Pictured, from left, Harrison Lewis, Warsaw; Tarren Kruger, Silver Lake; Nathaniel Lechlitner, Warsaw; Alyssa Kindig, Warsaw; Autum Kelly, Warsaw,;Elise Kruger, Silver Lake,;and Avary Metzger, Silver Lake.

WARSAW — Tuesday, June 27, the Warsaw Community Public Library hosted two escape room events – one for teens and one for adults. The teen and adult escape room games were very similar, with only minor changes in difficulty.

An escape room is an adventure game in which players solve puzzles, find clues and unlock secret boxes to escape within the designated time limit. A group of players, usually between two and 12 people, are put in a room and given rules to follow, such as no picking locks or breaking items. The door is then closed and locked and a timer is set. The goal is to work together to look for clues and solve puzzles.

Escape rooms frequently contain locked suitcases and boxes, books that could contain hidden messages, flashlights, paintings, vases, watches, playing cards and board games. Some of these items hold clues and riddles whose answers point to another clue.

The teams inside the escape rooms are observed by an escape room monitor. Generally teams are given the option of asking for a limited number of hints, which the escape room monitor will give via phone or through a loudspeaker.

WCPL employee Anna Jackson said she got the idea of hosting an escape room at the Warsaw library after hearing about a library in southern Indiana doing this last year. Jackson said, “I loved the idea of creating puzzles and riddles and having people solve them in a fun atmosphere.”

The first teen group to take on the WCPL escape room consisted of seven players: Harrison Lewis, Warsaw, Tarren Kruger, Silver Lake, Nathaniel Lechlitner, Warsaw, Alyssa Kindig, Warsaw, Autum Kelly, Warsaw, Elise Kruger, Silver Lake, and Avary Metzger, Silver Lake. The players worked together and were able to unlock the door and “escape” with over four minutes to spare.

According to Jackson, the event was met with a positive response and people are already asking if WCPL will be hosting escape rooms in the future. A shorter escape room game is being planned for the WCPL block party on August 4. You can find out more about the block party and other WCPL events here.

Nathaniel Lechlitner, Warsaw, and Harrison Lewis, Warsaw, work together to find clues in the WCPL escape room.