that works.  Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/roomescapeartist and to gain...

“Comedy and whimsy feel like the foundational principles of Doldrick’s.” In Season 6, episode 12, we chat with Mike Dold and Rick George, two of the co-owners of Doldrick’s Escape Room in Orlando, Fl. Their games are fan favorites amongst enthusiasts, in particular because of their blend of humor, whimsy, beautiful sets, and fun gameplay. Every single REA review of the Doldrick’s escape rooms talk...

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S6E11 with Summer Herrick of Locurio.  In this preview, we talk about the challenge of designing for and around the most devoted fans of these large format experiences in experiences like Sleep No More and Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser. Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/roomescapea...

"Poor game flow is one of the biggest downfalls to any escape room." In Season 6, episode 11, we chat with Summer Herrick, co-founder of the iconic escape room company Locurio in Seattle, Washington. In 2020, Locurio had the distinction of being the sole company to win in all three TERPECA categories: Top Room, Top Online Room, and Top Company. Locurio’s games, The Vanishing Act and The Storykeepe...

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S6E10 with Lonnie Hanzon of Camp Christmas. In this preview, we talk about the evolution of retail, visual merchandising into social media and experiences.  Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/roomescapeartist and to gain to access our library of over 50 bonus after shows. Thank you f...

"It's a quirky romp through this thing that we call Christmas." In Season 6, episode 10 of Reality Escape Pod, we talk to visual installation artist Lonnie Hanzon, who has been creating immersive displays celebrating Christmas for over 30 years. Lonnie is the mastermind behind the wildly creative Christmas trees and windows at Neiman Marcus in Dallas, and "The Evolution of the Ball" installation a...

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S6E10 with Eric Wastl, creator Advent of Code. In this preview, we talk about effective interviewing techniques for hiring. Spoiler... it's not Advent of Code puzzles. Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/roomescapeartist and to gain to access our library of over 50 bonus after shows....

"It's also sort of a gateway drug to becoming a programmer." In REPOD season 6, episode 9, we have a rare interview with Eric Wastl, who is not only the creative mind behind Advent of Code, but he is also married to our very own Kate Wastl who writes for Room Escape Artist and is the producer for RECON 24 in Los Angeles this August. Advent of Code is a series of unique programming puzzles that lau...

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S6E8 with puzzle maker Eric Berlin, creator of Puzzle Snacks.  In this preview, we talk about designing puzzles for kids and Eric gives us some tips for solving crossword puzzles. Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/roomescapeartist and to gain to access our library of over 50 bonus a...

“An escape room crossword puzzle”  In Season 6, episode 8, we talk to the charming crossword constructor Eric Berlin. Eric is the creator of Puzzlesnacks, one of our favorite puzzle books, and he authored the Winston Breen trilogy, a series of puzzling novels for kids. Eric was also captain of Team Palindrome, one of the largest MIT Mystery Hunt teams, which won in 2021.  Eric has a long and illus...

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S6E7 with Marie and Nico, co-creators of Red Fox. Here we talk about lessons learned from designing escape rooms and debate the merits of designing for authenticity versus ease of reset.  Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/roomescapeartist and to gain to access our library of over 50...

“That is some crazy market research.” In season 6, episode 7 of REPOD, we chat with the brilliant Marie Huber and Nico César, owners of Red Fox Escapes  in Cambridge, MA. Red Fox Escapes is known for constructing elegant and complex puzzles with gorgeous, detailed sets. As David notes in the episode, “There are a few hallmarks of Red Fox games… your approach to puzzles… and the abundance of detail...

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S6E6 with Kellian and Brian Pletcher, co-creators of Club Drosselmeyer. Here's a snippet of us sharing some advice for interacting with the performers at an immersive event. And also how to draw some hesitant guests, deeper into your storyline. Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/room...

“It's an interactive Nutcracker in swing time.” In REPOD season 6, episode 6, we go behind the scenes with the creators of Club Drosselmeyer, Kellian and Brian Pletcher. Club Drosselmeyer is a World War II-themed mass-puzzling, swing-dancing, and immersive performance event, and it’s one of Room Escape Artist’s favorite holiday events. Kellian talks to us about what to expect from Club Drosselmeye...

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S6E5 with where Peih-Gee & David catch up on their experiences and travels.  In this preview, we talk about playing escape rooms with new players. Going out to experience Delusion an immersive haunted attraction and Pomona, California, and Ghost of Mentryville, a recently reopened game from Arcane Escape Rooms.  Listen to the...

“Chris, you’re a monster.” Join us for spooky trivia games that test your escape room knowledge and scary stories to tell in the dark. Peih-Gee takes over hosting duties from David to present a ghostly and entertaining episode with guests Tommy Honton , and Anne & Chris Lukeman . We learn about things like mummy brown and the origins of Halloween, a unique trick or treating tradition in the mi...

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S6E4 with Mark Larson co-creator and voice of The Shop of Theseus. Here's a snippet of where Mark we talks about implementing search mechanics. David also gives us a teaser for the game at RECON next year, which will be live in person in Los Angeles. Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.co...

We're giving The Shop of Theseus a final send-off, and we invited the hilarious crew from the Hey Riddle Riddle Podcast to test their wits in this audio escape room co-created and run by Mark Larson , who was a guest on REPOD Season 5, Episode 11. If you missed playing this game during RECON Remote 23, or if you want to relive your glory moments, join us for this final playthrough of The Shop of T...