So, things are kind of wild.
Coronavirus, or COVID-19, has forced lots of people to stay at home and practice “social distancing” to avoid spreading the virus. Unfortunately, we’ve been forced to temporarily close our Getout Games locations until things have settled down. We’re bummed and our fans are bummed to. A lot of us probably feel like escaping our own homes right now!
Well, we at Getout Games would like to offer up a few suggestions for activities you can do at home while we all practice some self-isolation. I mean, we do have some experience handling viruses. Are these ideas as immersive or amazing as a regular escape room? Well, no. But hey, for all you escape fans out there, these activities might just help you stay sane while we wait this thing out together!
So, here is a list of 4 things to do while social distancing for the escape room enthusiasts out there. We’re calling them “Coronavirus Activities”.
Or, Quarantine Activities.
Social Distancing games?
Ok, we’re still deciding on a name. Enjoy!
4 Quarantine Activities For Escape Room Fans
Photo Credit: freeonlinegames.com/
Online Escape Room Games
Did you know that escape rooms like Getout Games were actually inspired by simple escape room video games online? Due to the popularity of the internet games, people eventually started building out real, live-action escape room experiences to be more immersive and exciting than the point and click versions on the web.
But that doesn’t mean the internet escapes aren’t still lots of fun! And while we are all scrambling for quarantine activities to play at home, they are a perfect way to pass the time while you wait for the “real” escape rooms to become available again.
Here is a list of some of the more popular online escape room games you can play for free right now.
Each style, story, and difficulty level is different. The most common scenarios revolve around finding yourself in a situation you don’t know how you got into and needing to find your way out, while making sense of the situation.
Before you fire up on of these virtual escape experiences, you’ll need to make sure you have Flash enabled for your browser.
The LDS Escape Room from Getout Games
Although we created this mobile escape room long before the COVID-19 virus started forcing us indoors, now is as great a time as any to download and play the LDS escape room from Getout Games!
We created this mobile, play-from-anywhere escape room experience a few years ago as an activity for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to enjoy during their youth activities and other events. The game is completely free, and can be downloaded here on the Getout Games website.
Although the storyline and some of the puzzles involved in the LDS escape room are definitely geared toward members of the LDS church, it really can be played and enjoyed by anyone, whether they are a member or not. There are a few simple items that you’ll have to gather yourself, but most everything necessary to run and enjoy the experience comes with the download.
Turn your living room, bedroom, or emergency COVID-19 bunker into an escape room experience! If you’ve grown tired of your other quarantine activity ideas by now, this is a great way to mix it up and get your brain juices flowing again.
Photo Credit: vrfocus.com
ARia’s Legacy App
ARia’s Legacy is an app that is about as immersive of an experience as you can get without stepping into an actual escape room like Getout Games. This app uses augmented reality to transform wherever you are (which should be at home like a good social distancing citizen) into an escape scenario! You will need to use a mobile device to move around the room while looking at the screen to find clues and important items as you strive to solve the mystery and complete the stages.
This is one coronavirus activity that’s easier to understand once you fire it up and actually try it for yourself—kind if like a live-action escape room! Although you can play by yourself (self-quarantine squad), this app is fun to play with a small group who can help spot things and work out a strategy together. But we encourage you to refrain from calling your friends and neighbors over until we’ve kicked Corona. Be wise!
ARia’s Legacy is one of our favorites, but there are a variety of other escape-themed app games available as well, for both iOS and Android devices.
Escape Room Movie
This coronavirus activity idea is less of an actual activity and more a suggestion to add to what most of us are probably already doing a lot of right now—binge watching movies and TV shows.
If you’re an escape room fan looking to refresh your quarantine watchlist (how many episodes of The Office have you watched this week?), we’d like to suggest an escape-themed thrilled called “Escape Room” that came out in 2019.
Now, hold up for a second…
Before you start watching this movie, we feel the need to make it very clear, juuust in case there is an escape room newbie reading this who hasn’t actually experienced one yet, that this film IN NO WAY depicts a real escape room experience.
By that, we mean it’s freaking crazy. Like, people die.
At Getout Games, we do like to keep our guests alive, while also showing them a great, enjoyable time. This is one of those movies that causes people to ask us a lot, “Are escape rooms scary?”
Answer: some of them can be. But this movie? Ummm, no. They are not like that, at all.
Ok, now that we have that out of the way, we do recommend this movie if you like psychological thriller films. Especially if you’re into the ones that may venture a bit into the realm of “are you kidding me”? They can be fun to watch and think about what you would do in that situation. Escape Room (2019) is rated PG-13. It may not be suitable for younger audiences, but if you want to add some adrenaline to quarantine living, it’s worth a watch.
And if you end up hating it, what can we say. You can always go back to The Office. Or write a negative review on IMDB while you order more toilet paper online.
Social Distance Now, Escape Later
In all seriousness, the team at Getout Games does encourage everyone to be wise and considerate during this unique time. We are eager to have people back to experience the unique thrill of our Mission to Mars experience, Reactor Meltdown, and our other escape rooms.
But for now, we need to stay home as much as possible and take care of ourselves and those around us. We hope this list of “coronavirus activities” can help you pass the time at home and still enjoy some of that brain-busting entertainment that we’re all about.
Do you have an escape-themed activity we didn’t include that would be a perfect thing to do while social distancing? Let us know in the comments or on social media!
Until we can all “Getout” again, good luck out there, and keep washing those hands.
– The Getout Games Team