Streaming platforms have turned us into puzzle-solvers, strategists, and armchair entrepreneurs. Whether it’s cheering on a mastermind in Money Heist, biting our nails through Squid Game, or pitching along with hopefuls on Shark Tank, we’re drawn to stories of people facing impossible odds and finding creative ways out.

But what if the thrill of these shows could be turned into something more than entertainment? What if the same sense of urgency and creativity could inspire young people to tackle real social challenges, like unemployment, climate change, or inclusion?

That’s exactly what the Erasmus+ project Digital Escape Rooms for Social Entrepreneurship (DEGSE) sets out to do.

Why we love a good challenge

Money Heist shows us how strategy, collaboration, and out-of-the-box thinking can flip a desperate situation into opportunity. Squid Game(in its brutal way)highlights how social systems and inequality shape people’s choices. And Shark Tank? It reveals the power of pitching ideas with clarity, courage, and resilience.

These shows aren’t about classrooms or textbooks. They’re about immersive experiences that make us feel the stakes are real. And that’s the same principle behind the digital escape rooms being developed by DEGSE: you don’t just “learn” entrepreneurship, you live it through play.

Escape rooms as training grounds

Instead of robbing the Royal Mint, imagine you and your team are “locked” in a struggling local community center. Your mission: find creative ways to keep it alive by designing a sustainable social enterprise model.

Or picture a game inspired by Squid Game(without the violence, of course)where survival depends on collaboration and empathy, not competition. Every puzzle solved unlocks new tools for tackling inequality, diversity, or climate action.

This is what DEGSE will deliver by 2027:

• 10 Digital Escape Games on social entrepreneurship challenges.
• A Creation Kit and Tutorials so teachers and youth workers can design their own missions.
• A Youth Workers’ Guide for inclusive facilitation.
• Resources in six languages, freely available.

What pop culture and escape games have in common

Both rely on storytelling, tension, and problem-solving. Both keep you hooked with the feeling that every decision matters. And both can act as mirrors of society, reminding us of the systems we live in, while hinting at ways to change them.

For youth, this means shifting from passive viewers to active players in shaping their futures. The secret ingredient here is curiosity. When young people are motivated to solve a riddle, they also unlock a deeper understanding of the world around them. The project turns curiosity into competence. And that may be the most powerful escape of all:from passive learning to active citizenship.

For educators, it means having tools that engage not through lectures, but through lived, shared experiences. And for nonprofits and social enterprises, it offers a new way to showcase their missions in game-based, relatable formats.

Beyond the screen

Here’s the real plot twist: unlike Netflix shows, escape rooms don’t end when the credits roll. The ideas, teamwork, and confidence built inside them spill out into the real world. Players walk away not just with bragging rights, but with the mindset of a social entrepreneur, curious, resilient, and ready to act.

So the next time you find yourself binge-watching a show about survival, strategy, or business, remember: the same thrill can be harnessed to teach youth how to solve the puzzles of inequality, sustainability, and opportunity.

And in this story, the ending isn’t scripted,it’s created by every young person who chooses to play, and to build something better.

Stay tuned for the launch of DEGSE’s escape rooms and resources, where the journey from Netflix to nonprofits is just one puzzle away.