AMSTERDAM — Move over escape rooms — the latest European group activity is PrinterJam, a new “nostalgic suffering experience” where guests relive the everyday tech frustrations of the last 30 years.
Marketed as “therapy through trauma,” the interactive team building activity features authentic office relics such as dial-up modems, sticky keyboards, and a laser printer that refuses to connect to Wi-Fi no matter how many times you reboot it.
Teams can compete in different rooms rooms that cover the full emotional spectrum — from mild confusion to full existential meltdown — through interactive exhibits like “Guess the Wi-Fi Password”, “Install Java or Die Trying”, or fan favorite “The Great Paper Jam Challenge”, where participants compete to unjam a printer using only vague error codes and pure rage.
“Visitors leave exhausted but bonded,” said founder Martin Vogel. “Nothing unites people like mutual despair.”
Corporate team events are already booked months in advance, with HR departments praising PrinterJam as “the only bonding activity that accurately simulates real work.”