Homo ludens or playing man is the childhood memory that lingers on throughout our lives. Playing man has enterprise and courage and is never hesitant of experimenting or swimming in uncharted waters. We are all players and we encounter all kinds of challenges. We take gambles – when we choose our partner in life or when we decide to start a new business.

Playing and business are two elements that underlie the idea of launching an intellectual provocation called Mind Room – one more way of spending time intelligently in the capital Sofia. The model was created years ago in Japan. Here, in Bulgaria the mind room is seen as a modern and fun way of breaking the monotony of everyday life, by escaping to the comfortable childhood world of puzzles and conundrums. Once inside the game it is easy to see where the real and the virtual world intersect. The Bulgarian room was created on the analogy of the mind room in New York. The challenge of organizing this new and unorthodox form of entertainment in Sofia was taken up by Valery Vankov, a young entrepreneur with innovative business ideas. To begin with, people were very sceptical but it was this scepticism that actually spurred him on. People kept asking him who would want to be locked up in a room that is like a maze of logic problems and intricate puzzles. It took him close to a year to get the mind room ready and to equip it fully. And the result exceeded all expectations; practically all people coming here say they liked it very much – on coming out they all said they were thrilled and wanted photographs as a memento.

“Most often we get people working in IT, the services, young men and women who spend most of their time shut up in offices and want something different in their spare time,” says Valery Vankov.

“Almost everyone who has tried it out says they feel gratified once they have completed the game. They say they couldn’t believe it when the one hour they spent inside was up. And when they come out we have seen all kinds of reactions: laughter, skipping, applause. Everyone needs to escape from routine now and then, everyone needs an adventure. Our visitors say the game is relaxing, some even discovered emotions and skills they never suspected they possessed. We endeavoured to create our mind room in such a way as to leave out anything that could be unpleasant or repulsive. The antique furniture and objects inside, even the music are designed to create an atmosphere of tranquility and peace. We want everyone coming here to be able to unfold his or her logical thinking and we are still on the lookout for more ideas to add to another room we are planning to make. The second mind room will be dedicated to legends and tales of the Middle Ages. The players succeed when they have good communication with one another - that is what really matters, not the number of players in any given team. We, from the mind room team have a personal responsibility of living up to our guests’ expectations. Our success is due to the experience we have in other fields; what we have done here is combine work with pleasure,” says Valery Vankov.

As in any other game, the mind room has its rules the contestants must know. They do not need physical strength or tenacity. What they do need is logical thinking and a smattering of dexterity. Once inside the room the team of players finds out what the first of a series of riddles is that will enable them to come out of the room. Victor Voutov – property man and set dresser for Bulgarian film productions is another member of the mind room team.

“Using a logical algorithm the players look for given objects inside the room,” he says. “It all begins with a letter which gives the players directions that will help them unravel the puzzles step by step. The only advice I would give players is to be in a good mood when they come to us and not to use telephones or cameras because that breaks the spell. The official age restriction is 14, but we have had children who are younger – they coped really well with the game. They spot the hidden things, grasp the logic and get to the bottom of the mystery much more quickly than adults. I can definitely say I am pleasantly surprised by all players in the mind room. Even though we have put the most difficult puzzles we could find inside the mind room, Bulgarians show an enviable nimbleness of mind and an ability to find their way out of knotty problems. I really admire such qualities,” says Victor Voutov.

English version: Milena Daynova