How Real Life Escape Games Are Opening New Startup Opportunities

Thinking of business and entrepreneurship? One always dreams of a bright, successful future, and innovative ventures to embark upon the entrepreneurial journey. The world is changing at a rapid pace and everyone is looking forward to a secured career. So what is that one idea, where they should focus on? Real-life escape game or commonly known as escape room is one such venture to focus on. It provides a great platform for young entrepreneurs who are looking for a unique concept.

While thinking of starting a new venture, the initial thoughts are mostly those of traditional business options which are already doing well in the industry. One should look beyond those and opt for unique and innovative options. With the increasing awareness of the Indian audience towards the global culture, they have become adaptive to new experiences.

There are many successful entrepreneurs running their businesses based on their vivid thought process and putting creative ideas into execution. Young entrepreneurs are always on a lookout for that one idea which can help give a new direction to their career.

So, What Are Escape Games?

Escape games are adventure and theme-based real games in which players have to find out the clues and solve puzzles to escape simulated danger before the time runs out. It’s a new, thrilling and joyful concept in the entertainment industry.

In India, these escapes games are at a very nascent stage and have recently got consumers’ attention. There are a handful of major players in this industry and most of them are present in key metro cities and the market is still under penetration.

As the market is undergoing changes on a daily basis, young and budding entrepreneurs should look for ideas that can leave an impression on the audience’s mind for a long and entice them towards the concept. So real-life escape games can be the perfect opportunity for a new business.

What Is Attractive About Escape Games?

The most attractive aspect of escape rooms is that these games are for all age groups which makes it one of the widest markets to tap in India. A basic escape game can be started with an investment of around 20-25 lakhs. Though the cost can increase considerably as the escape games industry is becoming more technology-intensive these days and is built with fancy architecture, however, entry-level investment is relatively lesser.

Traditional businesses are very difficult and immersed with a legacy of infrastructure, so it’s difficult for a new beginner to know where to start from. So, if young professionals look forward towards moving on from their traditional business and doing something interesting in the entertainment industry, escape rooms can be the perfect stop for the opportunity seekers giving a joyful treat to their mind. Therefore, escape rooms are the newest craze, as well as a healthy break from several gadgets.

In the coming years, the real-life escape games business will be a boon in the entertainment sector. Escape rooms are a new and exciting concept to experiment with, devising so many activities in mind. Entrepreneurs should think of interesting, demanding and attractive themes to build an ordinary room into an amazing escape.

They can research and can create the rooms by taking inspiration from the movies and web series to create a thrilling experience. The themes can be well targeted to the different age groups to make it more engaging. Along with the positive impact, this game comes with a lot of challenges as well, for which, one should do thorough research to make their escape games challenging yet interesting and engaging.

Designing these rooms could be an arduous task, as one has to look into the intricacies of it and might require a lot of time and effort. After the execution, maintenance is also important to keep the designed room safe and long-lasting.

To create an extraordinary escape, bigger space is required which comes at hefty rentals so again it’s a challenge to think and create an escape game that is pocket-friendly. An escape room can certainly not be a side business for making lucrative money out of it because, in today’s world, an entrepreneur needs to devote a significant amount of time, money and efforts in even a small business.

So, it is very important to conceptualise your plan before you execute it, this can be the key for young entrepreneurs to run a successful escape room business.

The article is co-authored by Ankit Agrawal and Aman Goel, cofounders at The Hidden Hour.

Note: We at Inc42 take our ethics very seriously. More information about it can be found here.