A Room Escape Artist Production
In a world gone digital, doing things in person is strangely revolutionary.
Reality Escape Pod is an interview podcast diving deep with people who make the world’s best immersive games and experiences: ARGs, puzzle hunts, tabletop games, theme parks, and of course, escape rooms. Our aim is to bring together different segments of the gaming world to share ideas between them.
Hosts David Spira & Peih-Gee Law explore immersive gaming from all angles with a unique blend of curiosity, joy, and a deep appreciation of craft. Each episode explores the guest’s philosophy, design approach, and humanity.
About the hosts:
David Spira is an experience designer, co-founder of RoomEscapeArtist.com and Reality Escape Convention. He is the escape room industry’s most prolific leader. In 2014 he applied his professional skills as a digital experience designer to the burgeoning industry of escape rooms, and more than a decade later he has built a community for its creators and consumers.
Peih-Gee Law is most well known for being a fan favorite contestant on the reality show Survivor, where she played first in Survivor China in 2007, and again in a returning All-Star season Survivor Second Chance. In 2025, she launched PG's Playhouse, a fun podcast with brainteasers, puzzles, and trivia. She is also on the official story team for Neotropolis, an annual 5 day immersive cyberpunk festival, where she creates narrative driven gameplay and experiences for thousands of attendees.
Episodes
Friday Jan 12, 2024
Friday Jan 12, 2024
"You never know why something will go viral, and it doesn't matter why. They'll still come."
If social media was an escape room, most owners and designers would never find the key. Navigating all the different trends and social media apps is a daunting task, and it's even harder when most escape rooms don't allow photos or videos of their games.
That's why we brought in an expert. In this special release of our Patreon Exclusive Bonus episode from Season 6, Episode 3, we talk to social media influencer and the owner of Exit Game OC, Christine Barger. Exit Game OC not only allows filming during their game, they actively encourage it. They also capture footage of their guests filming TikToks for their own social media.
Christine explains that all these players "want to market you. For Free." and wonders why more escape rooms don't take advantage of this free, viral marketing opportunity. We also discuss hiring practices and how to foster kindness towards players. This is a can't-miss conversation. For more episodes like this, support our podcast by joining our Patreon today.
Episode Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors Who Killed Ickey? and Morty:
Who Killed Ickey?
Who Killed Ickey? is a madcap treasure hunt from Galbraith Literary Publishers taking place on January 27, 2024, with prizes totaling fifty thousand dollars. This hunt is designed by John Bromels, a member of the team running this year’s MIT Mystery Hunt.
Who Killed Ickey? Details:
- Grand prize of $25k to fastest team.
- Next 10 fastest teams win prizes with total value of $20k.
- There are mini puzzles every week, and solvers are entered into a drawing for $50. If you solved every single puzzle, you’re entered into a drawing for $5k.
- The entry fee is buying a copy of the book Who Killed Jerusalem, which will be needed to solve the puzzles. However, you won’t need to read the book to solve anything.
- Neither the book (which is set in 1977 San Francisco) nor the Hunt are related to recent global events in any way.
- The Who Killed Ickey? treasure hunt begins at 10 am pacific time on January 27, 2024 and ends at 4:30 pm pacific time.
- You can learn more at the Who Killed Ickey? website.
Morty
Morty is a free app for discovering, planning, tracking, and reviewing your escape rooms and other immersive social outings.
Morty News:
- Morty now features haunt attractions
- Morty for Android is here
Special Badge for REPOD listeners:
You can learn more at morty.app/REPOD to sign up and get a special badge for our listeners (works for existing users also).
Production Credits
Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Steve Ewing of Stand Inside Media
Music by Ryan Elder
Logo by Janine Pracht
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