Escape room game component design using Raspberry Pi

Abstract

In the recent years, escape room games have slowly become a worldwide phenomenon. With a vast increasing number of escape rooms opening in many countries, there is a need to create ones that are unique and different from the competitors. Escape room games are often differentiated by their custom themes, story-based setting, overall immersiveness as well as their games and puzzles. Games and puzzles in escape rooms have evolved from paper and pen riddles, to the current generation of electronic based puzzles. This project aims to look at how we can use a minicomputer like the Raspberry Pi or a microcontroller like the Arduino to create puzzles or game stages for an escape room. We will be utilizing an Othello or Reversi board game and switches like a magnetism activated reed switch and a RFID or NFC reader, as inputs for the game stage. Correct inputs or identification of the RFID will trigger a wireless communication using laser beam, with a remotely located Arduino board linked to a 4-digits 7 segment display serving as a clock or counter. In response to the laser beam, the Arduino will display a four digit password for the next stage of the escape game. The above are the overall functionality of the game component and this report will highlight the method used as well as the end results of the project.