'Actors' jump at the chance to flee reality

Fierce competition

A search for "escape rooms "on the Baidu Map app produces more than 100 results.

This relatively new form of entertainment is becoming more mainstream and a key leisure activity among young people. As one of the fastest growing forms of entertainment, escape rooms also offer job opportunities for professional actors, musicians and scriptwriters.

About two years ago, while many of his classmates were waiting for opportunities with Hengdian Group, which owns a major film and television production base in Zhejiang province, Zhang Penghui, 23, decided to apply for a NPC job.

In 2016, Zhang studied at the Beijing Film Academy. Like many actors, he wants to play roles in films and TV dramas.

"The movie and TV industry is a gold mine for talent. The competition is fierce and it is difficult to prove yourself and climb higher on the ladder to success," Zhang said.

Before working as an escape room NPC, Zhang had never played such games. He trained for his job for several months, learning from senior NPCs before starting to act in a game.

As a NPC, he has acted in Wild Story of a Wilder Town and other games designed by Island Storm, such as the horror-themed Mist Theater and Origin, which centers on solving puzzles.

"I now realize that the work of a NPC is even harder than acting in movies, TV dramas and the theater. In addition to solid acting skills, NPCs need to know how to improvise, as the main players in a game are not professional actors and actresses. I need to engage in conversation with these total strangers and help them with their roles," Zhang said.

"Some of my classmates and teachers didn't understand why I wanted to work as a NPC. They thought it just meant playing ghosts and scaring people, which is not the case. I was really intrigued after acting a few times as a NPC. I want to take this job seriously, not just as a means to pay the rent."

Zhang is now general manager of an escape room branch for Island Storm, which has venues in seven cities nationwide, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.