China's escape-room games industry is going from strength to strength as the relatively new and niche business has become more popular in the country. The industry is expected to exceed 10 billion yuan in 2019, double the figure of 2018.

(Photo/cctv.com)

Escape rooms are live-action team-based games where players are locked in one or more rooms and must solve puzzles against the clock to secure their release. Themes vary from modern to historical. Some escape rooms are inspired by Chinese traditional culture, while others are modeled after TV series and films.

China's escape rooms are taking the genre to the next level with immersive theatre and role play, generating new jobs for escape room actors and designers.

Due to the difficulty involved in designing imaginative scenarios and sophisticated contraptions, original escape room designers are highly sought after. It usually takes four or five months, or even more than a year, to finish a great design.

The business is also very profitable. For example, an escape room with five themes usually takes just 18 months to recover the investment cost, said Zhang Han, the owner of an escape room.

Some escape rooms increase their incomes through various channels, such as by working together with IP owners of popular TV series, movies and games.