A Brief History…
Escape Rooms started popping up across the US in the mid 2010’s after success in Europe and Asia. Despite Escape Room Novi opening in 2016, the history of escape rooms goes back a lot further…
Escape Rooms go back as far as Ancient Greece and the famous Labyrinth, designed by Daedalus for King Minos of Crete to imprison the Minotaur. The maze’s design was so complex that only the creator knew which way to go to get out. Images of the labyrinth’s design can be found on Greek coins dating back to as early as 430 BC but it’s important to remember that the concept of the labyrinth wasn’t exclusive to Ancient Greece. References to maze-like patterns have been discovered in diverse locations, from Russia and Turkey to Italy, Egypt, and England, as well as among Native American artwork across the Atlantic. This widespread presence of labyrinths stems from their traditional role in trapping evil spirits.
In the 16th century, creating mazes from hedgerows became a popular trend among Europe’s aristocracy, especially in England. One of the most famous examples, which remains open for exploration today, is the Hampton Court Maze. You’ll find that these mazes inspired many fictional pieces of work from Harry Potter to Alice in Wonderland, The Shining and more.
Video games soared to success in the 1980s onwards. These games incorporate Escape Room style puzzles and problem solving tasks. Some examples include games like Myst, Sphinx Adventure, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda.
The first real life escape room opened in Japan in 2007. The escape room was called “The Real Escape Room”. Another escape room opened in Singapore in 2011. The first escape room in the US was in San Francisco in 2012.
Escape Room Novi was one of the first escape rooms in Michigan, opening in 2016. Now, there are more than 3500 escape rooms in the United States.