Find out more about Escape Notice Games and order “Stolen at Sea” for your quarantine pod at escapenoticegames.com or through MadeinALX.com.
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When the COVID-19 quarantine began, Lisa Shaw’s two daughters and two of their cousins found themselves home in Alexandria from high school and college and looking for a way to stay busy. Traditional internships, summer camps and other opportunities were practically nonexistent thanks to the shut-down.
Sitting around and doing nothing wasn’t an option.
Photo courtesy of Escape Notice Games
“One of my [girls] had a birthday and we were trying to find something to do at home because we were quarantined together, the two families… So we ordered online an escape room in a box. It was ok, you know it was enough to entertain us for a few minutes – but we love escape rooms, we’ve done them all over the world. We sat there thinking, 'We can do this better.'”
That was the beginning of Escape Notice Games. The four cousins, Shaw and another family member, Kate Patterson (who contributed her design expertise virtually from Boston), developed a game called “Stolen at Sea.” Every part of the game was hand-designed with substantial attention to detail from ciphers to luggage tags to identity cards and books.
Photo courtesy of Escape Notice Games
The game is set in 1923 aboard a steamship sailing from Southampton, England to Alexandria, Egypt to return an ancient Egyptian jewel — which suddenly ends up stolen. Players have 60 minutes to work through 15 puzzles and figure out what happened. The game is designed for two to six players ages 14 and older.
The experience was more than just fun and games for the younger entrepreneurs, who learned how to build a business from scratch including packaging design, production, copyright, competitive analysis, pricing analysis and beta testing. When August rolled around, the younger members of the team went back to school or jobs but still checked in virtually. Shaw hired a few local women to help in-person with final production.
It was important for the entrepreneurs to make the game reusable and as sustainable as possible. They encourage families to pass the game on to others once they play. There are reset instructions and a spot in the top of the game box for players to write in their team names and game times. “We know people are going to share, and we don’t want to waste,” Shaw said.
It was also important to the game creators to stick with lighter, historical themes in light of COVID-19. “We chose to do historic games because we didn’t want to do anything about serial killers — we wanted stuff that was a little happier,” said Shaw.
Escape Notice Games will be releasing a second game titled “Spies of Liberty” in the spring of 2021. This game will be based on George Washington’s Culper Spy Ring and players will have to solve 15 puzzles to help Washington defeat the British. The game incorporates an Alexandria landmark, the tall ship Providence.
The cost of Escape Room Games: Stolen at Sea is $75, and there is also an option to add a fun pack that contains more detailed character descriptions and costume props for an additional $38. The game is made in the USA.
Find out more about Escape Notice Games and order “Stolen at Sea” for your quarantine pod at escapenoticegames.com or through MadeinALX.com.
The game also makes the perfect gift for this year’s holidays at home.
