Iain Banks’s 1988’s novel The Player of Games is all about gaming and game theory. The main character Jernau Morat Gurgeh finds himself in an intergalactic gaming competition versus some of the universe’s most elite gamers. Banks uses some of the novel’s unique game platforms as a reflection of social conditions.
The game-based society Empire of Azad had created a labyrinth as a prison for convicted criminals. The basis of the labyrinth was moral insofar as each criminal could be free within a couple of weeks by successfully passing certain virtue-based scenarios; or, upon failure, would be damned to fall deeper into the labyrinth. If the offender were to fail these moralithms continuously, they would eventually be deported to a penal colony. How fair: the most epic escape game where freedom is a prize for the condemned.
In a more advanced society, could a realistic decision theory-based simulation bypass legalities and assess someone’s moral compass? Yes and no. The catch-22 in The Player of Games ‘legal labyrinth’ is that it could only assess its participant’s morality if the scenario isn’t exactly the same as the one in which they were convicted and/or the perpetrator has prior knowledge of their conviction within the moral scenario. Otherwise, Azadians are only testing for systematic manipulation.
Escape games like Krakit use gaming cryptarithmic scenarios to outline parallels to real life conundrums. It doesn’t mean that you are a bad person if you can’t pass a Krakit escape game, but it may mean you need to practice puzzling in order to develop keener lateral styles of thinking.
In Burnaby’s escape room, you might develop mental tools for taking care of business you never knew you were capable of using—and, you can have a ton of fun. Nothing sucks about that!
Once inside our Vancouver escape room, you have 45 minutes to get out. You will need brains, guts, and nerves of steel to make it out - before it's too late.
Monday, 31 July 2017
Monday, 24 July 2017
Mystery, Puzzles, Trivia, Oh My! 4 Podcasts for Escape Game Fans
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| Photo: Casey Fiesler (CC BY 2.0) |
However, there are a few topics we’re pretty sure every escape game fan is into. Mystery? Check. Puzzles? Check. Creepy going-ons? Check.
In the magical era of the podcast, you can be sure someone out there is making a show about a subject you want to plug into. Here we list four of podcasts that really satisfy our escape room brains.
Serial
OK, so this is one of the biggest podcasts since, well … ever. But if you haven’t listened to NPR’s Serial yet, we’re telling you, now is the time. Each season is one single intriguing story of true crime told masterfully by host Sarah Koening over several episodes. Spine tingling.Check out Serial here: https://serialpodcast.org/
Pints and Puzzles
You like conspiracy theories? Then this is the podcast for you! TJ Counihan discusses strange unsolved events, from little green men to unexplained explosions, and throws in some tasting notes on various beers for good measure. Both a strange and fun time!Catch Pints and Puzzles here: http://pintsandpuzzles.libsyn.com/
Good Job, Brain!
If you like to stuff your brain full of random useless facts—and who among us escape room fans doesn't—then do let the four hosts of Good Job, Brain! fill your grey matter up to the brim. As they put it, this podcast is “part quiz show, part offbeat news, and all awesome.”You can get factual here: http://www.goodjobbrain.com/
Welcome to Night Vale
Something else all escape gamers share is a vivid imagination and a love of immersing themselves in story. Have you ever heard of the town of Night Vale? No? Well, that’s because it doesn’t exist, but in Welcome to the Night Vale it does, and this twice monthly podcast enlightens us about all that happens there. Sure, there are a few weather updates, but Night Vale is “a town in the desert where all conspiracy theories are real,” so you can expect things are going to get strange on a regular basis.Visit Night Vale here: http://www.welcometonightvale.com/
Immerse yourself in your own trivia, mystery, and puzzle filled fun by booking a go in one of our escape games here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.
Tuesday, 18 July 2017
Fun Activities That’ll Turn Your Kid into a Sleuthing Genius
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| Photo: Melissa Hillier (CC-BY 2.0) |
You’re a complete escape game fanatic, and you've only got so much time to make sure your kids follow in your footsteps.
Luckily, it’s not too hard to get your kid hooked on all things sleuthing, code breaking, and problem solving. Why? Because these things are super fun.
Observe:
Clue
A complete classic, the board game Clue—or Cluedo, if you’re outside North America—has made detectives out of many generations of kids. It’s nearly 70 years old, but it’s still one of the best ways to introduce young kids to the wonderful world that is sleuthing.Spy kit
Remember writing secret messages to your friend in invisible ink and—just to make it extra secure—using a decoder ring? Of course you do! Spy kits have come a long way since you were a kid though: now they include things like audio enhancers and UV flashlights. Jealous? Us too.Harriet the Spy and Encyclopedia Brown
What better role model for budding escape game enthusiasts than successful detectives who are around their own age? Harriet the Spy and Encyclopedia Brown both have some solid tips to pass along to sleuths in training, whether in book or TV form.Scavenger or treasure hunt
Summer holidays mean camping, and camping means no internet (if you’re doing it right, that is). Curious kids plus the great outdoors makes for a great opportunity to devise one of the greatest scavenger hunts your children have ever seen. Turn up the difficult by making a clue list and requiring a compass and map, and your kids’ problem-solving muscles will get a hefty workout.Kid-friendly escape game
It can be surprising how quickly kids, even young ones, can figure out clues in escape games that even adults have trouble with. Make sure the theme is age appropriate (maybe try our Alice in Wonderland room rather than the Saw one!) and watch your kid kick your butt at your next escape room experience.Book an escape room at Krakit for you and your family here: http://bookeo.com/krakit
Monday, 10 July 2017
5 Horror Films That Were Scarier Behind the Scenes
That’s definitely something that the cast and crew of these five famous horror films learned the hard way.
