Your hosts David Spira & Peih-Gee Law explore immersive gaming from all angles. Our guests have made awesome stuff: ARGs, puzzle hunts, tabletop games, and of course, escape rooms. Our aim is to bring together different segments of the gaming world and share ideas between them.
Episodes
Monday Sep 30, 2024
Monday Sep 30, 2024
“We don’t just make entertaining games. We make the people you’re playing with more entertaining.”
“Do you want to play again?” This is the only question Elan Lee asks when playtesting his games. Millions of people have answered yes, which explains why the Exploding Kittens games have dominated the best seller lists for almost a decade. Elan has now set his sights on conquering the world of entertainment beyond board games, starting with a namesake animated Netflix show.
Elan Lee was the very first guest on REPOD, way back on Season 1, Episode 1. Then, he shared his philosophy on game design and all the cool projects he’s worked on. In this follow up episode, we dig a little deeper into his design process. I especially enjoyed hearing about how he playtests games, as well as his philosophy when it comes to writing game instructions. He also talks about creating a new line of games for younger children with his daughter, and this segment is really delightful, with insight into how to design for little ones.
Elan creates party games that make the players entertaining. Escape rooms essentially do the same thing by casting their players into the hero role. Elan was really generous in sharing all the elements of his design process with us. Give this episode a listen if you’re interested in applying the Exploding Kittens game philosophy to your experience design of any kind.
Episode Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors Morty, Buzzshot, & COGS by Clockwork Dog:
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).
Buzzshot
Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS.
Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:
REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.
COGS
COGS by Clockwork Dog is an easy to use software/ hardware platform for running interactive events, including escape rooms, and other immersive experiences. They have plug & play hardware that seamlessly integrates with their software so you can create a show with lighting and sound cues without having to write a single line of code. Map all kinds of inputs to outputs by building up simple logic steps which determine what you want to happen and when.
Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:
REPOD listeners can get the COGS Starter Set for only $130 + free shipping to the USA. This bundle is usually valued at $257. You can learn more and purchase your Starter Set at cogs.show. Use code REPOD at checkout.
Production Credits
Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Steve Ewing
Music by Ryan Elder
Logo by Janine Pracht
Monday Sep 23, 2024
Monday Sep 23, 2024
"Incredible from the minute you walk in."
While we’re in off-season for the podcast, we still continue to produce episodes of our Bonus Aftershow for Patreon Supporters. This summer, we decided to go all-in reporting on our escape room adventures abroad. Nothing excites me more than journeying to far off places in search of delicious foods, wondrous sights, and of course, renowned escape rooms. David and I separately made trips to Spain, Belgium, and London to play as many escape rooms as we could cram in.
We cover David’s escape room trip to Spain with a breakdown of all the escape rooms he played. In the July episode, I take a deep dive into my experience at Neotropolis. For the August episode, we compare notes on our separate trips to Belgium and the games we played, and I report back on immersive experiences in London, including Phantom Peak and Viola's Room, the new production from Punchdrunk.
If you enjoy these previews, I hope you’ll consider joining our Patreon. For only $5 a month, you’ll get access to our Bonus Aftershow, where we continually release new episodes, even in our REPOD off-season.
How to Listen
When you support Room Escape Artist on Patreon at $5 per month (or above), you get access to the Bonus Show.
https://www.patreon.com/roomescapeartist
Episode Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors Morty, Buzzshot, COGS by Clockwork Dog, & RECON, the Reality Escape Convention:
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).
Buzzshot
Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS.
Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:
REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.
COGS
COGS by Clockwork Dog is an easy to use software/ hardware platform for running interactive events, including escape rooms, and other immersive experiences. They have plug & play hardware that seamlessly integrates with their software so you can create a show with lighting and sound cues without having to write a single line of code. Map all kinds of inputs to outputs by building up simple logic steps which determine what you want to happen and when.
Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:
REPOD listeners can get the COGS Starter Set for only $130 + free shipping to the USA. This bundle is usually valued at $257. You can learn more and purchase your Starter Set at cogs.show. Use code REPOD at checkout.
Production Credits
Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Ryan Elder
Logo by Janine Pracht
Wednesday Sep 18, 2024
Wednesday Sep 18, 2024
Season 8 is coming very soon. In the meantime, Peih-Gee was recently interviewed for episode 100 of Brentfast with Brent Pope:
"Brent sits down with the delightful and witty Peih-Gee Law, best known for appearing on Survivor (two different times!) and co-hosting the Reality Escape Pod! They discuss: Growing up Asian in the 90's, being on 2 different seasons of Survivor, the allure of escape rooms, and their Brentfast meal from Bamboo Bistro!"
Thursday Sep 05, 2024
Thursday Sep 05, 2024
In this clip, Brian Corbitt - game designer of Treasure Island at Brain Games in San Pedro, California - talks about the original, unused plan for the finale puzzle and why he decided against it. Brian is most well known for the raunchy, actor driven game Miss Jezebel, and he also talks about how that game completely changed his design philosophy. He also gives us a preview of the new game he's working on.
