Scare Tactics (Part One): Fight-or-Flight

Audiences love to scream in terror at the scenes presented to them on the big and small screen. But why do we seek out scary experiences? Why do we shield our eyes in fear only to return them to the screen seconds later? What sadistic tendency leads us to self-scare?

The answer lays in our body chemistry, or more specifically our brain chemistry. In a fight-or-flight scenario our brain releases the hormone dopamine. Dopamine has many purposes in the human body, but one of the major roles it plays is reward. Our body rewards us with dopamine when we preform certain actions, the most basic being smiling. Our reward is happiness.

In a scary scenario, our brain also rewards our 'fight' option with an increase in the production of dopamine. By sitting through a disturbing scene our body experiences a jolt of hormones. This produces feelings similar to those created when we experience a euphoric situation.

Our self-esteem gets a boost as our confidence increases. Our survival, even when witnessing a two-dimensional scene, is seen as an action worthy of a chemical prize. The more scary scenarios we can sit through the greater our self -worth.

But scares aren't for everyone. Our enjoyment depends on the milliseconds between the fright and our brain's recognition that as viewers, we are in a safe place. If we aren't sure of our safety, we will be less likely to enjoy the experience.

The Krakit Escape Room has similar boundaries. If we feel safe during the experience, then we can enjoy the act of being scared. We feel elated if we are able to solve the puzzle.

Some individuals find safety in numbers and have a far more enjoyable experience when attempting to escape in a large group.

And then there's some who don’t like to be scared at all. Luckily for this group, Krakit has a new theme that has close to zero chills.

Come try one of our four challenges this week. 

Defy Reality at Vancouver's Escape Room

This week Krakit awarded ten lucky escape artists the chance to attend a sneak preview of the latest film in the Divergent movie series: Insurgent. Our lucky winners were amongst the first fans in Vancouver to see Tris, with her new pixie coif, take her place as a Divergent, a free mind in a divided Dystopia.

All month long, Krakit will continue to give away Insurgent prizes to lucky escape fans who brave the Krakit themerooms. Prizes include limited edition movie t-shirts, posters and gloves based on the popular movie.

Insurgent, the second film in the Divergent series is adapted from the novels by Veronica Roth. The novel and the films contain themes of rebellion, free will and self-sacrifice. The central figure Tris, uses her unique divergent mind to expose the flaws in the caste system, the system set in place to control the population of a future colony.

The colony resides in a post-apocalyptic Chicago that is divided into five factions. Every adolescent goes through a ceremony where they choose their faction. The faction defines their personality, their place in the colony and their future occupation. Tris is one of a small group of free thinkers who is able to avoid the control of the central power and work independently from the faction system. She is able to combine all five of the faction traits in her personality: selflessness, peacefulness, honesty, bravery and intelligence. This combination awards her more opportunities for leadership roles, autonomy and problem-solving superiority.

Krakit gamers need to harness similar traits when they enter the theme room of Vancouver's most exciting escape challenge. Clues are only useful when paired with an open mind. Narrow thinking will only lead to frustration. Creativity, decisiveness and teamwork are all important for success.

Try your skills today and be in the running for some excellent Insurgent swag.

Think Outside Your Faction

"No matter how long you train someone to be brave, you never know if they are or not until something real happens."

-Insurgent

That 'something real' could be a turn in Vancouver's most challenging escape game. Measured up against four uniquely themed escape rooms, players must use all areas of their brain, not just the corners they excel at to succeed.

This is one of themes that Veronica Roth’s Divergent series, the source of the quote above, explores. The novels and now films are set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have been divided into factions. The faction setup works like a caste system, where individuals are taught to only associate and strive towards positions within their social group. This control is based on the individuals within the group identifying with the pre-conceived character traits that are attached to each faction. Once they identify and understand their position, they are less likely to use the traits of the other factions for problem solving, thus limiting their potential. It is only the divergent members, the ones who display traits from all of the factions, who contain the potential to disrupt the system.

It is an interesting scenario, one which we see played out in our everyday lives. Individuals who succeed at work, at sports even in relationships, seem to have a rounder sense of being. When our skills are too specialized, we often can't find a practical use for them. It is only with a grasp of the larger picture that we are able to make our creative productions shine.

The same thing happens in the Krakit rooms. Players need creativity, logic, intelligence and perseverance to make their escape. Their natural tendencies, or faction traits, might lead them towards one line of thinking, but their ability to change perspective will allow them to engage the problem on more then one front. The divergent mind will always trump the specialized.

Insurgent, the second film in the Divergent series, will open in theatres across North America on March 20th, 2015.