密室逃离游戏在美国越来越受欢迎

AS IT IS 2016-09-15 'Escape Room' Games Growing in Popularity¹ in U.S. 密室逃离游戏在美国越来越受欢迎

It may seem like a nightmare² for some people. But for others, it sounds like a fun game.

Escape Rooms are becoming a popular form of group entertainment in the United States.

A story by the business website MarketWatch explains that Escape Room games began in Asia about 10 years ago. In 2012, they started opening in the U.S.

Now, according to the website Escape Room Directory³, you can go to an Escape Room location in nearly every U.S. state, not to mention Australia, Asia, the Middle East, and most of Europe.

The idea is simple. Players enter a room with a theme. It could be a Sherlock Holmes mystery or something like the movie series “Mission Impossible.” The door locks behind them. The players then have 60 minutes to solve a series of puzzles that will help them find a key that unlocks⁴ the door.

VOA visited an escape room “lounge⁵” in Washington, D.C.

One of the rooms is in the theme of the Oval⁶ Office at the White House. That is the well-known room where the president works and holds meetings.

The space is decorated to look like the real Oval Office. It even has the presidential seal woven into the rug.

When the clock starts and the door locks, anything inside the room can be a clue. Players look through the desk, look at the paintings on the wall, even see if an old-fashioned typewriter might help. The goal is to make it out of the room before time runs out.

There are hidden messages that can only be seen under a special light.

By one estimate, there are about 600 Escape Rooms in the U.S.

Timothy Smith runs the Escape Lounge in Washington. When he opened his business, there were two others in the area. Now there are at least 12. The Escape Room games cost about $15 per player.

Most of the time, players come in groups, but sometimes strangers work together. In this case, eight players cooperated to find the key. If a team is having trouble or getting off track, the game master who is watching on a video screen can call in to offer some advice or a clue.

The phone on the Oval Office desk rings, and the game master asks, “Would you guys like a clue?”

The tip seems to help, and the group is able to solve the puzzle, find the key and leave the room with seven minutes to spare.

It turns out, they did well. Smith said fewer than 50 percent of the players escape the room.

One of the players was Demetrios Psihopaidas. He said the game was stressful and the clues were hard to figure out.

“I was a little worried that we were not going to find all the clues and we weren't going to get out in time,” he said.

Smith said the games are fun because they are challenging.

“'Escape the Oval Office' is not an easy game. I think this game is popular because it gives an individual a chance to be a detective or to be a James Bond.”

Words in This Story

nightmare – n. a dream that frightens a sleeping person : a very bad dream

directory – n. a book that contains an alphabetical⁷ list of names of people, businesses, etc.

theme – n. the main subject that is being discussed or described in a piece of writing, a movie, etc.

mission - n. a task or job that someone is given to do

puzzle – n. a question or problem that requires thought, skill, or cleverness to be answered or solved

lounge – n. an official mark that is stamped on paper or on a small piece of wax to show that something (such as a document) is genuine and has been officially approved

seal – n. an official mark that is stamped on paper or on a small piece of wax to show that something (such as a document) is genuine and has been officially approved

typewriter – n. a machine that prints letters or figures on a sheet of paper when a person pushes its keys

off track – n. away from the main point, thought, etc.

tip – n. useful or secret information

challenging - adj. difficult in a way that is usually interesting or enjoyable

detective - n. a police officer whose job is to find information about crimes that have occurred and to catch criminals

1 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

2 nightmare   

n.恶梦，可怕的事物，无法摆脱的恐惧

参考例句：

• I was glad to awake from such a nightmare.我庆幸终于从噩梦中醒来了。
• I had a nightmare last nightand,lost sleep.昨夜我作了个恶梦，失眠了。

3 directory   

n.目录，工商名录，指南；n.目录

参考例句：

• Her name is listed in the telephone directory.她的名字被列在了电话号码簿上。
• You can check the directory near the elevator over there.您可以到电梯旁的指南上查找。

4 unlocks   

v.开锁( unlock的第三人称单数 )；开启；揭开；开着，解开

参考例句：

• Appropriate and thoughtful self assertion unlocks talent, setting achievement in motion. 适当和周到的自我主张解锁人才，设置运动的成就。 来自互联网
• Then, the specific IP address unlocks the services and temporarily grants access. 然后，特定的IP地址解锁服务，临时同意访问。 来自互联网

5 lounge   

n.休闲室，休息室，长沙发；v.闲荡，闲散地度过，混日子

参考例句：

• We had coffee in the lounge.我们在客厅里喝咖啡。
• Don't lounge away your working hours.不要消磨工作时间。

6 oval   

n. 椭圆，椭圆形跑道；adj. 卵形的，椭圆形的

参考例句：

• She has a lovely oval face.她长着一张可爱的椭圆脸。
• The shape of the earth is an oval.地球的形状是个椭圆形。

7 alphabetical   

adj.字母（表）的，依字母顺序的

参考例句：

• Please arrange these books in alphabetical order.请把这些书按字母顺序整理一下。
• There is no need to maintain a strict alphabetical sequence.不必保持严格的字顺。