How to Listen
When you support Room Escape Artist on Patreon at $15 per month (or above), you get access to the Spoilers Club, our exclusive podcast where hosts David Spira and Peih-Gee Law chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms... spoilers and all!
https://www.patreon.com/roomescapeartist
Episode Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors Morty, Buzzshot, COGS by Clockwork Dog, & RECON, the Reality Escape Convention:
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).
Buzzshot
Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS.
Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:
REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.
COGS
COGS by Clockwork Dog is an easy to use software/ hardware platform for running interactive events, including escape rooms, and other immersive experiences. They have plug & play hardware that seamlessly integrates with their software so you can create a show with lighting and sound cues without having to write a single line of code. Map all kinds of inputs to outputs by building up simple logic steps which determine what you want to happen and when.
Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:
REPOD listeners can get the COGS Starter Set for only $130 + free shipping to the USA. This bundle is usually valued at $257. You can learn more and purchase your Starter Set at cogs.show. Use code REPOD at checkout.
Production Credits
Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Ryan Elder
Logo by Janine Pracht
Monday Aug 19, 2024
Monday Aug 19, 2024
In celebration of RECON LA, we are releasing our Bonus Show with Michael Borys. We hope that you enjoy and consider subscribing.
https://www.patreon.com/roomescapeartist
In this episode, David & Peih-Gee were joined by guest Michael Borys, creator of The 49 Boxes. David share stories about his own pool hustling days and educates everyone on how to not be "a jerk." They also talk about the inspiration behind The 49 Boxes, and the dilemma of using authentic, valuable props in experiences combining magic and puzzles.
Monday Aug 05, 2024
Monday Aug 05, 2024
"Why is there blacklight from the killer helping me?"
We groggily wake up in a dingy bathroom. It's creepy and dark with an ominous sense of dread. Our kidnapper comes on the screen and explains what will happen to us.
"I am also an escape room enthusiast and a horror fanatic. Therefore, I built a horror themed escape room. You are about to experience my masterpiece."
While these words are uttered by an actor playing the part of a psycho killer, the sentiment is straight from the heart of creator Christine Barger-Lutes. After reviewing escape rooms and haunts for almost a decade, blogger and influencer Christine finally opened up her very own escape room with husband and partner Jeremiah Lutes. 13th Basement is both a parody and homage to horror escape rooms.
Christine joins us on the Spoilers Club to talk all about 13th Basement, including designs borne out of frustrations and her own pet peeves with escape rooms. While discussing a key that falls with a purposefully loud clang onto a metal tray, David notes , "Christine was reviewing escape rooms for a long time before making this. She knows that one of the most annoying things to happen in the escape room is: a cool thing happens, you earned something, and no one knows it happened." I really enjoyed hearing Christine talk about her design decisions, especially when it comes to making sure her room is accessible. We dissect all these influences and more in this month's Spoilers Club of 13th Basement.
How to Listen
When you support Room Escape Artist on Patreon at $15 per month (or above), you get access to the Spoilers Club, our exclusive podcast where hosts David Spira and Peih-Gee Law chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms... spoilers and all!
https://www.patreon.com/roomescapeartist
Episode Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors Morty, Buzzshot, COGS by Clockwork Dog, & RECON, the Reality Escape Convention:
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).
Buzzshot
Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS.
Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:
REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.
COGS
COGS by Clockwork Dog is an easy to use software/ hardware platform for running interactive events, including escape rooms, and other immersive experiences. They have plug & play hardware that seamlessly integrates with their software so you can create a show with lighting and sound cues without having to write a single line of code. Map all kinds of inputs to outputs by building up simple logic steps which determine what you want to happen and when.
Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:
REPOD listeners can get the COGS Starter Set for only $130 + free shipping to the USA. This bundle is usually valued at $257. You can learn more and purchase your Starter Set at cogs.show. Use code REPOD at checkout.
RECON - The Reality Escape Convention
Our convention, RECON, will be in Universal City, California on August 18th & 19th, 2024.
RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.
Tickets are on sale now at RealityEscapeCon.com
Production Credits
Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Ryan Elder
Logo by Janine Pracht
Tuesday Jul 30, 2024
Tuesday Jul 30, 2024
To sleep, perchance to dream…
Sleep No More, the seminal immersive theater piece from Punchdrunk, has inspired countless immersive creators, including Haley and Cameron Cooper of Strange Bird Immersive. Haley and Cameron make no secret that it has heavily influenced their acclaimed escape room The Man From Beyond. When we heard that Punchdrunk would close Sleep No More’s New York location, we decided to pay homage to this influential work with a feature on our Spoilers Club. Haley and Cameron are historians of Punchdrunk; they joined us to break down everything you need to know about this innovative show.
