We are super pleased to announce that Karen Myers is joining The Escape Roomer as our latest escape room and features writer in London! 🙌

Karen joins us with a wealth of experience and knowledge about immersive theatre, escape rooms and more in and around London. A local escape room evangelist, there’s very few rooms she hasn’t done and we’re so excited to have her join us as a regular contributor on all things immersive puzzle games. But without further adieu, here is Karen to introduce herself:

Hey Karen, please introduce yourself!

Hello, my name’s Karen and I’m an escape room addict.  I’m also a born and bred Londoner, a redhead, a travel fan who likes to go off the beaten track, a theatre addict especially if it’s immersive, a baker, a knitter and an occasional mudlarker.  I do like to keep myself busy.  And when I’m not indulging in one of my hobbies, to pay the bills I watch TV for a living.

How did you get into the world of escape rooms and puzzle games?

Until 2014 I didn’t even know such things as escape rooms existed! But after discovering the incredible immersive theatre production, ‘The Drowned Man’ by Punchdrunk (which totally blew my mind btw) I started searching London for similar immersive and playful experiences and somehow I stumbled on ‘Hint Hunt’ (now sadly closed).  Once I realised that you could enter an imaginary world, hunt for clues, solve puzzles and answer riddles like a treasure hunt for adults I was hooked. I fell down the ER rabbit hole right there and then and I hope I never stop tumbling.

Do you have a memorable escape room story?

There’s no single story but for me there is unending joy in the discovery of a secret door in an escape room.  Even when I can see the hinges by a bookcase or fireplace and I know it’s coming, that moment when a hidden door pops or pushes open is such a delight.  A massive childish delight. And the first time I discovered that hidden door could be inside a wardrobe?  There is almost nothing as delicious as a door in a wardrobe.

What are you most looking forward to playing?

So far I haven’t played many games outside London so I know there are some real treats out there still waiting to be explored.  Because I love my immersive theatre, I’m really keen on playing games that have outstanding set designs as I like nothing better than feeling fully ‘lost’ in the game world.  On this score, as well as the top notch puzzling, I’ve heard so many incredible reviews of the games at Darkmaster that they’re definitely at the top of my list of ‘must plays’.  And I’m so excited to be getting my hands on the 3D table top game, Spectre and Vox, this summer (fingers crossed).  Puzzle party at my place!

What sort of articles can our readers look forward to from you?

I’ve always got my eye out for something new, fresh and quirky in London so I hope I can hunt those down to share with our readers.  I’m rampantly evangelical about the joys of being a grown up who finds time to ‘play’ in fun spaces, whether that’s immersive theatre, escape rooms, treasure hunts or similar.  So I’d love to write articles that persuade the newbies and the nervous that getting involved in escaping, immersing or exploring is nothing to be scared of and that it absolutely can be life changing.

If you were given a blank cheque to create your dream ‘game’, what would it be like?

My absolute dream of a game would be Fireproof’s ‘The Room’ series of mobile/tablet games brought to real life by Punchdrunk.  ‘The Room’s gloriously sumptuous visuals and intuitive puzzling meshed with Punchdrunk’s performative flair and world-building skills would be mind-meltingly good.  And if that blank cheque can stretch to the game being housed in a glamorous villa somewhere in the Caribbean all the better.

If you want to keep up with Karen, you can find her on Instagram as @quaggie26