This “3 Questions With” comes from a sponsored interview in partnership with Tecovas.
The hugely popular The Escape Game started in Nashville, and has since spread across the U.S. Its first location was in Berry Hill, where all the games were designed and built, and now it has locations in downtown and at the Opry Mills Mall. We chatted with Escape Game engineer Jacob Hendrixson to learn more about how the games are made, and how it contributes to the Nashville community.
What kind of things do you create as an engineer for The Escape Game?
“Pretty much anything that’s built out into the room that has a function. So any kind of hidden mechanisms, doors that swing open by themselves, cabinets that pop open, or anything where you place an object into something and another thing happens to get you further through your story.”
What does an average day at work look like for you?
“On the best days, we have a new game that we’re designing. There’s a team that works close in hand with us to design the actual story and the theme of the game itself. They go through and describe to us what they want these things to do and what they want them to look like.
“There’s a lot of collaboration and back and forth between teams as we put together prototypes. We have a shop full of carpenters, painters, and assembly people who take what we design and put it all together. Then the game team can say — ‘Oh, can you make it a little taller? Could it be green instead of blue?’ — all that kind of stuff until they feel like it’s perfect. After a few more versions and trial and error, eventually it’ll end up in a store.”
How does The Escape Game contribute to the Nashville community?
“One of the first games they ever designed was a Nashville-themed game about breaking into a music studio to discover a lost record. It tied itself to the city and to everything that Nashville is about with that first step. And not every location has the same games, so if you enjoy a couple of the ones in Berry Hill and really like it, then that's an opportunity for you to go to the Opry Mills Mall location and do some other stuff. It’s a way to see different parts of the city while still doing something you enjoy. Plus, it’s so much better with friends.”
