New video game brings Lowcountry landmarks and folklore to life
When the University of South Carolina Beaufort called Brian Canada in 2010 to offer him a position as an assistant professor of computer science, he immediately began researching the Lowcountry region.
Through his online searches, Canada, who had just earned his Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University, stumbled upon an “internet meme” map of the U.S. called “What is Coming to Get Us.”
It showed what residents in each state were afraid of. For Californians – vampires. For Texans – cannibals.
South Carolinians? Well, they’re scared of Boo Hags.
“That’s different,” Canada, the 43-year-old Pennsylvania native, said. “I’ve never heard of that before.”
After that, he was hooked. He became enamored of the folklore of Gullah culture and the stories about the mythical Boo Hag. He quickly fell in love with the architecture and surroundings of his new home in Beaufort.
This combination of Canada’s inherent curiosity of South Carolina folklore, an interest in Lowcountry life and architecture and an educational background in computer science became the genesis of his new retro-style video game “Bugs ‘N Boo Hags.”
Canada’s game, set to be released in September, surpassed its funding goal of $7,100 on Sunday. According to the game’s funding budget, donations pay for quality control, marketing and advertising, additional music, taxes, legal fees, and gifts for Kickstarter financial backers. The game features pixelated, 8-bit versions of well-known Lowcountry buildings, businesses and people and is inspired by the history, culture and folklore of Beaufort and its surroundings. Canada sees the retro feel of Bugs ‘N Boo Hags as his “love letter” to the classic games he grew up playing in the 1980s.
Over the past four years, Canada worked on the game while also teaching and doing research at USCB — he was named department chair this year. He said he thinks that “kids, or kids at heart” like himself, will enjoy playing the game. But it’s not just kids who love the game. Bugs ‘N Boo Hags was an official selection for PAX Rising at PAX South 2016 and a People’s Choice award winner at the Geekend 2018 Indie Game Arcade. Although not everyone is a video game enthusiast, Canada hopes people will appreciate the game’s Lowcountry roots and focus — especially the stories of the mythical Boo Hag.
No single folk tale about the Boo Hag is exactly the same. It’s a story that’s been passed down through word-of-mouth in Gullah culture from generation to generation – with each person putting their own spin on the tale. At its most basic, however, the Boo Hag is an evil spirit that manipulates and steals energy from the living.
Canada’s interest in the story of the Boo Hag holds a personal, if not subconscious meaning. He said he views the Boo Hag as the Gullah version of the “night hag,” a story commonly told to explain the phenomenon of sleep paralysis. About once a year, Canada experiences this occurrence – seeing a dark, shadowy figure in his room and being unable to move or scream. Whether it was a conscious decision or not, that figure became the nemesis – and the namesake – of his game.
In Bugs ‘N Boo Hags, users play as Sheriff Jack McCleary — a fictionalized version of the late Beaufort County Sheriff James Edwin McTeer. Immortalized in a framed black-and-white photo inside the Sheriff’s Office wearing a white fedora and crisp white suit, McTeer is remembered for his 37-year tenure as sheriff and his study and practice of Hoodoo — a traditional folk spirituality that stems from West African beliefs. The goal of the game is to defend the homes of Beaufort County residents from the dreaded Boo Hag. To defeat the mythical spirit, players may use corn brooms, salt shakers and “haint blue” paint.
Canada said he believes the unique lore and history of the area creates an authentic feel to his game.
“Whether you believe it or not, it still makes for a fun story,” said Canada. “That’s what makes our area that much more fun and quirky, and some of that quirkiness was a driver for why I wanted to develop Bugs ‘N Boo Hags and make it as authentic to some of those stories that have been told.”
Canada says the game includes other Beaufort County characters and landmarks, including St. Helena’s Chapel of Ease, the old Beaufort County Jail and the Robert Smalls House in Beaufort. Financial backers on Kickstarter are also able to view sneak peeks of mystery landmarks, such as The Church of the Cross in Bluffton. Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling also makes a guest appearance. Many of the original levels in the game are based on house plans created by the Beaufort-based architecture firm Allison Ramsey Architects — a firm Canada considers “early creative partners.”
After reaching the funding goal, Canada said he plans to release the game sometime in September. With over 80 financial backers already on Kickstarter, Canada has a “stretch goal” of raising $10,000 over the next few days. He’s less than $1,000 away. Bugs ‘N Boo Hags, BugsNBooHags.com, will be released for Windows, Mac and Linux via the digital game distribution service Steam. Canada’s Kickstarter project will end on July 11.
This story was originally published July 10, 2019 at 11:11 AM.
