In 2016, the Media Library hosted its first escape room during a freshman First Flight event, focusing on library literacy clues. The escape room concept was later adapted online during COVID, with escapes now being developed both online and in-person to support education, student activities, and staff team building.
The UNT Media Library now offers resources, supplies, and experience for others interested in immersive gaming.
Escape rooms (and the smaller version of escape rooms known to educators as “breakouts”) are immersive, real-life gaming experiences where participants are given a story with an end goal and must solve a series of puzzles to accomplish that goal and “escape” the room.
Those interested in developing an escape room or breakout can contact the Media Library.
Immersive learning allows people to learn about a topic while practicing teamwork and communication. Here are a few scenarios that Media Library staff have developed:
A spot on the ghost busting team has opened for a new researcher. Use your research skills to find clues and solve puzzles related to local ghosts and paranormal science to prove your mettle.
Escape @ the Library: Wizards escape (in-person escape)
Chaos rules the wizarding world and dementors abound. Search the wizard Rasha’s office to find a missive to turn the tides in your favor to win the battle against evil. You have 45 minutes to find the missive. Rasha left this spellbook to guide you.
Post-apocalyptic Escape (in-person escape)
Now that you are trapped in Vault UNT, you must use your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. abilities and research skills to search for clues and find the librarian’s loot!
The Media Library provides access to tabletop breakouts that are an easy way to engage students in learning and collaboration. These boxes are set up at events and generally focus on a single topic.
Breakout EDU is a resource for developing and using this type of engaged learning. You can find both tabletop breakouts and digital breakouts on this site. A large community that shares resources related to educational goals and events throughout the year exist on Breakout EDU General Discussion Facebook.
