An investigation into the mechanics and affordances of digital escape rooms

Abstract

Increasing in popularity, escape rooms offer an educational opportunity to offer such activities in the classroom. Digital escape rooms take aspects of physical escape rooms and apply them to digital environments using technological affordances and technically mediated devices such as computers, mobile devices and VR headsets. This work-in-progress paper investigates game mechanics and the affordances (Norman, 2013) of digital escape rooms to understand how players are engaged in play in digital escape rooms. This has been explored through a small-scale qualitative study of eight ‘educators’ with experience of escape room play. Semi-structured interviews were used to identify examples of mechanics used to engage players in digital escape rooms and their associated affordances. Through thematic analysis several game mechanics and their affordances were identified. Participants demonstrated particular interest in spatial mechanics which is an exploration in this paper. The findings indicate that digital tools offer opportunities to increase access, flexibility and create mixed reality experiences for players. Manipulating digital spatial boundaries enhances player immersion and interaction with digital tools, creating opportunities for discovery, teamworking and adventure. These findings offer insights into design implications for digital escape rooms for use in education.