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Reality Escape Pod – Escape Rooms & Immersive Games — Games
Reality Escape Pod – Escape Rooms & Immersive Games

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.

Copyright: © Copyright 2021 Room Escape Artist

Latest Episodes:

S6E2 Bonus After-Show Teaser: Rich Bragg of TERPECA Oct 16, 2023

Show notes

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S6E2 with Rich Bragg of TERPECA.

Here's a snippet of Rich talking about the inherent difficulties of trying to rank the top escape rooms in the world on the typical list.

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 50 bonus after shows.

Thank you for supporting our work.

S6E2: Hard With Pain - Rich Bragg, Creator of TERPECA Oct 09, 2023

Show notes

If you consider yourself a serious escape room enthusiast, chances are you’ve heard of TERPECA, the Top Escape Rooms Project Enthusiasts' Choice Award. In Season 6, Episode 2 of REPOD, we chat with Rich Bragg, founder of TERPECA and ClueKeeper, and a former escape room Guinness World Record holder.

Rich has been involved in the immersive gaming scene since he first discovered the world of elaborate puzzle hunts in the early 2000s. Rich talks about playing in Moscow while setting the Guinness World record, and he tells us about playing the “hard with pain” game mode. We discuss the “TERPECA Effect,” while talking about the impact that the Enthusiast Choice Awards has had on the international escape room scene. Not only has this project created a globally recognized reference list of the top escape rooms, it has also brought the international community together, with many enthusiasts traveling all over the world to experience these games.

Rich’s passion for the puzzling world crosses many genres. It’s abundantly clear that he puts a lot of thought into ensuring that TERPECA is balanced, fair, and accurately reflects the opinions of the most experienced players. If you’re an experienced enthusiast, we hope this episode convinces you to vote in the upcoming TERPECA season. Your opinion matters!

Timestamps & Full Show Notes

Episode Sponsors

Thank you to our sponsors Morty, Buzzshot, and COGS:

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 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 & Richard Burns

Edited by Steve Ewing of Stand Inside Media

Music by Ryan Elder

Logo by Janine Pracht

S6E1 Bonus After-Show Teaser: Doors of Divergence Oct 09, 2023

Show notes

We're sharing a little bit of our Patreon exclusive Bonus show from S6E1 with Christian and Zach of Doors of Divergence.

Here's a snippet of Christian and Zach talking about their expectations of what their audience would love and what actually kept people coming back for replays. David talks about his past covering live music events and compares doors of divergence to jazz music. They also talk about creating on the fly, magical memories for their guests.

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 50 bonus after shows.

Thank you for supporting our work.

S6E1: Replayability & Branching Narratives with Christian Vernon and Zac MacKrell, Creators of Doors of Divergence Oct 02, 2023

Show notes

What if you entered an escape room where the choices are real and every decision you make causes ripples down the line of your adventure? Replayability is one of the hottest topics in the escape room world, and right now, no company showcases it better than Doors of Divergence in New York City. In Season 6, Episode 1 of REPOD, we chat with Christian Vernon and Zac MacKrell, the creators behind Doors of Divergence. They spill the secrets of their success, including their secret weapon when it comes to their immersive actors.

They describe their games Heresy: 1898 and Madness: 1917 as "escape room meets immersive theater meets choose-your-own-adventure novel." We learn about how the branching narratives work in their shows. They talk about being surprised at the popularity of their achievement system "Chivo." Christian and Zac tell us how they got their start in the immersive worlds of themed restaurants and extreme zombie paintball. We also learn about their philosophy when it comes to onboarding and the magic circle.

It's clear that these two creators have a wildly ambitious approach to designing their escape rooms in ways that empower their audience. Sadly, they have lost their venue and will have to shut down operations while they hunt for a new home. Doors will remain open through October 20, 2023, and I highly recommend you experience their special brand of madness while you can.

Timestamps & Full Show Notes

Episode Sponsors

Thank you to our sponsors Morty, Buzzshot, and COGS:

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 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 & Richard Burns

Edited by Steve Ewing of Stand Inside Media

Music by Ryan Elder

Logo by Janine Pracht

Special Release: RECON Remote 23 Recap Sep 18, 2023

Show notes

We brought together escape room industry professionals and enthusiasts from all around the world for a 2-day virtual event in August. If you're still coming down off the high of RECON Remote 23, we've got you covered. In this pre-season special release, we break down all the happenings at RECON, with a special behind-the-scenes look from Brendan Lutz, Room Escape Artist's CTO, and the Head of Technology for RECON.

We kick things off by reflecting on mistakes make in previous events and how it helped craft the program for this year's RECON. We touch on the different talks, from the financial talk to decoding the social media marketing puzzle. Puzzle design enthusiasts won't be disappointed either, with deep dives into the creative process. Along the way, we share the challenges faced in ticket sales and staffing predictions, offering a glimpse into what the future might hold.

