Open Access Escape Room – Script

This script can be used as a guide for the host to introduce the game and to debrief the
players after the experience. The script also contains a section for when the villain is active
before and during the game (if players choose Puzzle 1b) the Green Route). Feel free to
modify this script or ad lib as appropriate to the situation.

Section 1: introduce the escape room and general rules before entering the room

Host

(Improvise –give the group a quick description of Open Access, without going into detail, depending
on what the group knows. You can also ask whether they have done any escape rooms before)

Welcome to the Open Access Escape Room. An escape room is a physical adventure game where
you will attempt to solve a series of puzzles and riddles using clues, hints and strategy to ‘escape’ the
room. In our version we will not lock the room, but the game will finish when you complete the last
task in the last item you unlock. The game will be linear, meaning once you’ve completed one puzzle
and unlocked an item you will get a clue to the next puzzle. However, you might happen to stumble
upon some clues for later puzzles whilst looking around in the room. If you do, it is best if you make
a note of what it was and where you found it and continue with the puzzle you were working on.
You can follow parallel paths if you stumble upon a clue you weren’t meant to find yet, and
therefore work on several puzzles at once, but it is easier if you concentrate on one puzzle at a time.

If you get stuck or ask for a clue we will give you a hint on the screen. Whenever a hint appears you
will hear a sound. The timer on the screen will tell you how much time you have left. The game will
start when you first make a choice. This might not make much sense now, but it will soon… Is
everything clear?

(Optional additions)

 You are not meant to break open any of the boxes so please do not try to open any items
unless you are trying a code for the padlock.
 We have a variety of padlocks, some of them open by pushing, some by pulling and some by
pressing a button. Please keep this in mind as you might have the correct code for a padlock
but will be unable to open it unless you pull, push or press the button.
 Please be careful with items as many of them are home made.

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Section 2: entering the escape room

Host

In this game, we are in the future. It is 2118 and all research is published with no costs for readers or
authors. This is called Diamond Open Access. Back in 2018 it was different, and making research
available for free could be… well, expensive or time consuming. You’re probably wondering why I’ve
invited you here. As supporters of Open Access, I need your help. A villain has locked away all
research here at <insert institution or organisation name here>. Your task is to unlock the research
and make everything free to … (interrupted by villain)

Villain

- FREE?! What about me? What am I supposed to live off? I am the KING/QUEEN of
knowledge – hence the crown. I can distribute the research I’ve locked down to all of you…
for a small price. *dramatic pause*
- Making everything open was a huge mistake. Nothing is controlled anymore. Anyone can
learn about anything. Nobody is making any money. Look at this, hardly anything left!
(points to piggy bank with chocolate coins) *dramatic pause*
- I will shut EVERYTHING down. Not just the research at <insert name of institution or
organisation>. EVERYTHING. Then I will make you pay. *evil villain laugh*

Host

Oh dear… You must stop the villain before he locks down everything! There is a rumour that there
are two ways to making everything open again; the Green and the Gold Route. You must choose
one!

*Host gives “Gold” envelope (1.1) and the “Green” envelope (1.2) to players or shows them where
they are located*

Section 3: if Puzzle 1b) the Green Route is chosen

When players find “talk to the villain” clue;

Villain

- What is it? Can’t you see I am busy?

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 (The villain/host can improvise here, for example the host can tell players about embargo or
the villain can go on another rant)
- Okay you can continue now. Embargo is over. See what I did there?
*villain accidentally drops clue – best hiding places (1.15)*

Section 4: when players finish the game

Villain

- My money! I mean my research!

Section 5: debrief after players finish the game

Assuming that players finish the game in time (help them complete it if they struggle!). If they don’t,
see Section 6.

Host

Congratulations! You unlocked the research at <insert institution/organisation here> and stopped
the villain from locking down all research in the world. So you completed the escape room in <insert
time here>.

Did you learn anything about Open Access that you didn’t know?

At the end of the game you made everything available for free again, and restored Diamond Open
Access. This type of Open Access is a real thing, where academics do not pay to publish and readers
do not pay to access research. Actually 73% (as of Nov 2018) of journals on the Directory of Open
Access Journals database are Diamond Open Access, but academics still mostly use the Green or
Gold route to making things available for free.

So, you might remember that in the beginning of the game you had two choices; Green and Gold.
You chose the (<insert from below>)

Green, where you talked to the villain and he gave you a time penalty, this is to represent the
embargo. The game then continued and you got access to the answers to unlock the next clue.

Gold, where you were given three clues in the text; money, pocket and predator. These clues led you
to the clue under the table.

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If you had chosen <insert from below>, you would have…..

<Green>, you would have had a quick chat with the villain and he would have given you a time
penalty, which is representing something called an embargo. Many publishers allow academics to
make their work freely available online even though it is published, but normally you are not allowed
to archive the version with journal formatting, and you would need to wait a few months before it
can be made openly available, so that the journal has monopoly for a while.

<Gold>, you would have been given the clues to the money, pocket and predatory and would have
had to find the clues leading to under the table yourself. This route is less time consuming, but
usually involves money. Many academics publish research in Gold Open Access journals, which
makes the research freely available for the reader immediately. The fee involved in making an article
Open Access is usually paid by the funder or institution. The average fee to publish one article is
around $2,000, this is called an Article Processing Charge or APC.

After you learned about Green/Gold Open Access the game led you to the benefits of Open Access,
and as you can see there are lots of them! You then started unlocking things that can be Open
Access: data, conference papers, books and articles. This escape room was designed to not only be
fun but also to give you an introduction to what Open Access is, the way things can be made open,
the benefits of Open Access and that Open Access is more than just for journal articles.

We hope you enjoyed playing and that you learnt something about Open Access you might not have
known!

(Optional)

We have some photo frames and props you can use if you would like a picture with your time.

Section 6: debrief on failure

This has never happened to us so we have no script for this.

Be kind to them and adjust Section 5 as appropriate!

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