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 and 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 Quests?
Ryan: I was in London, and I played a sort of treasure-hunt game with a little booklet. I played with a group of friends, and then it started raining. The paper became tissue paper and fell to pieces and I just thought: we can do better than this, we’re living in a modern era.
So I started writing the quests many years before I launched the business. Before I was a software developer, I couldn’t really do much with it because I didn’t have the coding skills. But then I learned to code.
What were you doing in software development?
Ryan: I worked for a handful of different companies as a software developer. I’ve done some healthcare-related stuff, some agriculture-related stuff involving self-driving tractors, and some tax stuff in financial tech.
So, what makes York Quests uniquely yours?
Ryan: 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. You still get to solve the puzzle and it feels satisfying and fun. And as you request more hints, it gives you a bit more of a nudge until you can 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.
Is there anything from a tech point of view that’s unique to a York Quest?
Ryan: Yeah, it’s very quick and easy to get into the game. You don’t have to install an app; you can just jump straight into the game with your smartphone as it is.
Walk us through what a York Ghost or Roman Quest user might experience
Ryan: Well, you’re going to find all the highlights and tourist hotspots of York, and along with those you’re gonna be shown a whole bunch of extra bits of detail that other people won’t tell you about. You’re also going to find your way off the beaten track and find some great hidden gems that most of the tourists will never get to visit.
Have you formed any partnerships with local businesses 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. Different cafes and restaurants and some stationery shops had puzzles and riddles up in their window, which you would go and solve. All of them were offering discounts as you went around too.
Is there anyone you’d really like to work with in the future?
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.
Are you working with any locations, artists or storytellers 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 to use humour when faithfully retelling those ghost stories that are part of the heritage of York.
Are there other ways that 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?
Ryan: Not directly, but the quests definitely make a good team-building activity. It’s a really good way to spend a night out with your colleagues that’s a bit of fun and a shared experience.
What excites you about the current and future development of York?
Ryan: I like the changes that they’re making to the station, because I think that’s going to make that whole area a lot more walkable. I also think the work that’s being done around interactivity and storytelling in York great. York BID and Visit York are real pioneers with their innovations in terms of having things like murals and having public art that help to create a bright and colourful environment.
Give me one bold thing you’d like to see happen in York in the next five years
Ryan: I’d love to see more large venue spaces that are available for people to book and hire. The other project I’m working on is board games conventions. We’ve got a fantastic venue for this year, but as this expands, we will need a bigger venue and options are limited. And that seems like a shame, because it would be nice to be able to bring bigger, exciting events and experiences to York.
What’s the funniest or maybe the strangest reaction that you’ve ever had from someone doing 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 there have been some real, like, anxious screams in those moments!
What are you working on in the next 12 months?
Ryan: Aside from the quests, I’m running two large gaming conventions in York. The one called Demon’s Wake – which is a social deduction gaming convention – is now sold out. Social deduction includes games like the Traitors on BBC or the Among Us game or Werewolf or Avalon – games where somebody is secretly the baddie and you’re trying to figure it out who that is.
And the York board games convention is 24–26 October, where there will be lots of role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. 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.
Let’s 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, 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.
Board game night or live-action scavenger hunt?
Ryan: I can’t choose, so I’ll say both.
Want to know more or even collaborate with Ryan…
If you’re a local York business that would:
- Like to do some team building
- Have a quest created just for you
- Love to partner with Ryan
Or if you want to try a quest, then visit https://yorkquests.co.uk for more information.
