Do you run a higher education institution?
And would you like to make student life warmer, and far better for cohesion and cooperation ?
Do you want to leave a lasting impression on your students so they help build your school’s reputation?
It’s simple! Whether for freshers’ week or the end-of-year party, try an l’escape room.
Fun, challenging and immersive, escape rooms are outstanding team building activities to strengthen team spirit and create a positive, stimulating atmosphere in your school. You’ll surprise your students with a genuinely innovative activity. Here’s everything you need to know about escape rooms.
First things first: what is an escape room?
An escape room is a collaborative escape game played in teams. Player numbers can range from 10 to 1000 participants. The set is designed to reflect a scenario, a story, a theme or a particular world. Within a limited time, players must complete a specific mission by gathering clues and solving puzzles while avoiding the traps.
In this life-size team building game, something like a treasure hunt, the mission is built on a scenario that shapes the theme of the escape room. You might, for example, choose a room based on:
- A crime investigation and detective theme 🕵️
- A fantasy theme
- A swashbuckling pirate theme 🏴☠️
- A science-fiction theme 👽
- A spy theme 👀
- A horror theme 🧛
- A sustainability theme ♻️
How does an escape room session work?
Throughout the escape room, players are guided by the “game master” At the start of the game, the game master welcomes them, explains the mission scenario and runs through the rules and instructions.
Players — here, your students — are split into teams and must complete their mission on their own, by collaborating, using their imagination and communicating effectively.
Cooperation, listening, sharing and team spirit are essential to crack the mystery within the time allowed. As soon as the game ends, the game master goes back over the puzzles and the highlights with each team — usually a moment of shared emotion and, above all, laughter. Either way, the session ends in high spirits and with a team photo!
How long does an escape room last?
The large-scale escape room itself usually lasts 1h30. That said, the game is preceded by a briefing and followed by a debrief lasting 15 to 20 minutes. All in all, allow around 2 hours.
Why run escape rooms for your students?
Entertaining above all, escape rooms are group games that let students enjoy a unique, immersive and playful experience. It’s an original approach with a human dimension — and a very practical way to promote your school.
With an escape room, your students discover your school environment far more easily. The themed world of the game takes them out of their daily routine and drops them into something completely different. They don’t feel like they’re in a room, but inside a story that lets them escape.
During the game, under the pressure of the clock and the apparent difficulty of the puzzles, players feel a real adrenaline rush and a mix of intense emotions. They have no choice but to draw on their mental skills: creativity, logic, and more.
In the final minutes especially, the pressure peaks and minds go into overdrive. In this race against the clock, players push their thinking and their creativity to the limit.
Every player has to cooperate with their teammates and keep a cool head. That helps build a strong attitude, composure and self-control. The game develops team spirit, observation skills and much more. It’s a fun experience, and above all a hugely stimulating one.
For students from different backgrounds with very different temperaments, it’s a thrilling adventure they won’t forget. The time spent in this puzzle-filled den brings them closer together and builds real cohesion.
So these puzzle games will help you make a positive, lasting impression on your students and stand out from competing institutions. You can showcase the atmosphere of the school, student life and your campus values. All of which strengthens your brand image and makes your courses more attractive.
How does an escape room break the ice between students?
Escape rooms go far beyond festive moments and one-off activities!
At the start of the academic year, they offer an outstanding way to break the ice between new students.
They spark informal conversation and make it easier to settle into the university community. By inviting students to explore their campus through puzzles and playful missions, you create a sense of belonging and a real knowledge of the key places, making their academic experience richer.
Escape rooms are also a powerful tool at recruitment events. Built into meetings, they help students develop professional skills such as:
- communication
- problem-solving
- teamwork
while showing off their personality in a creative, memorable way.
Gamification is also an innovative way to run awareness-raising days. Tackling important subjects through interactive scenarios boosts student engagement and encourages them to get actively involved in social and environmental causes.
This gamified approach turns awareness days into memorable, educational experiences, helping to shape aware, committed students.
