The Final 2023
Champions of the World Cup Brussels 2023.
Winners interview
Team
Hel
sing
borg
Team Helsingborg
Can you introduce yourself and your team?
We are three students from Sweden in our mid-twenties, studying computer engineering and economics. All three of us have a background in sports, where two of us have played on an elite level. We have always loved numbers and math, science, puzzles, games and competitions. The three of us always chase adrenaline in all shapes and forms, so to compete in the world cup was a no brainer for us!
How did it feel to participate in the Prison Island World Cup?
It was an amazing feeling to participate, we have all been looking forward to it for months, from the moment when we first heard about it. Especially since it was the first World Cup ever, it added even more excitement as we had no idea what to expect, and no previous experience of competing in something like this.
Where did you first hear about the Prison Island World Cup?
While visiting Prison Island in Helsingborg, we learned about the competition. Having been there a few times previously and achieving high scores, we decided to revisit because the staff had mentioned the upcoming opening of new cells. Upon our return, we promptly set a new high score in the newly opened cells, and it was then that the staff informed us about the competition! Although limited information was available at that early stage, we stayed updated by monitoring the Prison Island World Cup website and following all the steps.
How did your team come together for the competition?
We first competed in the local tryouts as one team, but right before the country final one of our members sadly had a serious knee injury, so we had to substitute him last minute for a good friend who could luckily cover the position and was very happy to do so. The three of us had been to prison island together once before, so we already knew that the team dynamics would still be great. Unfortunately we live in different parts of the country so meeting is not always the easiest which means that strategizing and competing together was a great way to spend some time together again.
How did your team prepare for the Prison Island World Cup?
Our preparation was that we headed to both the country final and the world cup final a day before competing, in order to practice and develop a strategy for the locations.
Can you share a memorable or particularly challenging task from the competition?
The most challenging task was the fact that some of the cells had changed overnight, from when we practiced to the time of the actual competition. It took us by surprise and suddenly our strategy was no longer applicable, and so on the spot we had to solve new tricky challenges. The absolute biggest challenge was when we entered the room “Einstein”, a room where you collect points by solving riddles and equations. We had memorized a lot of the previous answers from our earlier visits, and now we had to solve completely new ones on the spot. It was both challenging and stressful, especially considering that it was one of the last cells that we entered during the competition, and we knew that the cell would be a “make it or break it” situation.
Did your team have a specific strategy going into the World Cup?
Our main strategy was to try and memorize as much information as possible, in order to save as much time as possible in every cell. We scouted beforehand how to solve each cell and then practiced a lot, in order to find the most efficient way to solve them.
How did you adapt your strategy during the competition?
After we were told during the instructions that some of the rooms had changed, we opted to leave the rooms where we suspected something had changed until the very end, and aimed to first score as many points as possible in the rooms that we knew we were familiar with.
What was your favorite moment or task during the Prison Island World Cup?
The best moment was when it was time to start the competition; there was a mixture of excitement, happiness and jitters hanging in the air and every team looked so ready to compete. So many solid teams were running around in the corridors fighting to become the first World Cup winners. Then of course, it is hard to beat the moment of when the winners were to be announced. During the competition the screens showing the status were incognito, so no team knew the points of any other team. We had a good idea of our teams score as we calculated them on the go, but we had no idea of how it went for the other teams, and were unsure of how high we would rank in comparison. So during the winner announcement and team after team was announced until there was only two teams left, there was so many butterflies and crazy feelings going around. We only won by 4 points, so if anything had gone differently in the cells, even the smallest mistake, could have easily deprived us from the title.
Were there any surprises or highlights?
As mentioned earlier, we were quite surprised with the fact that some of the cells had changed overnight. But for the highlights, we really enjoyed how everyone that competed, along with the staff, was so friendly and professional. It was a very cool experience to have so many people that was equally passionate about Prison Island as us, in one room.
How did your team handle the pressure and time constraints?
We tried to keep our mood up, and supported and encouraged each other. We had the idea from the beginning that mistakes are bound to happen and that they are ok. In order to keep the momentum going, whenever we failed a cell we instantly popped into another one and circled back later with fresh energy. We kept our cool and stuck to our strategy, and instead of viewing it as a tournament we just tried to have fun and collect as many points together as we could – we almost forgot that we were competing until the end.
How did your team celebrate the victory?
In the best way we ever could – we went straight back into Prison Island to play around in all of the freshly changed cells now that we were no longer under the pressure of the competition.
What advice would you give to future participants in the Prison Island World Cup?
If you are considering participating in the competition, just do it! It was easily one of the best experiences of our lives regardless of the win, we got to meet so many cool people and created so many memories that will last for a life time. But more strategically speaking – bring along some good friends or family. Your good connection will help to stay calm during the most stressful times. We think that the best team is the combination of three people that are good at different things – and not the combination of three super fit or three super smart individuals. The diversity in the team will strengthen the teams position and eliminate potential weaknesses.
About us
Prison Island
Prison Island is an indoor adventure destination for everyone from 9-99 years old. It’s all about teamwork and collaboration to solve tricky challenges in cells and to collect points. All while the clock is ticking. What once started in 2004 in Västerås, Sweden is now a fast-growing international franchise chain with more than 70 sites in 12 countries. We’re heading for the world.