All around London, people are anxiously waiting for summer to (eventually) arrive and bring us sunshine and happy get-togethers with friends and family, trips to new places … and, perhaps, also some romantic walks under the moonlight (wink-wink)…
If you are among the lucky ones who have already picked up that special someone on their radar, you should definitely read further as we might have some useful tips on how to make your upcoming date truly memorable (in a good way, we hope).
Going through an adventure together (sucha as playing an escape room) could mark the beginning of a beautiful friendship as it will give you the opportunity to learn a lot more about each other than you normally would from a conventional dating activity.
Preparation is key
As it usually requires the cooperation of 3-6 players to complete a mission and to escape the room on time, make sure to invite some friends to join you. Alternatively, you can recruit an even mix from each other’s friends (if that makes you feel more comfortable) and turn it into a double or triple date event.
If you’re thinking to bring your crush to an escape on your first date,, don’t worry, you can make it work with a little prelude. We suggest to meet somewhere for coffee prior to the experience and spend some time discussing ‘tactics’, without your friends.
In fact, this way you can also avoid any awkward pauses that usually occur during first dates: provided that you will both want to know and share stories about your friends prior to the game. If you have two groups booked in, then you could also have some friendly banter or even a bet about the outcome of the game. Goodbye, ‘what’s your favourite...’ questions!
Get locked in and enjoy the consequences
The special circumstances of an escape game have the potential to initiate a budding romance. And that’s mainly because...
…Novelty can trigger romance
Helen Fisher, a world-renowned expert on romantic love points out: “if you go and do something very novel with somebody, you can drive up the dopamine in the brain, and perhaps trigger this brain system for romantic love.”
If you go on an adventure together, such as an immersive escape room game, you immediately find yourself in a shared world of excitement, which may result in some pleasant feelings kicking in...
Just make sure you don’t lose your chosen one out of sight during the game. Pair up with her/him and work together on all clues that you find! This way you just might...
...Fall in love with their way of thinking
In one of her TED talks, Dr. Fisher also says that we tend to ‘gravitate to certain people with somewhat complementary brain systems’. In other words,, we are attracted to people we can make good teams with.
So this is your chance to dazzle your date with your exquisite wits and outside of the box thinking. Not to mentions that, you can also learn a lot in return about their critical thinking.
...Skip the chit-chat and get real
During a one-hour long escape game, you will have no choice but to skip pleasantries and overcome your insecurities when talking to each other in order to successfully complete your mission.
The experience of having to be absolutely upfront with each other for the sake of a common goal (i.e.escaping before the time is up) can actually lay the foundation for excellent communication between you two …
... Learn about each other’s fun and not-so-fun sides
Now, no one is perfect and therefore, we can’t expect our partners to be so either. Having said that, it’s still very useful to get to know each other’s main quirks early on … you know, just to make sure that there are no major incompatibilities. Moreover, your survival as a couple heavily relies on you finding a way to love or tolerate each other’s less desirable traits.
The adrenaline-filled challenge with its pressing deadline makes it harder for you both to conceal your true colours. According to a dating coach, an escape room game helps you realise “how you each respond to stressors, leadership positions or how you handle each other’s fears or successes.”
Did you know we also identified a list of things that you can learn about yourself and your fellow players by playing an escape game? Click to read our article for more insights.
Good reasons to reconnect after the game You have an interesting topic to catch-up about
Whether you head over to a bar to wrap up the date with some drinks or you call it a day (or night) and agree that you will meet again another time, your shared experience can lead to yet more great future conversations.After all, nothing bonds people more than shared experiences.
Keepsakes to remember the day
Some escape rooms (us included) take a photo of your team after the game, which you can take away either framed or in the form of a fridge magnet. This could be a nice reminder of the (hopefully) great time you had together and become the first keepsake of many memorable moments to come.