PUNE: Malls and multiplexes are passe for youngsters these days. They'd rather spend a weekend looking to have a thrilling time with adventure games and rides or live escape games Escape games are group activities that are a worldwide craze; fast gaining popularity in Pune. Visitors are locked in rooms with different themes. The group enters the room and is given a fixed period of time to complete the game and get out.The rooms are technologically set up and filled with clues and a ticking timer that gives the players an opportunity to use logic to accomplish the mission.Saloni Mishra has been to Mystery Rooms in Koregaon Park twice. "This is the second such live gaming place I have been to. It de-stresses individuals after a hard, tiring week at college or the workplace. There are at least four to five escape games set up in Pune. This is surely the best thing to happen to Pune."Mystery Rooms launched in January . Aaron Pontes, its business manager, said, "We usually see a mix of crowds, but most of them are teens and those fresh out of college. We have 32 slots in a day . During the weekends, we are almost always fully booked.Word-of-mouth has given us a lot of publicity."Many adventure-craving collegians plan at least one weekend every month to some places around the city . The Della Adventure in Lonavala witnesses about 2,500 Puneites during weekends. With close to 55% of the crowd consisting of youngsters, the adventure park has varied packages for rides.Its marketing manager Atash Patel said, "Della Adventure is a popular weekend getaway destination near Pune. We get many people during weekends, and the monsoon season is extremely popular."Ruturaj Shirke, a student of Symbiosis International University , said the college's freshers party was planned at an escape room in Hinjewadi."These places are wonderful for bonding and breaking the ice. Such places offer a live experience of rescue, which is high on adventure," he said.Another getaway that has city youngsters hooked is the laser tag game. It is played with guns, which fire infrared beams. It is a competitive shooting game similar to a video game, but far more interactive.Managing partner at Gryffindor laser tag game zone in Hinjewadi, Aniruddha Blawan, said, "We host birthday parties, promotion parties, community events and also team-building activities. While on most days, it is occupied by college-goers, it is a mixed crowd of all age groups on weekends."

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