Dubai: Looking for a different Dubai adventure during a few days of leisure this Eid Al Adha holiday?
Escape game outlets across Dubai are welcoming the Eid Al Adha rush as holiday makers staying in Dubai escape the heat in live, indoor brain-game challenges, say owners.
In a trend that has swept the planet in the last couple of years, Dubai now reportedly has as many as nine indoor escape game outlets in the emirate which are proving popular with residents looking for something a little more off the path than traditional indoor pursuits to escape hot weather.
Challenge Chambers, said to be the first escape game to sink roots in the region, offered the initial venue in Dubai starting in May 2014 for those seeking escape games — indoor real-time adventures loosely built upon Escape the Room online games.
To play, two or more participants are put into a locked room and must read a series of clues and work together to find their way out.
Games can last for 30 minutes or more and test individual and teamwork skills.
Saira Khurram, CEO and owner of Challenge Chambers, said the escape room idea has taken off.
“It’s something that is amazing. When we first started the idea, people asked why they would pay us to lock them in a room,” Khurram told Gulf News in a interview.
Escape games are a great way for entire families to break from the routine and work together in engaging conversation trying to find solutions, she said.
“A lot of people go to the cinema, restaurant or are always on their smartphones. This gives you lots of quality time. We do take away people’s smartphones [until the game has ended],” said Khurram.
Khurram said they design all their own games so each experience is unique at the firm’s location at Sunset Mall on Jumeirah Beach Road.
Another immensely popular venue is the Escape Hunt located at Galleria Mall on Al Wasl Road in Jumeirah One.
Abdul Wahab Bahrawi, Escape Hunt Managing director for Middle East and Turkey, said when he opened his first escape game outlet in Dubai it quickly mushroomed, with other outlets in places such as Saudi Arabia, Doha and Kuwait.
“I think Dubai and the region are really hungry for different types of entertainment. All there has been is food and beverage, let’s catch a meal and a movie,” Bahrawi said. “Escape games are a natural evolution.”
Bahrawi said all of the escape games are designed in-house and now have grown to more than 200 worldwide to other Escape Hunt outlets all over the world.
The challenge is coming up with more imaginative and interesting games that interact with a wider array of available technologies, he said.
“Today, we have more technology and decor in the rooms. As we move forward, we’re adding more technology,” Bahrawi said, noting that the formula is working to the point “that we’ve seen month-on-month growth. In eight months, we’ve seen a quadrupling of our revenues. Thankfully, it’s been very good”.
Escape with friends, family
Escape room outlets have games with varying times from short 30-minute scenarios up to 90 minutes long.
Game players can play with as few as two players but, ideally, five players up to 10 is better, say designers because it puts more brains to work and a more collective dialogue searching for a solution as to the way out of the room.
Escape room game designers are reluctant to talk publicly about the details and plots of their games, given that the escape room sector is now very competitive, with each firm trying to come up with the most exciting and unique challenges, said owners.
