ðə bˈeɪsɪk ɡˈeɪmpleɪ mˈɛkənˌɪzəm ʌv hˌævɪŋ ðə plˈeɪɚ tɹˈæpt ɪn ɐ sˈɪŋɡəl loʊkˈeɪʃən dˈeɪts bˈæk æt lˈiːst tə dʒˈɑːn wˈɪlsənz nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi ˈeɪt tˈɛkst ɐdvˈɛntʃɚ bᵻhˌaɪnd klˈoʊzd dˈoːɹz, ɪnwˌɪtʃ ðə plˈeɪɚɹ ɪz tɹˈæpt ɪnsˈaɪd ɐ ɹˈɛstɹuːm.
The basic gameplay mechanism of having the player trapped in a single location dates back at least to John Wilson's 1988 text adventure Behind Closed Doors, in which the player is trapped inside a restroom.