Practical Guide to Escape Room Design

What makes an escape room truly unforgettable? It’s not just the puzzles. In A Practical Guide to Escape Room Design, Michiel van Eunen and Karen Sikkema take you behind the scenes of escape room creation and show how great rooms are really designed.From choosing a theme and crafting a story to building puzzles, structuring the game and playtesting with real players, this hands-on guide walks you through the entire design process. Along the way, you’ll discover the principles, pitfalls and practical tricks that experienced designers use to turn ideas into immersive experiences.Whether you’re building your first escape room or refining your next one, this book will help you create games that challenge, surprise and delight your players.

Michiel van Eunen and Karen Sikkema are hands-on experts in escape room design, with deep experience in game-based learning, immersive storytelling, and interactive experiences. As co-founders of Living Story, they have designed dozens of escape rooms, serious games and immersive experiences for entertainment, education and professional training. They regularly share their expertise through workshops, masterclasses and international conference talks. Their previous book, Spelen Werkt (Playing Works), became Managementbook of the Year in the Netherlands in 2023.