This year's event was further testimony to David and Lisa's dedication to building a kind and thoughtful community in the escape room industry. Stay tuned until the end to witness Peih-Gee's annual quest to make David shed a tear on-air.

Show Notes

Episode Sponsor

Thank you to our sponsor:

Morty is a free app for discovering, planning, tracking, and reviewing your escape rooms and other immersive social outings.

Special Badge for REPOD listeners:

You can learn more at MortyApp.com/REPOD to sign up and get a special badge for our listeners (works for existing users also).

Music Credits

Our music was created by Ryan Elder.

Production Credits

Spoilers Club is produced by Lisa Spira and edited by Peih-Gee Law.

SAW(LVE) Hey Riddle Riddle with Peih-Gee Law Sep 14, 2023

Show notes

The floor is cold and hard against our face as we groggily awaken to Pigjaw looming over us... and the only way to survive is to saw(lve) his riddles.

Hey Riddle Riddle is an uproariously funny podcast featuring improvisers Adal Rifai, Erin Keif, and John Patrick Coan solving every riddle, puzzle, brain-teaser, and head-scratcher known to humanity. Some riddles are almost impossible, some are absolutely improbable, and some simply have not aged well. And if you don't like riddles, don't worry! This podcast is barely about them!

In this podcast crossover, REPOD co-host Peih-Gee Law makes a guest appearance to help solve some puzzles while trying to escape the dastardly clutches of PigJaw. We play a few brainteasers, a word game created by Peih-Gee, and a very fun game finding appropriate names for different professions.

Special thanks to Hey Riddle Riddle for sharing this episode with our listeners. Adal, Erin and JPC are hilarious and talented, occasionally both at the same time. Make sure to check out their podcast for your weekly dose of sketch comedy and riddles.

Leaked Spoilers Club: Not Another Escape Room - Time Machine Sep 04, 2023

Show notes

Have you wanted to go behind the scenes at your favorite escape rooms? With the Spoilers Club, our patron-exclusive series, we take a deep dive with the creators of iconic escape rooms for an indulgent recap plus creator commentary. This content is normally safeguarded by Patreon access to avoid accidental spoilers leaking into the pubic, but we were lucky to cover an amazing escape room that is no longer running, and we're sharing it with everyone.

Time Machine from Not Another Escape Room is a local fan favorite amongst SoCal escape room enthusiasts, and for good reason. Creators Davey Eaves and Bora Olcken managed a magician's trick of sending players through the same door over and over again, only to emerge into completely new and different rooms.

In this podcast, Davey and Bora break down how they managed to bend time and space through origami-like manipulation of their sets, what excites them about designing escape rooms, and why they want to create games that are, indeed, not just another escape room. Take a listen to go inside their unique and different approach to escape room mechanics.

If you enjoyed this podcast, you can browse the other escape rooms we've covered in our Spoilers Club. To get access to these podcasts, support Room Escape Artist on Patreon.

Episode Sponsor

Thank you to our sponsor:

Morty is a free app for discovering, planning, tracking, and reviewing your escape rooms and other immersive social outings.

Special Badge for REPOD listeners:

You can learn more at MortyApp.com/REPOD to sign up and get a special badge for our listeners (works for existing users also).

Music Credits

Our music was created by Ryan Elder.

Production Credits

Spoilers Club is produced by Lisa Spira and edited by Peih-Gee Law.

Road to Reality with Peih-Gee Law (Special Release) Aug 28, 2023

Show notes

What does it take to compete on the reality show Survivor? What's the backstory on these contestants? Learn more about REPOD co-host Peih-Gee Law and what makes her tick in this special RHAP crossover episode.

Road to Reality is a limited edition series hosted by Kellyn Bechtold (@theKellynB) from Survivor Ghost Island. Listen in while she interviews former Survivor contestants about their real life and how being on reality television has had a major impact on their life trajectories. Every reality contestant has been on a story-worthy journey to land on television and yet the edit turns them into a hero or a villain or maybe something in between, but it is always just one dimension.

In this podcast crossover, Kellyn interviews REPOD co-host Peih-Gee Law about her life previous to appearing on Survivor: China and Survivor: Second Chances. In this episode, we talk about how she feels about her more well rounded edit, seeing life through rose colored glasses, how she’s moved from being a lone wolf to a creator of communities, getting lucky, and being in control of your own life experience. Stay until the end to hear her Five Keys for guaranteeing a happier life.

Special thanks to Rob Has a Podcast for sharing this episode with our listeners, and thank you to Kellyn for being a great interviewer and drawing out some introspective and vulnerable conversations.

