Ok – so it’s not actually trademarked, but it probably might as well be. Today we’re taking a refreshed look at a topic we originally broached when Escape Authority first launched in 2016. Our goal is to open up a candid conversation about what could be referred to as “The Four Unforgivable Themes™.”
First, as an important preface, this is *not* a conversation about the quality of gameplay or puzzle flow. Even a game set among The Four Unforgivable Themes™ can still be a fantastic, fun, clever, unique experience.
This conversation is strictly about the value of uniqueness in a storyworld and theme.
Story is a vital part of any attraction. It sets the tone. It creates the mood. It enhances the drama. It makes the game memorable. Without a good story, one would be hard-pressed to have a strong attraction experience.
Since the advent of the escape game genre, it instantly became difficult to locate a venue that does *NOT* have at least one of the following as a theme for their games:
This conversation can be viewed from two different points of view: For fans of the industry lucky enough to get to travel to seek out new games, it quickly becomes tiresome to keep coming across the same four themes over, and over, and over, and over, and over again. Now imagine how that same example is perceived by those players who stay close to home, only to have those exact same four themes pop up across multiple different venues all within a twenty-mile radius.
Even to the uninitiated, it quickly seems lazy – as if many venues are not willing to put forth the creativity to come up with a unique, compelling storyworld to set their games within. As a site, especially when traveling, Escape Authority will rarely opt to play a game set in one of The Four Unforgivable Themes™ if the venue has *any* other option which may be a bit more fresh and unique – no matter what it’s theme is.
From a design perspective, it’s almost a crutch. Sometimes, it’s simply a quick ‘in’ to the industry that requires little thought. Worse, in other instances it becomes more of a shortcut of “that’s what I’ve seen done before, so that’s what I’ll do.”
Perhaps most offensive of all is the frequently bantered around logic of “well those themes work.” Here’s the thing – virtually *any* theme will work if it’s well-written, creative and solidly thought through. (Ok, let’s put the caveat of “any non-offensive / not insensitive theme will work” just to be safe for the sake of discussion.) It’s time to take a risk. Dare to be different. Aim to stand out. There’s just no sense in being so willing to limit oneself.
Certainly, we recognize as a site that this notion of The Four Unforgivable Themes™ is bound to ruffle some feathers for those who elect to utilize them. Again understand that this is a discussion purely centered on the originality of a given theme, and not on the quality of any escape game that embraces it.
Some of the very best games out there exist within storyworlds bound to The Four Unforgivable Themes™. The simple fact is what makes them still good is a willingness to do something different within them.
This is an open discussion aimed at drawing attention to a very real creative limitation that currently is running rampant in the escape game industry. This should not become simply a conversation of “Well, I have one of The Four Unforgivable Themes™ and it’s very popular!”
Simply put, there’s a big difference between successful and original, between common and unexpected, and between safe and inspired. The escape game industry only continues to grow when we as a team – players, designers and owners – push for it to do so.
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