By Emily R. Zarevich, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Escape rooms have become an international phenomenon in this century. It’s like playing a video game, but you actually get to leave the house. This is how it works: you and a group of friends are locked inside a themed room for an hour, and you must use your collective brainpower to solve a series of puzzles that take you to the exit before the hour runs out. You get to solve crimes, break out of prison, skip out on middle school detention, explore Egyptian crypts, or save the world from evildoers, all while racing against the clock. And those are only a handful of the infinite possibilities. You are the stars of your own storyline. It’s thrilling, it’s challenging, it’s suspenseful, and it tests your social circle’s teamwork strength. But have you ever considered how much brainpower goes into continuously operating these rooms?
Trapped is a North American escape room franchise that has locations scattered across Canada. One of them landed right here in Burlington and it is conveniently located just off of Brant Street, at 2007 Mount Forest Drive (the very same plaza as Mount Royal Pizza and Mount Royal Family Restaurant). Milton-based business owner Akhtar Syed, who regularly commutes between the cities of Milton and Burlington, is also the director and gamemaster of this particular location. He has agreed to speak out about this new and modern field of work that keeps the people of Burlington both entertained and on their toes. Answers have been lightly edited for flow.
How did you become an escape room gamemaster here in Burlington?
I have been in the sales industry for about thirty years. I’ve also been in the pharmaceutical industry. When I migrated here to Canada from Pakistan in 2007, I decided I wouldn’t go into sales again. I got a job at ADT Security Services. I was the sales manager and so I spent about 15–16 years in ADT Security Services. From there I actually had a plan, which was that I had to go into business. I noticed that in this part of the world, business is a better option than a job.
I wanted to go with a franchise because you get the brand name itself and there is support from the franchise to establish the business. So that was my plan. That was my goal. So how did I actually come into the escape room industry? In Canada, there are some shows actually arranged by the CFA (Canadian Franchise Association), I think about once or twice a year. I was visiting those shows quite frequently, and I saw this brand. It’s a different sort of entertainment and it’s an activity. That’s why I decided to become an entrepreneur and get this franchise.
What are some of the challenges of managing escape rooms?
When the players are playing the game and they start somewhere, they don’t know what to do, and so we offer the hint system. Whoever the gamemaster is, he must be aware of the game’s full details. They must know all the answers, or how to give the right hint if somebody is very new. If they (the gamemaster) don’t know the game, they cannot actually advise. This is the challenge that I would rank number one. The second must be knowing how to reset the game after the game is finished. That’s also an important part.
Also, sometimes things in the game can be broken by the players. So now the gamemaster must be a little bit handy as well. If something is broken, the gamemaster should be able to fix it right away, so at least you don’t have to shut down the game until you can get a repair person.
How do you view the future of the escape room business?
I think I see a lot of potential in it because before coming into this industry, I thought the food business was the best business. People have to eat. But now I notice, people need activities too. They need some sort of entertainment. People go and watch movies, people go and play indoor and outdoor games. Escape rooms are an indoor game where you use mental exercise. You use problem-solving skills.
If you improve your problem-solving, you improve your thinking-out-of-the-box skill set because you have to think differently. You will be in an escape room and you will not see the answer right in front of you. You have to find it. I think it’s very important, especially for growing kids and the teenagers. They have to think about it. They’re stuck in a situation and they know the answer is right there, but they have to find it.
If you’re interested in booking one of Trapped’s escape rooms for yourself and your group, you can click here. This location boasts intricate and sophisticated room themes that include “Below the Sphinx,” “Jack the Ripper,” “The 13th Exit,” and “R.E.M. (Rapid Eye Movement).” Each individual escape room has its own recommended number of players based on the room’s challenge level, so players are advised to do research before booking a room. This location also offers a social party room for a group of up to twelve people. Akhtar Syed invites you to his place of business to see if you can outsmart the narrative in the span of an hour.
This is the third article in a series on people in Burlington who perform unconventional job roles that aren’t mainstream career choices. Outside of being a teacher, a doctor, a police officer, or a grocery store manager, what else do the people of Burlington do for a living? For the series’ first article on Helen Peacock, a Burlington-based psychic, please click here. For the second article on the art restorer and artist Joan Ng, please click here. If you know anyone who would make a suitable subject for this ongoing series, or if you feel that you would be a suitable subject yourself, please feel free to reach out to articles@local-news.ca.
Correction notice: this article has been corrected to reflect the themes of the escape rooms available at Burlington’s Trapped.
