USCB professor brings Gullah Geechee folklore to life in new mobile game ‘Bugs ‘N Boo Hags’

BLUFFTON, S.C. (WTOC) - A classic Gullah Geechee folktale spirit is making its digital debut thanks to a University of South Carolina Beaufort professor.

Dr. Brian Canada, the department head for USCB’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, recently released Bugs ‘N Boo Hags—a mobile arcade-style video game that blends regional folklore with iconic Lowcountry and Coastal Empire landmarks.

The free game, now available on the Apple App Store, challenges players to defend historic buildings from the boo hag.

In Gullah Geechee folklore, a boo hag appears as an ordinary person during the day but slips out of its skin at night to steal a victim’s breath and life energy while they sleep.

According to legend, traditional ways to ward off the creature include salt, sunlight, and painting entrances “haint blue.” In the game, players advance through levels by gathering paint cans and coating doors, windows, and shutters in the protective color before time runs out.

“I think today’s students will probably think the game is very hard, but that’s kind of the intent,” Dr. Canada said. “The actual tagline of the game is, ‘Live, Die... not Repeat, but Repaint,’ so it’s a play on Live Die Repeat.”

Featured locations include Savannah’s Telfair Museum, historic residences throughout northern Beaufort County, and other well-known regional sites. Players can also unlock historical Lowcountry characters as they progress.

The project started on USCB’s Bluffton campus as an end-of-year class assignment.

“I decided, well, I’ve got to show some credibility here,” Dr. Canada said. “If I am expecting students to make games for their term projects, I need to be making games of my own. So I thought, how about I use the boo hag as inspiration?”

Canada initially published a desktop version on the gaming platform Steam in 2019 before pulling it back to re-engineer the software for mobile screens.

He described the project as both a love letter to the region and an homage to classic retro arcade titles like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and BurgerTime.

“People who live here in the Lowcountry, I think they’ll just say, ‘Oh, I know that’ or ‘I’ve been there,’ and they’ll be like, ‘This is really cool to see that in a video game,’” Canada said.

Canada plans to roll out future updates with new levels and gameplay refinements. He also confirmed the development process has inspired him to start work on a second title, though details remain under wraps.

Bugs ‘N Boo Hags is currently available as a free download on iOS devices via the App Store.