‘Brain-training’ doesn’t have to be a drag. There’s a bucketload of fun activities you can play that’ll leave you feeling fresh and mentally stimulated, and escape room games rank among the best of them! Escape games are immersive puzzles that require players to solve problems and clues to "escape" the room. They have become increasingly popular over the last decade, as escape rooms provide a problem-solving experience that’s hard to find anywhere else. Here, we’ve outlined an exciting guide on how you can play an escape room at home so you can start sparking your creativity and other mental strengths. 

Here are nine reasons why escape room puzzles enhance mental health.

1. It develops your Problem Solving Skills

Escape room puzzles (like these ones) can be good for mental health. It provides you with a unique problem-solving experience as you use elements such as basic math, creative thinking, and communication skills to solve the puzzles. This may include anything from figuring out how to open a box or lock found around the room or working together with your friends to find clues and build theories about how you can escape. Knowing how to solve problems is a crucial life skill that can help you in the long run.

2. It Sparks Creativity and Spatial Reasoning Skills

Escape games require players to use their spatial reasoning skills to think critically and solve problems in three dimensions. Many escape rooms have puzzles that can only be solved by imagining the object in your mind and rotating it around to see how it fits into place or interacts with other things within the room. Spatial reasoning is essential as it helps create more accurate mental images of objects and their relative size, distance, and color.

3. Increases your Memory Capacity and Ability

Many escape games require players to make extensive use of the surrounding environment. This means players need to be observant about everything in their surroundings, including but not limited to patterns, colors, and interesting objects. Some puzzles may only become solvable after players discover certain items or critical pieces of information within the room beforehand - so developing this ability to notice minute details is a key life skill that can increase your memory capacity.

4. Increases your Confidence

When you step into an escape room, no refunds are given if you cannot solve the puzzles within the time limit, thus increasing your motivation to succeed. It can also help boost your confidence in other areas of your life, whether at school or work. If you have ever found yourself stuck in a problem, you know that it can be frustrating and demotivating. When an escape game takes place in real life, at the moment - instead of on a computer screen, there are no quick fixes or cheat codes - players have to persevere until they find the answer on their own. Once this happens, players will be left with a feeling of accomplishment and self-belief to accomplish their goals.

5. Increases Your Level of Happiness and Satisfaction

Whether you're playing with your friends, family members, or significant other - escape games are a great way to bring people together. Communicating and working together towards a common goal can strengthen relationships by allowing you to share an experience that is both challenging and rewarding. Furthermore, seeing the enjoyment on your teammate's faces when they finally discover the solution will make you feel happy.

6. It Engages the Senses

Escape room puzzles are not just about using your brains to solve problems. Many puzzles require players to use their other senses, such as smell, touch, and taste, to discover clues. For example, players may have to light a candle or break an object open with their hands to find what's hidden within it. This means that escape games can be used as a fun and engaging way to train your senses - especially if you want to become a spy one day!

7. It Enhances Your Moods

Sometimes you may find yourself stuck with a problem that seems impossible to solve. When this happens - it can be demotivating and leave you feeling sad or downhearted. Escape games are designed to provide players with an enjoyable challenge that they will most likely enjoy, allowing them to try again if they fail the first time. This can improve your mood by allowing you to enjoy yourself and feel more confident about the challenges ahead of you in life.

8. It Develops Teamwork Abilities

When you step into an escape room puzzle - you will find yourself solving problems alongside a team of strangers. This means that your team's success depends on how well everyone gets along and works together to complete tasks. Players also need to understand their strengths and weaknesses and those of other teammates to determine who can be put on which duty. This develops communication skills by allowing players to work together to share their knowledge and learn from others - something that is extremely useful in the workplace when other employees or colleagues surround you.

9. It Increases Your Attention to Details

To find a solution in a DIY escape room, players need to pay close attention to everything. Every detail counts and can be used as part of your final solution from the tiny clue on a shelf that is easy to ignore - or the peculiarity of a sound or smell that is hard to place. This skill can be helpful in everyday life when you need to pay attention to more essential or minute details of your surroundings, such as the location of particular objects and how they fit into a problem to solve.

Conclusion

Escape games are designed to teach players how to solve problems in a fun and engaging way. Not only do they help you develop your problem-solving skills, but they also allow you to gain an understanding of yourself, allowing you to discover what type of escape game would suit your personality the most. They can be used to improve teamwork, enhance your mood and even increase attention to detail.

Have I tempted you to embark on your first escape room adventure? (I hope so!) Before you head out, you might want to read up on our game-winning escape room tips, to ensure you make it out alive… good luck!