The Rise of 'Gaming Experiences' in Team Outings

Okay, listen… We could go back to the standard bowling night (including lukewarm croquettes and small talk about Q3 goals). But honestly? It’s 2025. Teams want more out of their team outing get. More excitement. More challenge. More… experience. Enter: the rise of gaming experiences as the next big thing for team outings.

From escape rooms to VR missions: gamified outings are no longer just for nerds in attics or kids with Red Bull and headsets. No, companies and their teams are massively joining this trend. And rightly so. Read below why your next outing should be a game changer, and which formats should definitely be on your radar.

But what are gaming experiences anyway?

What are gaming experiences?

Gaming experiences are interactive, game-based activities that challenge teams to work, think, and act together in a simulated or playful context. It is about experience, competition or cooperation and often also time pressure. Think of escape rooms, VR simulations or quizzes in which fun and strategy come together.

Features of gaming experiences:

• Based on game principles such as challenge, time pressure and reward
• Focused on cooperation and/or competition
• Simulated or virtual (such as VR), or analogue (such as a pub quiz or escape box)
• Suitable for a variety of group sizes and purposes
• Often location-independent and flexible to use

escape rooms:

The OG among gaming experiences. You are locked in a room full of codes, locks, hints and… colleagues with stress. But that is exactly what makes it magical.

Why does it work?

• Pure cooperation. No one escapes alone.
• Time pressure = adrenaline + teamwork.
• Everyone has their moment to shine: puzzlers, thinkers, organizers.

Whether it's a horror theme or a mafia room full of mystery: exhaust rooms force your team to really work together. And the best part? You get to know each other in a completely different way. Many companies now also use escape rooms as part of onboarding or training days, because it is an accessible way to quickly get colleagues to switch to a team.

Escape box: The escape room, but mobile and creative

Don't feel like being locked up in a dark room with everyone? Then the escape box is an excellent alternative. Think of a mysterious box full of puzzles, tech and challenges that you play on location. Office? Beach? Restaurant? It's all possible.

Why an escape box as a gaming experience?

• Flexible: you play wherever you want.
• Larger groups are no problem.
• Competitive element: which team will crack the box the fastest?

There are escapebox-variants with themes such as “Cybercrime”, “The stolen DNA” or “Hack the Boss”. Innovative, challenging and above all: fun. In addition, with escape boxes you can often have multiple teams play at the same time, which is ideal for larger organizations or events where multiple departments come together.

VR: Literally step into another world

Virtual reality. Sounds futuristic? It is. But also super accessible. You put on a headset and you are in another reality where you have to defeat zombies together, rob a bank (virtually of course) or complete a space mission.

Why VR as a gaming experience?

• You really forget everything for a moment.
• Collaborating in an unreal setting strengthens real connections.
• Innovative + fun = a refreshing experience for everyone.

The beauty of VR is that you can simulate tasks that would be impossible or unsafe in real life. This makes it perfect for practicing risk-free leadership or collaboration under pressure. Many organizations are now even using VR as a training tool, which makes this gaming experience even more interesting for the workplace.

Pub quiz

A pub quiz may sound classic, but the modern versions are anything but stuffy. Think quizmasters, buzzers, audio fragments and challenging question rounds.

Why a pub quiz as a gaming experience?

• Everyone can participate, from interns to CEOs.
• Interaction between fun and knowledge.
• Perfect to end an active day.

Extra bonus points if you give it a theme: 90's, music, sports, guilty pleasures… Anything goes. Plus, the pub quiz often causing the most hilarity and surprises: who would have thought that the quiet IT guy knows everything about Eurovision?

Why gaming experiences are such a hit

• Dopamine. Games activate your reward system. You feel good when you solve something together.
• Social dynamics. Roles shift. The quiet HR employee suddenly turns out to be an escape room queen.
• Modern team development. Leadership, communication, trust, it's all in these formats.
• Memorable value. You remember a good game, not a standard lunch meeting.
• Generation proof. Gaming appeals to multiple generations: Gen Z immediately feels at home, Gen X joins in enthusiastically.

Finally: How do you choose the right experience?

Ask yourself (or your team):

• Do you want action or brain work during the gaming experiences?
• Inside or outside?
• Compact (1 hour) or full day?
• Competition or cooperation?

Or leave the organizing to a professional event agencyThey think along with you, build everything on location and ensure that your team outing makes an impact.

Ready, set, game on!