Game Nights @ Green: Nyctophobia (2018)

In preparation for Halloween and all things spooky, this week's game is 2018's Nyctophobia, a cooperative game of survival in which up to four players must work together to escape a maniacal predator chasing them in a pitch-black forest. But there's a wrinkle: Would-be survivors play the game with blackout glasses or blindfolds. Players cannot see the board and have to rely on touch to navigate their way to safety. 

How is this allowed, you ask? Nyctophobia is a cooperative tactile maze game for 3 to 5 players. All but one of the players play the game completely unable to see the board. The blindfolded players make up the Hunted team. They are tasked with finding the car space on the board and surviving until the police arrive to rescue them. The sighted player is the Hunter, who is tasked with chasing down the Hunted and reducing one of the Hunted to zero health before the police arrive.

This game was designed by Catherine Stippell, who was inspired by her love of board games; her uncle is blind, and she would modify and adapt her favorite games to play with him. She then decided that she would create a game that he could play without modification--one that would be immediately accessible for her uncle, and that "rather than him adapting, we as sighted people would have to adapt."

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Game Nights @ Green takes place on Tuesdays from 5-8pm in Green Library, IC Classroom during Fall Quarter 2026. As always, the featured games offer one option for group play, but there will be a variety of other games available.