Digital Culture & AudioVisual Challenges

Abstract

Escape Rooms offer an immersive blend of cooperation, puzzle-solving, and entertainment, yet often prioritize riddles and the use of a themed environment over the players’ interactivity. Therefore, our objective is to foster interactivity among players, employing elements, such as roleplaying, audience, and advanced technologies. In order to implement the aforementioned objectives, we created “The Mystery of the Pen”, a gaming experience for 3-4 players. Multiple playtesting sessions confirmed the functionality of the game. 

Objective

Escape Rooms have emerged as a captivating gaming experience, fostering collaboration among players as they solve puzzles and uncover clues to successfully "escape" from intricately themed rooms. Some venues enhance immersion, facilitating actors for various types of interactions with the players, such as scaring or chasing them, while others utilize technology-based means, such as sounds or screens. Escape Rooms offer a unique blend of entertainment and cognitive development, promoting decision-making, teamwork, puzzle-solving, memory retention, and out-of-the-box thinking [1,2]. Last but not least, the environment of an escape room needs careful consideration due to its influence on the players’ engagement. Inspired by the live-action RPGs game genre characterized by players who physically act out scenarios, using costumes and props [3], our objective is to blend the core aspects of Escape Rooms, such as riddles and environmental immersion with an interactive theatrical experience. Moreover, this experience will be enriched by the use of advanced technologies. 

Method

We decided to design a gaming experience inspired by detective stories and the crime mystery genre. The most prominent example is the Sherlock Holmes stories, written by Arthur Conan Doyle [4]. The design process of this gaming experience was based on our research on the escape rooms, their mechanics and rules, the aesthetics, both in terms of scenery and sounds, that fit the chosen theme, and finally, the technologies that could enhance our work. Thus, “The Mystery of the Pen” was born, a gaming experience that is played by 3-4 players who are assigned particular roles. During the enactment of their roles, players must solve a total of six riddles to uncover the truth behind a murder. 

The story takes place on the island of Corfu during the ’50s where a wealthy count's demise, attributed to natural causes, casts a shadow of suspicion. The players enact the roles of seasoned detectives who must investigate the scene and uncover the truth behind this sudden death.

In this innovative gaming spectacle, the entire adventure unfolds before a live audience, immersing players deeply into their assigned roles as they interact with one another amidst the unfolding drama.  Moreover, a cast of actors is used to guide the players and contribute to the whole experience, while the actors’ script is relatively flexible and gives them the opportunity to improvise. Furthermore, each character is equipped with distinct tools and resources, ensuring that their individual contributions to the game's objective are as diverse as the players themselves. This, combined with the interactions within the team, makes sure that each experience is different and unique.

To enhance the immersive atmosphere of the game, we integrated advanced technological elements into the design of our riddles. Leveraging tools like web pages, augmented reality (AR) [5], and physical electronic systems such as Arduino [6], we crafted interactive challenges that seamlessly blend the virtual and physical realms, elevating the gaming experience to new heights of engagement and excitement.

Conclusion

In this project, we blend elements of mystery games, live-action role-playing games, and Escape Rooms to design a unique adventure for participants and the audience. “The Mystery of the Pen” is a gaming experience played by 3-4 players. The players are tasked to work as a team, by employing their different roles and resources to solve the assigned riddles and interact with the cast to uncover the truth behind a murder. We argue that this game elevates the traditional Escape Room experience by infusing it with theatricality and interactivity, while also ensuring that each gaming session possesses a distinctiveness, enhancing the overall enjoyment and immersion of the participants. 

Acknowledgments 

We would like to thank the members of the development group:

Maria Karasavvidou: Story & Game designer, Scriptwriter, Director, and coordinator

Theofanis Gouraros: Scenery & Prop Designer

Vassiliki Papanastasiou: Sound Designer

Kyriakos Georgakakos: Electronic Systems Designer

Marios Sotiropoylos: Web & AR Designer, Actor 

Anastasia Eirini Kasapidi: Actress 

Axilleas Diamantis Dravalopoulos: Actor

Basilis Lamprakis: Actor

Axilleas Kanellos: Pianist 

Aris Trachanellis & SmartDart printing office: Prop printing

Drosoula Mastrogianni: Documentation