York Quests: We talk to Ryan Willis about how he Turned York History, Ghosts and Smart Tech into a City-Wide Game anyone can play on their phone
.....and about his plan to bring 2 famous Traitors to York this August
If you’ve wandered the streets of York lately and spotted someone debating a riddle with their friends, muttering clues while weaving through hidden alleys or peering a little too closely at a pub sign — chances are, they’re not lost. They’re mid‑quest.
York Quests, the brainchild of local software developer turned puzzle‑crafter Ryan Willis has quietly transformed the city into an open-world game board. Blending ghost stories, hidden gems and tech-savvy storytelling, these walking adventures invite locals and tourists alike to explore York in a way that’s clever, immersive and just a little bit mischievous.
In this interview, Ryan shares how a soggy treasure hunt in London sparked a full-blown creative business, why a good hint system matters more than you think, and how York’s future (and its ghosts) still have plenty of stories left to tell.
Okay, so give me the elevator pitch for York Quests?
Ryan: York Quests are walking puzzle games that take you through the heart of the city of York, presenting you with puzzles and riddles to solve, where each correct answer unlocks the next stage of the game and the next bit of the story.
What sparked the idea of York Quest and what was the moment that made you think, yep, I'm gonna do this?
Ryan: So I was in London and I played a sort of treasure hunt game with a little booklet. You had to print it off yourself. I played with a group of friends and the pages got muddled between us trying to share it, and there was always a nagging sense that the answer was at the back of the book, and then it started raining. So the paper just like became tissue paper and fell to pieces and I just thought, we can do better than this, we're living in a modern era. We can do better than this.
And so I started writing the quests, actually, many years before I launched the business. And before I was a software developer, and I couldn't really do much with it because I didn't have the coding skills. But then I learned to code.
You were in software development, who were you working for? What were you doing in it?
Ryan: I worked for a handful of different companies as a software developer. I've done some healthcare related stuff, I've done some farming agriculture related stuff involving self- driving tractors and I worked a little bit in Financial Tech - tax stuff.
So, what makes York Quest uniquely yours? What's the Ryan touch that people might not even realise they're experiencing or something that you've done that you consider different to your competitors?
Ryan: York Quest is different to others. When you're playing a York quest, it's a low stress experience. It's fun, and you're not being hurried along by a ticking clock or a tour guide and there's a built in a hint system where if you are getting frustrated or you think you're in the wrong place or you just can't figure it out you can request a hint and the first hint will always be a very subtle little nudge. So you're not getting more than you need. You still get to solve the puzzle and it still feels satisfying and fun. And as you request more hints it, it gives you a bit more of a nudge and a bit more of a nudge until until you are able to solve the puzzle in front of you, which I think is something that a lot of games get wrong. They'll either just give you the answer or they won't help you enough.
You mentioned your tech background, is there anything from a tech point of view that's unique to a York Quest?
Ryan: Yeah, it's very, very quick and easy to get into the game. You don't have to install an app, you don't have to download anything at all, and you don't have to create an account username password, you can just jump straight into the game with your smartphone as it is.
So walk us through what a tourist or a local person playing a York Ghost or Roman Quest might experience.
Ryan: Well, you're going to find all of the highlights of York, its tourist hotspots, and along with those you're gonna be shown a whole bunch of extra bits of details that other people won't tell you about, and then you're going to find your way off the beaten track and find some really nice hidden gems that most of the tourists will never get to visit.
So, how about the local business community? Have you formed any partnerships with cafes or shops or venues in York?
Ryan: Yeah, absolutely. So, the first quest is the ghost quest and that finishes at a pub in York, I'm not going to tell you which one. We partner with them so when you get there, you get a nice discount on food and drink for as long as you're there.
We also did a Christmas quest and there was a whole bunch of different businesses involved there. So different cafes and restaurants and some stationery shops as well, had puzzles and riddles up in their window, which you would go and solve and all of them were offering discounts as you went around too. And that's something I want to do a lot more of, so definitely future quests that we produce are going to be leaning into those sort of independent local businesses a whole lot more.
Is there anyone you'd really like to work with that you aren't at the moment?
I'd really like to work with the Minster but to be honest I would love to work with any York business where we could help each other.
Okay. What about behind the scenes, facts about running the business that maybe would surprise people?
Ryan: Honestly….. how little of the time is spent on writing puzzles and how much is spent doing stuff like social media and admin!
