The idea originated with the “point and click” video games of the 1980’s and has evolved beyond just video games to become lifelike representations of these puzzle room scenarios. A Japanese developer by the name of Takao Kato first developed his escape room in 2006 in Kyoto, Japan. He hoped to bring the excitement he found in Manga books and video games to life. He started his company, Real Escape Game, in 2007 and operated a growing number of escape rooms under that name. The first room was small by today’s standards, built to hold 5 or 6 players, but the idea was embraced by the public and since then, rooms have cropped up all over the world. At last count, there was a total of over 2800 escape rooms worldwide. Some of them hold a limited number of players, while others can accommodate up to about 20 players at a time. From Kyoto, the idea spread to Singapore, and we have Kazuya Iwata, a friend of Mr. Kato’s, to thank for bringing the game across the ocean to San Francisco in 2012.