Secret Cinema and Punchdrunk brought immersive theatre and cinema to the masses – and food is now getting the same treatment. Nearly three-quarters of Gen Yers want to increase their spending on experiences, but in a competitive restaurant industry, what gets people lining up to buy tickets?

The allure of a virtual world – in which anyone could have magical powers and take risks without consequences – is evidenced by the fact that nearly 19 million people play video games in the UK alone. Canvas8 sat down with Dr. Andrew Kuo to understand why we actively escape into virtual worlds.

A decade before Google Cardboard et al began making immersive experiences available to anyone with a smartphone, Punchdrunk was revolutionising theatre with its vast, immersive live events. And now, it's taking its most successful production –Sleep No More– to Shanghai.

Trying to escape from a locked room might sound like a scene from a horror movie, but people in the US are paying good money to live out this fantasy. What’s the appeal of ‘escape the room’ games, and how do they fit into an entertainment market soon to be dominated by virtual reality?