Oh…my…goodness.

What a whirlwind.

I am writing this as I start my volunteer shift. It mostly involves guarding a door, so it is the perfect opportunity to sneak in some blogging.

RECON has properly begun and the first day so far has been an absolute delight.

Frizz Status: Seemingly Contained

Putting my untreated hair half up seems to be a sweet spot…

LA Tidbits

I got to go to City Walk for lunch, which is a big outdoor mall that is very extra. I ate a Pink’s chili hotdog, which is apparently a famous hotdog…I was not prepared for the mess. There are no photos as a result.

The California sun is technically the same sun but it’s somehow…brighter and more hot even though it’s the same temperature in Canada right now. I was trying to compare temperatures with my lunch mates, but they didn’t understand my Celsius talk and I didn’t understand their Fahrenheit.

LA: You are too pricey. I almost cried at some of my meal bills.

The Talks

Because this is my big volunteer shift day today, I was unfortunately unable to see all of the talks and Birds of a Feather, but the ones I was present for were fantastic!

After an intro from Peih-gee Law, we got a video intro from Neil Patrick Harris who is currently in Greece and just finished Paradox Project (inciting my jealousy I am not going to Greece). Right toward the end he slipped an announcement of having Box 2, the sequel to Box One, ready for the holidays!

Then Lisa and David Spira launched the event with a reflection on the last ten years and what we hope to see for the future. I think we can all agree that dim lighting and tiny text needs to be destroyed in a ball of fire.

After some Q&A, we launched into the next talk from Victor and Francine of Sherlocked! They discussed their latest game, The Alchemist, (which I played last year on my Netherlands trip!!) and the trials, tribulations, and occasional euphoria that comes with making a big, flagship game.

I adored this talk. I think when we are so used to seeing the final product of a creative endeavor, it is easy to forget the blood, sweat, and tears that went into a project. Victor and Francine were refreshingly candid of the mistakes they made and the lessons they learned in the practicals of making a game, including the monumental task of working with 30 contractors and figuring out what to do if and when things go wrong. It gave me an even bigger appreciation for this jaw dropping endeavor.

The Games

There are games at this convention! Imagine that! As soon as people checked in, they could get started on a fun ARG that would bring them all around the convention space.

The RECON Game

As volunteers, we were encouraged to play the game as soon as possible so we could help other players later. This…may have resulted in a group of us barreling through the convention space, almost taking out a RECON staff in the process.

It was a lot of fun though. I can’t spoil too much right now because…well, the game is still going at this point. It made a good use of the convention space though as well as encouraged us to talk to other attendees. Plus it resulted in a newspaper chock full of escape Easter eggs.

In the end, we finished and got a pin to signify we had completed the challenge, AND there is an extra surprise in store for those who completed! Stay tuned!

The 49 Boxes

As part of our RECON ticket price, we get 2 experiences within the con. The first, which I got to do today, is known as the 49 Boxes, a story driven puzzle experience a large group plays together. It involves, as you can guess, 49 Boxes.

This experience was, in so many ways, magical.  The story focuses on real life inventor and magician, Floyd Thayer, who has apparently left behind challenges and artifacts to solve and inspire.

There were several tables piled high with various boxes and artifacts all around the room. The groups at each table would work to open these boxes, each one unique.

I cannot begin to describe how many itches this scratched for me. Story based on a historical figure? Check. Historical artifacts we could interact with? Check. Magic? Check. Working together as a group? Super check.

I had such a blast uncovering the secrets of our boxes, then travelling around the room to see what other people were doing and sharing our experiences. Our group did have to ask for a nudge when we got super stuck, but the hosts and designers were very good about what to do and how to help us. They were also experts at making sure that everyone got a win to celebrate. It is, to my knowledge, the best small scale wow moments in a puzzle experience I have ever seen. Those boxes had many fun secrets to reveal.

At the time i am writing this, I am watching the organizers take on the unenviable task of resetting all of these boxes in time for the next show. Their talent and dedication is to be envied.

The best part about volunteering is that I got to watch future sessions and see some of the things I missed and to see how expertly the organizers kept track of the audience progress. I also got the chance to chat with the organizers and compare their experience with escape rooms. There is a lot of crossover and I think escape designers could learn some things from them.

Hatch Escape’s The Nest

When my friends and other con goers learned I had not yet played The Nest, their response was “What?! You need to book it! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE NEED TO PLAY THE NEST”.

And yes. Yes, I did.

The Nest is a 1-2 player (it is advertised as 1-4, but it’s 1-2, trust me) immersive theatre experience with some light puzzling elements. Another way to describe it is as a live action walking simulator.

The story, set in a storage locker and delivered through a series of cassette tapes and a woman’s belongings collected over the years, gave me some serious Gone Home and The Remains of Edith Finch vibes.

The set, the music, the lighting, and the voice acting all worked beautifully together to tell the story of the highs and the lows of a woman’s life. Was the story predictable? Yeah. Did I know where the story was going, and pretty much immediately knew I was in for a sad and reflective journey? Absolutely. But this is a perfect example of a simple story being executed extremely effectively.

We did need a nudge at the beginning for the first puzzle but once we got that, we had a good idea of how to interact with the environment and it was smooth sailing after that. Emotionally I was okay right until the very end, which I wasn’t prepared for, and I couldn’t help but get misty eyed.

If you care about storytelling in interactive environments, you need to play the Nest. If nothing else, it will give you inspiration for whatever experience you decide to make.

The People

I will say it again. So. Many. People. Every time I turn, I either see a friend to reconnect with or meet a new friend I can nerd out with. My social battery is getting a workout, but I always get an adrenaline burst getting to nerd out with these fantastic folks.

In fact, my biggest challenge is finding enough time to catch up with everyone! I hope I can say hey at least to most folk!

Day 1 of escapes was a blast. Here is to Day 2!