Ghost with the Most
Date
Fall 2022
What I Did
Create game rules, dynamics, and characters; Resolve game mechanic issues; Maintain game scope, Design board graphics, Select character designs, Observe playtests, Analyze player behavior & write reports
Materials
Illustrator, Procreate, Photoshop, Foam Board, Cardstock, Hot Glue, Basic Game Pieces, Figma, After Effects InDesign
Collaborators
An exciting, large-scale game exploring the “urban legend” of the ghost that roams the 5th-floor of the Loyola Design Department. It’s said that the ghost is responsible for the ominous flickering lights and odd noises that students hear when the floor is vacant.
Ghost with the Most focuses on the idea that the 5th-floor ghost has sabotaged the entire floor, trapping students working at night. Slowly but surely, the ghost starts killing off students. To survive, the students must find a way to complete their homework and escape!
Target Audience
We designed our game to be unique to Loyola design students yet accessible to everyone, including non-design students and non-Loyola players. While some details are inside jokes for design students, the rules are easy to understand without prior knowledge.
Problem & Solution
Through interviews, we discovered that many Loyola Design students were unfamiliar with the department's layout, future classes, and assignments.
To address this, we based our game on the department's floor plan and created tasks reflecting real assignments and classes they will encounter in the future. Graphics designed to create a spooky gothic New Orleans aesthetic.
The Fun: Game Goals
Ghost with the Most can be played with as few as 4 players and up to 10!
Upon the game's start, players divide into "students" and "ghosts". Students must complete their homework around the board and escape to win while the ghosts must plot to kill students to win. The pressure is on, as students who have died are reborn as ghosts!
Playtesting the low-fidelity prototype.
Usability Testing & Results
For every usability test, we invited classmates to participate by playing the game. During their gameplay, we videoed their actions, took notes, and later analyzed their movements and conversations.
Creating a More Efficient Gameplay
Players struggled to move quickly due to the limited number of dice and the small grid size of the board. We increased the grid square sizes and revised the dice element in our final prototype, allowing for quicker movement and accelerated gameplay.
Balancing Player Dynamics
Players expressed concerns about the ghost vs. character player dynamic, noting a lack of ways to evade the ghost. To balance this, we introduced secret passageways, providing fairer power distribution.
Adding a Game Manual & Simplifying Game Rules
Although it wasn't in the original scope of the project, we created a short instruction manual covering all game mechanics and rules because our rules were lengthy and complex. Some rules were also reworded with simpler language for less player confusion.
Connecting Characters & Their Icons
We also noticed players had difficulty identifying the icons for different character archetypes. To address this, we added a legend and included icons on the player archetype cards for easier identification.
Final game with all components.
© Ella Balhoff 2025