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'Big Bang' gamers need sharp wits to escape from real rooms
By Xu Wenwen |
February 28, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A millionaire is kidnapped and a squad is sent to save him, however, they are captured and knocked unconscious. When they awake, they find themselves in a locked room; their hands are chained to each other, but each person has one free hand. The only way to escape is to gather all the clues in the room.
This is the situation in which real-person players of takagism, a popular computer adventure game, find themselves.
First they solve number puzzle or soduku, which enables them to open the coded locks on their handcuffs.
Then they rummage through chests and cupboards, find papers and woodblocks with clues, as well as several locked boxes. They solve number riddles on a chessboard, enabling them to decode and unlock all but one box. Based on a riddle in a box, they work out a mobile phone number and call it. The person who answers gives them one more clue and based on that they calculate an equation and deduce a four-digit password to the last box.
By unlocking the last box, they find the key that unlocks the door to their room. They also find a bundle of cash in the box.
Mission accomplished.
This scenario is a common plot in takagism, a computer game that originated in Japan. Players must find clues in a room to escape. Classics are the Crimson Room and the Viridian Room.
But in this case, the game was set in a youth hostel in Hangzhou and played out last Sunday.
Some game clubs have turned the computer games into real games and taken them to Hangzhou and other cities. One difference between the computer game and the real game is that around six people can play the real game, but only one can play the computer game.
The Shanghai BBG (Big Bang Game) Club organized the Hangzhou outing. Established last year in Shanghai, the club organizes real-person, multiple player takagism and kicked off the first brain teaser game three weeks ago in Hangzhou.
Hangzhou fan Zhang Zi'ang plays BBG in Hangzhou and some in Shanghai.
"When I play on the computer, I sometimes look for help on the Internet, which is cheating a bit, but when I play the real game, I can only depend on myself and my teammates. That makes it more exciting."
Though the plots vary, there are always two basic steps: first find all the clues, which are mostly papers and the contents of notes, and then solve all the number of word riddles on the notes, so people can "escape."
"The ability to think logically, deductive ability, mathematics ability and imagination are required," according to Ji Ran, CEO of the Shanghai BBG Club.
He says a game usually lasts around an hour but preparation can last from one to two weeks, including designing the plot and riddles and arranging props and clues.
More than 120 games have been staged in Hangzhou but only 10 percent of the teams have managed to figure out all the clues and "escape."
The challenge draws a lot of people. At least 800 people, including some expats, have played BBG in Hangzhou.
In addition to the BBG Club, there are other game clubs that run real takagism games around the city.
Cat Chen has tried all of them. She once wanted to start a club but says it was difficult to find the right location.
It's quite difficult to design a good game, she tells Shanghai Daily. First, the hints cannot be too difficult to find. Second, riddles cannot be solved by research, which would make the game meaningless. Third, only one or two riddles can be difficult but the rest should not be too hard to crack, otherwise people will lose interest.
Fourth, she says, the plot should be complete and reasonable, and it should not simply be copied from a computer game.
For more information and game schedules, visit www.bbg-club.com (in Chinese only).
This is the situation in which real-person players of takagism, a popular computer adventure game, find themselves.
First they solve number puzzle or soduku, which enables them to open the coded locks on their handcuffs.
Then they rummage through chests and cupboards, find papers and woodblocks with clues, as well as several locked boxes. They solve number riddles on a chessboard, enabling them to decode and unlock all but one box. Based on a riddle in a box, they work out a mobile phone number and call it. The person who answers gives them one more clue and based on that they calculate an equation and deduce a four-digit password to the last box.
By unlocking the last box, they find the key that unlocks the door to their room. They also find a bundle of cash in the box.
Mission accomplished.
This scenario is a common plot in takagism, a computer game that originated in Japan. Players must find clues in a room to escape. Classics are the Crimson Room and the Viridian Room.
But in this case, the game was set in a youth hostel in Hangzhou and played out last Sunday.
Some game clubs have turned the computer games into real games and taken them to Hangzhou and other cities. One difference between the computer game and the real game is that around six people can play the real game, but only one can play the computer game.
The Shanghai BBG (Big Bang Game) Club organized the Hangzhou outing. Established last year in Shanghai, the club organizes real-person, multiple player takagism and kicked off the first brain teaser game three weeks ago in Hangzhou.
Hangzhou fan Zhang Zi'ang plays BBG in Hangzhou and some in Shanghai.
"When I play on the computer, I sometimes look for help on the Internet, which is cheating a bit, but when I play the real game, I can only depend on myself and my teammates. That makes it more exciting."
Though the plots vary, there are always two basic steps: first find all the clues, which are mostly papers and the contents of notes, and then solve all the number of word riddles on the notes, so people can "escape."
"The ability to think logically, deductive ability, mathematics ability and imagination are required," according to Ji Ran, CEO of the Shanghai BBG Club.
He says a game usually lasts around an hour but preparation can last from one to two weeks, including designing the plot and riddles and arranging props and clues.
More than 120 games have been staged in Hangzhou but only 10 percent of the teams have managed to figure out all the clues and "escape."
The challenge draws a lot of people. At least 800 people, including some expats, have played BBG in Hangzhou.
In addition to the BBG Club, there are other game clubs that run real takagism games around the city.
Cat Chen has tried all of them. She once wanted to start a club but says it was difficult to find the right location.
It's quite difficult to design a good game, she tells Shanghai Daily. First, the hints cannot be too difficult to find. Second, riddles cannot be solved by research, which would make the game meaningless. Third, only one or two riddles can be difficult but the rest should not be too hard to crack, otherwise people will lose interest.
Fourth, she says, the plot should be complete and reasonable, and it should not simply be copied from a computer game.
For more information and game schedules, visit www.bbg-club.com (in Chinese only).
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