How to Build Your Own Escape Room

A designer, developer, and tech startup founder reveals the secrets behind creating “Startup Escape,” a tech-inspired escape room

Illustration courtesy of author

You’ve walked through the door into a cheery startup office. Past the sea of monitors, colorful motivational posters adorn brick walls. There’s a cabinet full of swag T-shirts and laptop dongles, and a Nerf gun lazily pokes out from under a couch. A monitor on the wall dutifully ticks down how much money is left in the bank.

You’re in one of two places. Maybe you’re in the office of a real-life startup — or maybe you’ve found yourself in Startup Escape, the startup-cliché-filled escape room I built.

Last year, I turned my love of escape rooms into one of my own. Here’s how I got started, along with some of the unique challenges that go into designing and building a real-life immersive puzzle game.

This article contains light spoilers for Startup Escape in San Francisco. If you’re interested in playing, I recommend you do so before reading!

I never specifically set out to actually build an escape room. The first escape room I tried was in a rainy strip mall in Appleton, Wisconsin, and by the end of the weekend, I had done three. Day trips to Bay Area escape rooms ensued…