By Hayleigh Gowans

Staff Writer

Do you seek the thrill of getting kidnapped, being held hostage or solving an art museum heist, but don’t want to deal with the dangers associated with those activities? Then recently-opened escape room Breakout Games might be a good place to check out.

Escape rooms have come into popularity in recent years, and involve solving a series of puzzles, codes and clues in order to make it out of a room that you and a group of people are “trapped” in. Recently, Breakout Games opened their doors at 6501C Basile Rowe in East Syracuse to bring this form of entertainment to the eastern suburbs.

Problem solvers can put their skills to the test in three different themed rooms at Breakout Games — Hostage, The Kidnapping or Museum Heist. Participants have one-hour to solve the clues and puzzles in order to make it out of each room.

“It’s great for team building, and your really get to know your friends. A lot of the times, people kind of fall into roles — like the leader, problem solver. You get to know yourself and your strengths when you’re put into one of our rooms,” said Jillian Kerekes, manager of Breakout Games in East Syracuse.

For each game play, group of seven to eight people are put into a room and given instructions along a storyline to break out of room. For example, participants who choose the Kidnapping will be brought into the room blindfolded by a “game master” and handcuffed. The game masters will then lock participants into the room, and cameras allow them to see and hear a group as they try to find their way out. The game masters can give unlimited clues, Kerekes said, and will monitor participants to ensure their safety.

The games and rooms are set up to be played by people ages 10 and up, said Kerekes, though adult supervision is needed for those under 14 years.

Breakout Games is headquartered in Lexington, Ky., and has grown to include more than 40 escape rooms across the country. Kerekes said it originally started when one of the owners of the company created an escape room in his basement, and realized it was something people would be interested in as an entertainment option.

The company headquarters in Kentucky employs a full engineering team to conceptualize rooms and multiple construction crews who create them on site. The East Syracuse location currently employs about 10 employees.

Kerekes said the owners chose to bring Breakout Games to the Syracuse area because of the college-aged population, as well as the high number of families that would seek entertainment like an escape room.

“I really think a lot of the time people like to get into a fantasy world and play a character,” said Kerekes. “I also think people like to have a bit of a distraction from the real world, even if it’s only for an hour.”

Gameplay is $24 per person per room, and Kerekes said they often have Groupon deals, promotional codes or contests on their Facebook page.

To learn more about Breakout Games or to schedule a time to try out one of their rooms, go to breakoutgames.com/syracuse/ or call 315-948-8454.