Why ARC Uses "Hint" Instead of "Clue"

Hints and clues are not the same thing

In an escape room, a clue is something players find: a physical object, a hidden message, or a piece of information embedded in the room that leads them toward a solution. Clues are part of the game design—they're in the set, the props, the puzzle. Players discover them.

A hint is something staff give: a nudge, a premade message, or live assistance sent to the group to push them in the right direction or help them past a sticking point. Hints are operator-to-player communication. They're not discovered; they're delivered.

What ARC actually delivers

When staff send a message—or trigger a premade message—to groups in the room, that's a hint. ARC displays hints: on screens, through your chosen channels, at the right moment. The feature is built for that. Yes, some "clues" can be shown on screens too (e.g. text or images that are part of the game), but the primary function of the system is delivering what staff say or schedule—and that is hints, not clues.

Why the word matters

Escape room software that calls this feature "clues" has a fundamental misunderstanding of how escape rooms work. Clues belong to the game; hints belong to the operator. Conflating them blurs the line between game content and staff assistance, and it mislabels what the software is actually doing: helping staff communicate with players, not planting clues in the room.

ARC uses "hint" because that's what it provides. Clear terminology makes it easier to design games, train staff, and talk about what your system does—without confusing the thing players find with the thing you send.