Cluedo is a famous murder mystery game which started off in the UK in 1949. The primary objective of the game is that a group of between three and six players have to work out who carried out a murder, where it took place and the weapon that was used.
Each player attempts to solve the puzzle by navigating their way through the rooms of a fictional English country house mansion, collecting clues from other players along the way.
Although it’s different from an escape room in the fact that not much teamwork is involved, and players aren’t working against the clock, it does have some striking similarities.
Such as the way players are required to navigate through different rooms and search for clues along the way. The size of the team is often similar to that of an escape room too.
Although escape rooms can vary from as few as two, through to as many as twenty, or even beyond.
Big Brother
Big Brother is a game show which became popular here in the UK around the dawn of the early Millennium. It involves a group of housemates who live in a large house, separated from the outside world and under constant video surveillance.
While living in the house, each member has to regularly nominate two other housemates who they wish to be potentially evicted. The two housemates with the most votes are then chosen for eviction. At the end of the show, the housemate who receives the most public votes is announced the winner. A prize is then issued.
One striking similarity between Big Brother and an escape room is the fact that a group of people are given tasks or challenges to perform by working in a group under a set time limit.
However, in an escape room, there is no prize to be gained, unlike Big Brother. Nevertheless, both rely on groups of people interacting together to reach a shared goal, with emergency help being available in times of desperation.
What Similarities do Escape Rooms Share with Cluedo and Big Brother?
Escape rooms involve teams of people working together to discover clues, solve puzzles and accomplish tasks in many different places. They must progress through the rooms in a limited amount of time and eventually ‘escape’.
There are many similarities between escape rooms and board games such as Cluedo or even reality TV shows like Big Brother.
All of these games begin with some form of briefing. Whether this is via paper, video or face to face with a human being. Then, players must work together to progress through the game and achieve a shared goal. However, time limits between these formats do vary.