A Great Escape Room Puzzle Starts with the Joy of Playing

Years ago, I played an escape room with a dart puzzle. You had to hit the bullseye to trigger the mechanism. Our group spent half an hour at it, and nobody was bored.

In another room, we controlled a remote-controlled car in an adjacent space. Driving it into the right spot triggered the next step. It was a simple idea, but a delightful surprise.

At a room run by Aomizhijia in Beijing in 2016, I came across a vending machine. Players earned coins during the game and used them to buy items that helped them progress. I thought that was a brilliant piece of design.

Those experiences stayed with me. My first test of an escape room puzzle is whether it makes players happy. The interaction itself should be enjoyable.