Are you working with any locations, artists or storytellers to craft quests rooted in York's past?
Ryan: Yes, where I can and I”m always looking for collaborators. With the Ghost Quest I wrote with somebody who used to be one of the ghost walkers of York and we collaborated on how those stories could be transformed for the medium and how to keep it light and use humour when faithfully retelling those ghost stories that are sort of part of the heritage of York.
And the walks, the quest themselves, is there any other ways that you think local businesses could partner with you?
Ryan: Yeah, and this is something I'm working on currently, bespoke quests for specific businesses that are custodians of a large amount of space.
So for instance, it would be lovely if there was a quest that took place wholly inside the Minster or the Museum Gardens. I'm in talks currently with a business that manages several acres of land on the outskirts of York who are interested in having a quest that takes people around the inside of their space.
Do you do anything with team building or that kind of stuff?
Ryan: Not directly, but the quests definitely make a really good team building activity. Its a really good way to spend a night out with your colleagues that’s a bit of fun and a shared experience.
Let’s talk about York, what excites you about the current and future development of the city?
Ryan: I really like the changes that they're making to the station at the moment, because I think that's going to make that whole area a lot more walkable. And so that is very fertile ground to create these walking puzzle games is more space where you can comfortably walk around and feel safe and comfortable in the city. And obviously, there's the whole York Central development and I'm really excited to see how that unfolds for the same reason.
You are a big public spaces user, places like the Minster and the shambles and even the river. Are there any ways you think York can create more interactivity, or storytelling in them?
Ryan: I think that the work that is being done at the moment is great. York BID and Visit York are real pioneers with their innovations in terms of having things like murals and having public art and bits of information all the city that help to create a bright and colourful and rich environment.
Give me one bold thing, something big that you'd like to see happen in York in the next five years that if we did it as a city would make a really significant impact, what would you love to see?
Ryan: I would love to see more large venue spaces that are available for people to book and hire, because the other project that I'm working on that is fairly massive is Board Games Conventions, and we've got a fantastic venue for this year. But one of the biggest challenges, I think we're going to be facing, is when that expands and gets bigger and we no longer fit in the current venue, there isn't really many options for where to go. And that seems like a shame, because it would be really nice to be able to bring bigger, really exciting events and experiences to York.
Can you think of the funniest or maybe the strangest reaction that you've ever had from someone during or having completed one of the quests?
Ryan: Um.. So the Ghost quest ends with an encounter involving a coffin, and you're in a spooky, dark basement space, and sometimes the lights in that space flicker and go a bit funny, and there have been some real, like, anxious screams in those moments.
What other big things are you working on the next 12 months?
Ryan: Aside from the quests, which there's going to be more I'm running two large gaming conventions in York.
One of them is almost completely sold out. We've got less than 30 tickets left.
And which one is that?
Ryan: So that is called Demon's Wake, and it's a social deduction gaming Convention. So that's games like the Traitors on BBC or the Among Us game or Werewolf or Avalon, if you've ever played any of those. Essentially games where somebody is secretly the baddie and you're trying to figure it out who that is.
When is that one?
Ryan: So that is happening from August 8th to the 10th.
And if people did want to get tickets for that still?
Ryan: They should go to www.demonswake.co.uk
Okay, and is there any other things that you're doing?
Ryan: So then there is York Board Games Convention, which is October 24th to the 26th. That is a board gaming convention, there will be lots of role-playing games like D&D. There will also be a board games library, where you can borrow games and play them with your friends and try them out. We're also gonna have some special guests from TV, two of the guys from the traitors season one.
Lets end with a rapid fire round.
So digital map or old school compass?
Ryan: For the aesthetic, I want to say old school compass, but because of my lack of direction, definitely a digital map is needed.
Favourite underrated York hidden gem?
Ryan: There is a beautiful building called the Dutch House, and it features a tiny, tiny sculpture of an owl, which is quite beautiful.
Okay. Board game night or live action scavenger hunt? - That would be a difficult one for you.
Ryan: I can’t choose, so I’ll say both.
Want to know more or even collaborate with Ryan….
If you are a local York business that would:
Like to do some Team Building
Have a quest created just for you
Love to partner with Ryan on q Quest
then feel free to get in touch with Ryan at https://yorkquests.co.uk
To try a quest just visit https://yorkquests.co.uk
For more information on Demons Wake just visit https://demonswake.co.uk
For more information on the York Board Game Convention just visit https://ybgc.co.uk
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