We dig into the #RedBullMindGamers World Finals – event logistics, Enoch and what’s in the escape room

There’s been plenty of discussion about the upcoming Red Bull escape room event – this week we delve into what awaits players in Budapest via some internet sleuthing.
 
 
How the event will be organised
Two new infographics were released this week on the Red Bull content pool website which reveals some new details – check out infographic one here and infographic two here.

Infographic two reveals March 23rd and 24th are locked in as semi-final days for the competition. With twenty four teams heading to compete in Budapest, the assumption is twelve teams will battle it out each day. Having so many teams competing each day, we can’t imagine a 60 minute escape room game for each team to play – perhaps a 30 or 45 minute game instead.

And the most revealing piece of information the infographic tells us –

“The best 2 teams battle it out at the world finals on March 25th”.

Could this mean that only the top team from each semi-final day will proceed to the finals on March 25th? And furthermore as the finals will be streamed on the internet, viewers will only see two teams compete via the Red Bull app.
 
 
What players are really competing against – Enoch
We already know from the Red Bull website that for players (or mind gamers) the mission is to Unlock Enoch. Upon digging further through the website – Enoch is revealed to be a name for the world’s most powerful quantum computer.

Not much information is known about Enoch but check out this quote from a recent Red Bull article –

“But in a gaming environment that’s half-analogue, half-digital, the Red Bull Mind Gamers finalists won’t only have logic puzzles to deal with. Enoch – the brainchild of Canadian Scott Nicholson … will actively manipulate and drive them crazy. … It will be exciting to see if Enoch can be beaten”
– The Great Escape, p.80

We’re getting a GLaDOs / HAL 9000 / Pony Island type of vibe here – Enoch seems to be a very smart (and manipulative) computer that will challenge teams by getting in their way. It seems teams will not only have to solve puzzles but also deal with a challenger that will work against them and potentially sabotage them in the competition.

A/N: Professor Scott Nicholson has been in contact and has also pointed out Enoch is part of the Mind Gamers movie.
 
 
What’s in the game … and not in the game

“It’s the first escape room based on quantum logic, and is designed to challenge 4 problem-solving skills: creativity, logic, visual thinking and strategy. Players are encouraged to communicate frequently and divide tasks efficiently in order to solve all the mysteries and challenges before time runs out. It has physical and mental aspects to many of the challenges, inspired by challenges on reality television.” – Red Bull FAQ

Teams will benefit from nominating a clear team leader and then dividing tasks between team members. Despite time pressures in the game, teams with good communication and the ability to work well together will stand out above the pack. As the saying goes – you’re only as fast as your slowest person. Stick together.

“Nicholson explains that the World Finals takes inspiration from modern escape room design, with an emphasis on team-based challenges: “Our goal was to create challenges that made sense within the world of quantum computing, combine physical and mental elements, convey a consistent story, reduce dependence on a specific language, and be engaging for viewers,” says the designer, who was a visiting professor at MIT, and is a Professor of Game Design and Development at the BGNlab at Canada’s Wilfrid Laurier University in Brantford, Ontario. “We de-emphasized the typical searching elements and quiet cerebral puzzles, avoided padlocks and black lights, and instead thought about ways to embrace the concept of challenging the body and mind.”” – Red Bull Article

It’s interesting to read that padlocks and blacklights will not be seen in the Red Bull escape room – two things commonly found in a typical escape room. Plus we can’t wait to see what “engaging for viewers” will mean when the Red Bull escape room finals are streamed! Will viewers be able to influence the escape room? 😀
 
 
Additional – Red Bull Vlog
There’s a couple of short videos with Professor Scott Nicholson talking about a range of topics in relation to the Red Bull Escape Room Finals. Well worth a peek into.

1. History of Escape Rooms

2. About the Red Bull Mind Gamers project

3. The Design Process

4. The Team

5. Creating a Team for an Escape Room

6. Bringing the design to life

Also the last wildcard team will be determined soon as the Red Bull competition for the DxM wildcard competition closes at midnight PST tonight.

– Essa 🙂

Tagged: budapest, enoch, escape room, escape room world finals, red bull, red bull escape room, red bull mind gamers, unlock, unlock enoch