How To Throw A Fun And Interactive Virtual Escape Room

I’m excited to share my tips for throwing a fun and interactive virtual escape room! I’ve been wanting to throw a party tied to the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb for awhile, and an escape room seemed like the perfect fit for my birthday celebration. Getting to play archaeologist and dress like Evie from The Mummy was something I’ve been looking forward to!

Here’s how I made my 1920s-meets-ancient-Egypt party come to life—via Zoom!

These tips can be used by anyone to connect with others from a distance, whether you’re socially distancing or looking for ways to catch up with friends and family who live far away. You could use these tips for customizing in-person escape rooms too.

Update: this post now contains affiliate links. I joined the affiliate program for Lock, Paper, Scissors January 2022 because I love their products! This means if you make a purchase, I will make a commission, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!

I used to love throwing elaborate themed parties. Due to chronic illness, I’m finding ways to continue my love of party planning on a smaller scale. Throwing a virtual party is much less taxing on my time and energy.

I almost wrote that virtual parties are easier to throw than real parties. But virtual parties are real—the connections and memories can be just as special!

If you’re looking for more ways to connect, be sure to check out my other posts: How to Stay Connected From a Distance and How to Stay Connected From a Distance Holiday Edition.

1. Pick Your Virtual Escape Room Theme

Themes make parties so much fun, and there are so many options for escape rooms.

I’ve been thinking for awhile that I’ve wanted to do a 1920s Egyptology themed party. You might have guessed The Mummy is one of my favorite movies. (In fact, I even unabashedly mentioned the movie in a devotional post about patience, of all things!)

I’ve written two murder mystery for dinner parties in the past, so at first I thought about writing my own escape room.

I had to laugh when I started writing this post because I just realized my current theme mirrors what I’ve chosen for parties before: they were a Gatsby-style crime and a Who Killed King Tut theme! (What can I say, I know what I like!)

But considering the time and energy it would take (plus the fact that I’ve never even been to an escape room before) I decided I better not write my own escape room. Luckily, you can buy escape room kits and customize them.

I chose this kit from Lock, Paper, Scissors. I want to give them a shout out because the kit was wonderful, and best of all, it was super easy for me to customize! The kit is set up in PowerPoint, came with clear instructions, and it worked well to share my screen with guests when needed.

(PS you can also search for escape room kits on Etsy. That’s where my friend found a Titanic themed murder mystery kit. Murder mysteries make great virtual parties too!)

2. Expand the Story

The escape room kit I chose is geared towards tweens and is set in the modern day, but since it was easy to customize, I still got to be creative and make up my own story. I moved the setting to the 20s a few years after the discovery of Tut’s tomb.

I wrote out an introductory story and shared it with the guests beforehand. Also, I wrote a “script” and used it to set the scene as we solved the puzzles during the party.

I was also able to change the puzzles, create one of my own, and swap out the graphics geared towards kids.

Using the kit’s graphics, I created my own invitations. I sent the invitation and other materials to everyone via dropbox. Be sure to include instructions on printing out the puzzles in the invitations, and a reminder to not look at them until the party begins.

3. Encourage Costumes

One of my favorite parts of parties is dressing up. I will take any excuse to put together a costume!

I love that you can use modern clothes to easily evoke an archeologist vibe. Be sure to share some inspiration with your guests (I created a Pinterest board).

Here’s what I wrote on the invitation:

Here are some ideas for dressing up for the theme—keep it as simple or elaborate as you like!
I’ve compiled pictures and video inspiration on Pinterest:

Ideas:
Button up collared shirts
White and neutral colors
Khaki pants or skirts
Leather jackets
Cloche hats

Inspiration:
Evie in The Mummy
Indiana Jones

PS Check out my Belle costume from Halloween a few years ago.

4. Make Suggestions For Atmosphere

Once your guests have the costumes to get them into character, they just need some fun ideas to set an atmosphere.

Your suggestions will depend on your theme. Food can really evoke a time and place—you can recommend snacks and drinks and how to serve them.

Here are the ideas I included in my invitation:

Just for fun, here are some ideas for adding ambience and making the virtual party feel more like an in-person one:
Use a fancy teacup
Snack on scones, dates, or a dessert that fits the theme
Decorate with any Egyptian themed items you own
Light some candles—we’ll need some light underground!

Looking for an easy but delicious recipe for a party? Check out my vegan chocolate carmelita bars recipe.

5. Create Real World Challenges

I wanted to make sure we had breaks from sitting in front of our screens, so I created some real world tasks for everyone to complete between puzzles.

Challenge #1 Photos
I love to scrapbook, so this was my not-so-sneaky way of getting pictures.

Here’s what I read to guests:

Part of archaeology is documenting what you find, so it’s time for a quick photo break. Let’s be back here in about five minutes. While you’re away, be sure to take a selfie or have someone take a picture of your outfit. Text them to Cassie and check this challenge off your mission sheet.

Challenge #2 Find It
I saw a similar challenge on a talk show, and it was as fun as it looked!

I wrote challenge cards that tied into the archeology theme: for instance, find something shiny, find something old, find something to bandage your hand because you just got bit by a snake! (Everyone especially liked that one!)

This next challenge will involve going to find an object in your house! I will draw a card and read it, and your task will be to bring what you find and share it with the group. This is not a timed challenge so no need to rush!

PS you could make the challenges timed if you want.

Even if you don’t add challenges, be sure to incorporate a break or two for your guests—they’ll thank you!

Speaking of photos, be sure to grab some screenshots during the party. I also got permission from my friends to record the party. I might eventually edit it into a short trailer-style video about all of us intrepid archaeologists!

6. Additional Ideas

I brainstormed some other ideas I didn’t end up using, so I thought I’d share them here:

-Send party favors ahead by mail (You could also print and mail the puzzles instead of sending them digitally.)

-Keep points—I thought about adding a point system for puzzles solved, but decided to go with a less competitive approach.

-Give out prizes—It would have been fun to have awards for costumes, whoever solved the most puzzles, earned the most points, etc. Maybe next time!

-You can also create your own digital jigsaw puzzles to include in your escape room.

-Create backgrounds—Or encourage your guests to make their own. You could give out awards/points for most creative/funniest, etc.

I hope these tips help you make your virtual escape room extra special!

And yes, we did manage to escape the tomb! It took us about an hour and fifteen minutes to complete the escape room, which turned out to be just right.

I’m excited to throw more escape room parties in the future. Lock, Paper, Scissors has so many fun options! Plus you get a discount if you purchase them as a bundle.

And virtual parties will continue to be a good option for me to connect with friends when I’m too tired to venture out of the house. I hope this post is especially helpful to my fellow spoonies (aka chronic illness warriors) looking for birthday party ideas!

 

I’d love to hear if you try a virtual escape room—what worked well, what didn’t?
What theme would you choose for throwing a virtual escape room party?

 

You may also like:
How To Stay Connected From A Distance
Send A Box of Sunshine + Free Card Printables
Low-Cost Low-Stress Gift Giving When You’re Chronically Ill

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