Special Release Bonus Show - Theme Park Edition: Galaxy’s Edge, DASH, and... The Unhinged Rise of Mayor Law at Ghost Town Alive Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

It’s the dog days of August, and nothing screams summer more than theme parks, fried chicken, Star Wars, and ice cream... except for episode guest Mark Larson, but you'll have to listen to the end for that story. In this special release of a patron-exclusive bonus episode from S5E11, Peih-Gee and David discuss their recent trips to Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge and Knott’s Berry Farm’s Ghost Town Alive. We’re joined by editor Steve Ewing and game designer Mark, who chats about his involvement with DASH: Different Area, Same Hunt, a global puzzle hunt. Mark also created the ridiculously fun Shop of Theseus game exclusively for RECON23. (Tickets are still available for this limited edition event.)

We start with fried chicken ice cream. Then Peih-Gee gives a short history of how Knott’s Berry Farm grew from a roadside stand selling berries and fried chicken dinners to a massive theme park. She also discusses Ghost Town Alive, Knott’s Berry Farm’s interactive Western-themed experience, and the gang regales you with the hilarious story of Peih-Gee’s unhinged rise to Mayor Law in Calico.

Mark Larson explains how DASH works, and we talk about some other approachable puzzle hunts. David raves about the ride Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge and talks about snagging some of the last tickets for the Galactic Starcruiser. He also discloses that his wife Lisa had never watched any of the Star Wars movies and breaks down her live reactions to watching them for the first time. We close out with a chat about the now-discontinued Battlestar Galactica board game.

Show Notes & Timestamps

Episode Sponsors

Thank you to our sponsors:

Morty is a free app for discovering, planning, tracking, and reviewing your escape rooms and other immersive social outings.

Special Badge for REPOD listeners:

You can learn more at MortyApp.com/REPOD to sign up and get a special badge for our listeners (works for existing users also).

Reality Escape Convention - RECON

Escape room conventions should be as fun, collaborative, and immersive as the games we celebrate.

RECON is our very own escape room and immersive gaming convention. Whether you’re an owner, creator, player, or you’re escape room curious, you are invited learn, connect, and play with our wonderful community.

RECON Remote 23 will take place August 19 – 20, 2023, online.

RECON 24 will be in person.

Get your RECON 23 ticket at now.

Music Credits

Our music was created by Ryan Elder.

Production Credits

Bonus REPOD is produced by Lisa Spira and edited by Peih-Gee Law.

S5E12: Optimizing Throughput: Matthew DuPlessie, Founder & CEO of Level99 & 5 Wits Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

Imagine American Ninja Warrior meets Mario Party mini-games, all set in an epic art-filled space... and you’ll have some idea of what Level99 is like.

In Season 5, episode 12, we chat with Matthew DuPlessie, founder of 5 Wits, the original immersive gaming experience, and Level99, a new type of open world gaming concept. 5 Wits pre-dates escape rooms, with the first location opening in 2004. It included immersive sets and a high-tech, high-throughput model, filled with puzzles, adventure and storyline. Level99 opened more recently in 2021, designed to solve some of the throughput issues Matt found with 5 Wits.

Matt shares a lot of business advice for escape room owners, including considerations for increasing throughput and creating models with low recurring costs. He also talks with us about how he developed the original concept for 5 Wits, and shares some exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at some of the special effects for 5 Wits games.

As a mechanical engineer and businessman who loved theme parks, Matt wanted to create the feel of a theme park encapsulated into a retail storefront. That’s how 5 Wits was born. Matt is passionate about pushing the frontiers of immersive gaming while balancing the reality of throughput models and the economics of running a successful business. He has created some really innovative gaming concepts, and we loved picking his brain in this conversation.

Show Notes & Timestamps

Episode Sponsors

Thank you to our sponsors:

Morty is a free app for discovering, planning, tracking, and reviewing your escape rooms and other immersive social outings.

Special Badge for REPOD listeners:

You can learn more at MortyApp.com/REPOD to sign up and get a special badge for our listeners (works for existing users also).

Resova is your all-inclusive software for bookings, made specifically for escape rooms, offering robust booking management, waiver management, integrated point of sales systems, and follow-up emails. Resova is the ultimate online reservation software designed to elevate the guest experience, increase game master efficiencies, drive sales, and improve operations.

Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:

Sign up with our link at Get.resova.com/rea and receive up to $100 with a Google Ads gift card.

Reality Escape Convention - RECON

Escape room conventions should be as fun, collaborative, and immersive as the games we celebrate.

RECON is our very own escape room and immersive gaming convention. Whether you’re an owner, creator, player, or you’re escape room curious, you are invited learn, connect, and play with our wonderful community.

RECON Remote 23 will take place August 19 – 20, 2023, online.

RECON 24 will be in person.

Get your RECON 23 ticket at now.

Music Credits

Our music was created by Ryan Elder.

Production Credits

REPOD is produced by Lisa Spira and edited by Steve Ewing of Stand Inside Media.

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