haʊˈɛvɚ, ðə ɡɹˈoʊθ ʌv ɛskˈeɪp ðə ɹˈuːm ɡˈeɪmz ɪz bᵻlˈiːvd təbi tˈaɪd tə ðə pˌɑːpjʊlˈæɹᵻɾi ʌvðə mˈɪst sˈɪɹiz, fˈɜːst ɹᵻlˈiːst ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti θɹˈiː baɪ saɪˈæn wˈɜːldz, wˌɪtʃ kɹiːˈeɪɾᵻd pˈʌzəlz əkɹˌɑːs pɹˈiːɹˈɛndɚd kəmpjˈuːɾɚdʒˈɛnɚɹˌeɪɾᵻd ɛnvˈaɪɹənmənts, ɹᵻkwˈaɪɚɹɪŋ plˈeɪɚz tə lˈʊk fɔːɹ klˈuːz əkɹˌɑːs ðə lˈændskeɪp.
However, the growth of escape the room games is believed to be tied to the popularity of the Myst series, first released in 1993 by Cyan Worlds, which created puzzles across pre-rendered computer-generated environments, requiring players to look for clues across the landscape.