In this two-part series, we delve into the background of this unique theater company. Then we do a deep dive into Sleep No More, discussing storylines, plot points, and solo moments. If you’ve never seen the show, you can experience it vicariously through this episode, and even if you’re a seasoned attendee, you’ll walk away with a deeper understanding.
Episode Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors Morty, Buzzshot, COGS by Clockwork Dog, & RECON, the Reality Escape Convention:
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).
Buzzshot
Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS.
Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:
REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.
COGS
COGS by Clockwork Dog is an easy to use software/ hardware platform for running interactive events, including escape rooms, and other immersive experiences. They have plug & play hardware that seamlessly integrates with their software so you can create a show with lighting and sound cues without having to write a single line of code. Map all kinds of inputs to outputs by building up simple logic steps which determine what you want to happen and when.
Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:
REPOD listeners can get the COGS Starter Set for only $130 + free shipping to the USA. This bundle is usually valued at $257. You can learn more and purchase your Starter Set at cogs.show. Use code REPOD at checkout.
RECON - The Reality Escape Convention
Our convention, RECON, will be in Universal City, California on August 18th & 19th, 2024.
RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.
Tickets are on sale now at RealityEscapeCon.com
Production Credits
Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira, Richard Burns, and Tommy Honton
Edited by Peih-Gee Law
Music by Ryan Elder
Logo by Janine Pracht
Monday Jul 15, 2024
Monday Jul 15, 2024
There's a reason Los Angeles is known as the City of Dreams. It's a town populated with dreamers and makers. They concoct fantasy worlds filled with quirky characters, dashing heroes, and tormented villains. Oftentimes, the backdrop of Southern California serves as inspiration itself, with its wide sandy beaches, snowy mountaintops, and the desolate wilds of the Mojave desert.
In honor of RECON Los Angeles, Season 7 of REPOD is filled with creative luminaries all hailing from Southern California. We curated a select cross-section of the different types of immersive games you'll find locally, and there is an impressive variety of experiences. They range from escape rooms and magic shows to networking games, large scale festivals, and theme parks. There's even an escape room in a vacation home where the Joshua Tree landscape itself is part of the set.
Our editor, Steve Ewing, put together some memorable clips from each episode of Season 7. It’s perfect for new listeners of this podcast or fans who want to relive their favorite moments. I hope this episode inspires you to visit my hometown of SoCal, and if you're coming for RECON Los Angeles in August, make sure to check out these featured experiences.
If you want even more podcast episodes, consider joining our Patreon. For only $5 a month, you’ll get access to our Bonus Aftershow, which is a more casual conversation with each guest.
Episode Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors Morty, Buzzshot, COGS by Clockwork Dog, & RECON, the Reality Escape Convention:
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).
Buzzshot
Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS.
Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:
REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.
COGS
COGS by Clockwork Dog is an easy to use software/ hardware platform for running interactive events, including escape rooms, and other immersive experiences. They have plug & play hardware that seamlessly integrates with their software so you can create a show with lighting and sound cues without having to write a single line of code. Map all kinds of inputs to outputs by building up simple logic steps which determine what you want to happen and when.
Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:
REPOD listeners can get the COGS Starter Set for only $130 + free shipping to the USA. This bundle is usually valued at $257. You can learn more and purchase your Starter Set at cogs.show. Use code REPOD at checkout.
RECON - The Reality Escape Convention
Our convention, RECON, will be in Universal City, California on August 18th & 19th, 2024.
RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.
Tickets are on sale now at RealityEscapeCon.com
Production Credits
Hosted by David Spira, Peih-Gee Law, & Steve Ewing
Produced by Theresa Piazza
Supported by Lisa Spira, Richard Burns, and Tommy Honton
Edited by Steve Ewing of Stand Inside Media
Music by Ryan Elder
Logo by Janine Pracht
Monday Jun 24, 2024
Monday Jun 24, 2024
In April, David and Peih-Gee were guests for two episodes of The Infinite Escape Room, a comedy puzzle show where a group of pals sit down, have a drink, and work together to solve an audio escape room.
This time around, they needed to escape a giant, flaming wicker man, and all sorts of silliness ensued.
The game episode is now available on the Reality Escape Pod feed:
And you can find the followup hangout episode where David and Peih-Gee had a casual chat with host Jamie Gibbs on The Infinite Escape Room’s feed. You should absolutely go check out that episode and their show in general.
Wednesday May 29, 2024
Wednesday May 29, 2024
We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus Show from S7E12 with Tommy Wallach and Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp of Hatch Escape.
In this clip, Terry talks about the qualities that intrigue him the most when playing Escape Rooms and how Immersia and Escaparium, located in Montreal, Canada, fit the bill.
Listen to the rest of the Bonus Show now by becoming a patron today at patreon.com/roomescapeartist and to gain to access our library of over 60 bonus after shows.
Thank you for supporting our work.