In episode 5, we had a lovely chat with Barry Meade, founding member of Fireproof Studios and one of the co-creators of The Room, an incredibly vivid mobile game first released in 2012.

The Room had a tactile, immersive quality to it, from its haunting soundtrack, to the weight of physical objects, and how the environment handled the lighting design. These design elements, combined with a series of intricate puzzles, have delighted and inspired countless escape room enthusiasts and designers.

It was fascinating to hear about how a limiting set of circumstances created the perfect recipe for an evocative 3D puzzler. What came through clearly was their sharp sense of focus. They knew what they were good at and didn't waste resources trying to be too many things. After chatting with Barry, we could see how Fireproof Studios really embodies the spirit of an indie design studio.

Show Notes

Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law

Produced by Lisa Spira

Music by Ryan Elder

Logo by Janine Pracht

In this episode, David and Peih-Gee chat with Chris and Anne Lukeman, owners of the escape room company CU Adventures and the escape room shirt company Solve Our Shirts.

We talk about how a trip to Wisconsin and to two attractions in particular "opened their eyes to a level of weird that became a commercial business." Those attractions were Wizard Quest, a fantasy-themed scavenger hunt and House on the Rock, which Anne describes as a "skyscraper hobbit-hole of kitsch." We learn about their background in indie filmmaking and how it has influenced their escape room design process. As part of his design philosophy, Chris says that anywhere in one of their escape rooms, “it should feel like a picturesque, lived-in space, and either tell part of the story, inform part of the puzzle, or be weird, or be funny. It HAS to do one of those things."

They talk to us about the pros and cons of operating in a smaller community. We find out why they decided to release their remote game Lost Temple as a print-and-play. David and Peih-Gee gush over Solve Our Shirts, their latest project, which is an escape room in a t-shirt. Chris and Anne tell us about their plans to expand with a fantasy-themed mini-golf course with additional gamification, a bar, and gaming rooms.

Show Notes

Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law

Produced by Lisa Spira

Music by Ryan Elder

Logo by Janine Pracht

Episode 3 is an interview with game and puzzle designers Juliana Moreno Patel and Ariel Rubin, the Wild Optimists. This brilliant duo designed the world’s first Escape Room in a Box which is released worldwide by Mattel.

Juliana and Ariel met, founded their company, and created their first product all while pregnant, which should give you a good idea of their intense passion.

They are known for their thoughtful designs in immersive gaming and continue to push the envelope when it comes to creating new types of game design.

Show Notes

Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law

Produced by Lisa Spira

Music by Ryan Elder

Logo by Janine Pracht

In this episode, David and Peih-Gee chat with Myles Nye, a Survivor Challenge consultant and  designer of team-building games.

Myles took Peih-Gee to her first Escape Room, and we discuss tips and tricks for newbies. Myles talks about improv and how to create experiences that tap into the essence of play. We learn about how Myles became a challenge consultant for the reality show Survivor, and discuss the nuances of designing puzzles and games for television. He puts to rest some of the conspiracy theories about Survivor challenges, and also talks to us about why certain challenges probably won’t make a reappearance on the show again. We also talk about Myle’s love of legacy board games.

Show Notes

Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law

Produced by Lisa Spira

Music by Ryan Elder

Logo by Janine Pracht

In this episode, David and Peih-Gee chat with Elan Lee, one of the creators of the ARG (alternate reality game), and co-creator of Exploding Kittens - the most-backed campaign on Kickstarter at the time.

David manages to surprise Elan with interview questions that he’s never been asked before. Elan talks about creating the world’s first ARG and shares stories about what happens when you don’t properly define borders in escape rooms and immersive gaming. We also talk about escape rooms (of course) and Elan’s post-game ritual. We find out that Elan is a huge fan of Survivor and he tells us why he considers Jeff Probst to be one of the world’s best game designers.

Elan tells us that the best-designed games aren’t entertaining in and of themselves, but rather, that the best-designed games make the players entertaining.

Show Notes

Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law

Produced by Lisa Spira

Music by Ryan Elder

Logo by Janine Pracht

David and Peih-Gee talk about how they met a year ago on a podcast, what they’re hoping to accomplish with this podcast and their escape room origin stories. While this is technically episode 0, it's labeled as episode 1. It's a puzzle.

Show Notes

Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law

Produced by Lisa Spira

Music by Ryan Elder

Logo by Janine Pracht