1. The Exorcist (1973)
Inarguably one of the most successful horror films of all time, The Exorcist hasn’t just been terrifying audiences for decades—its cast and crew also received a good dose of fear. Several odd occurrences made filming a nightmare: rigging fell down, sets burnt to the ground, and star Linda Blair nearly broke her back from a prop malfunction. Then there’s the large number of people connected to the film who died or fell ill during its production. It was all convincing enough that a priest was brought in to bless the set.2. The Omen (1976)
Where to begin with “The Omen Curse.” It shouldn’t be surprising that the crew of a film about the spawn of the devil was subjected to a little bit of terror, but they definitely got more than they bargained for.Not only did lightning strike the plane carrying novelist/screenwriter David Seltzers, lightning also struck a plane carrying star Gregory Peck. On the first day of filming, crewmembers were in a head-on car crash. After that, Peck nearly boarded another plane to Israel, which crashed and killed all onboard. Director Richard Donner didn’t escape the curse either—he was both hit by a car and stayed in a hotel that was bombed by the IRA. Worst of all: this isn’t even a complete list of what happened to the poor crew of The Omen.
3. The Shining (1980)
The behind-the-scenes horror of The Shining comes in two forms: eerie coincidence and director Stanley Kubrick’s notorious antics. At the end of filming, a massive fire broke out at the hotel that stood in as the Overlook—which is exactly what happens at the end of Stephen King’s original novel.But the more menacing onset horror might be Kubrick’s treatment of actress Shelley Duvall. He intentionally put her under insane stress, including making her and Jack Nicholson film the famous bat scene a record-breaking 127 times. He even asked the cast and crew to torment Duvall—and the shoot lasted a massive 500 days. Sounds like a fun time.
3. The Amityville Horror (2005)
The set of The Amityville Horror, starring Ryan Reynolds, perhaps offers a better example of how a film can get in your head than of supernatural events. Just like the psychopathic character he portrays in the film, George Lutz, Reynolds woke up precisely at 3:15 am. And it wasn’t just him—several members of the crew found their eyes popping open at this particular hour.5. The Conjuring 1 and 2 (2013 and 2016)
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga must be braver than the average Hollywood star, because they filmed not one but two Conjuring films—with supernatural events occurring on both sets. The crew’s hotel caught on fire, a member of the real-life family that the film is based on broke a hip, and dogs started barking when no one was around. Creepiest of all, curtains moved when there was no wind, while trees stood still when there was. We’ll see if the stars come back for a third Conjuring, or if they’ve had enough.Now we dare you to play one of Krakit’s three horror-themed escape rooms with the scary-factor turned all the way up to 11. Book here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.
Monday, 3 July 2017
Escape Game Training: 5 of the Biggest Brain Busters
For you puzzle fanatics (and that very much describes us here at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game), we’ve pulled together five of the hardest brain busters out there to construct the Ninja Warrior course of the puzzle world.
1. Test your selective attention
Think you’re an ace at evaluating your surroundings and picking up on what other people miss? See how well you do with this awareness test devised by psychologists Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris.2. Flex your Mensa muscles
Ever heard of Mensa? Of course you have. It’s only a society of the biggest brains on the entire planet. You can see how you stack up against all the geniuses of the world by exercising your brain with the Mensa Workout available on the official Mensa site.3. The ultimate NYT crossword
The New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle is notorious for being the most difficult puzzle available in any given week. So how about the most difficult of the most difficult: the December 26, 1987, puzzle devised by Daniel Girardi.You can download and attempt the hardest NYT crossword of all time here.
4. Go on a puzzle adventure
OK, so you’ll have to actually get your hands on one of these puzzles, because this one exists in the real world: the Isis Adventure Series. Considered one “the hardest puzzle” in the world, this puzzle set requires you to solve one before you can move on to the next, each getting progressively more difficult. You can get your set directly from the Sonic Games website.5. Get your logic on
Why do one incredibly hard logic puzzle when you can do ten? Scientific programmer Patrick Min has got you covered with this list of the hardest versions ever of ten different logic puzzle types, including Sudoku and Go. Click to bend your brain.Now that your brain is in peak condition, see if you can bust all four of our escape rooms at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game. Book here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.
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