Growing Kent and Medway / Locate in Kent – CCCU Games Design Student Project

Project overview

Funded by the ‘Strength in Places Fund,’ the programme is led by the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB)-EMR with partners including Canterbury Christ Church, University (CCCU) the University of Kent and University of Greenwich. As part of this initiative, CCCU worked with Locate In Kent (LiK) to create an innovative student project involving first-year Gaming students. The project tasked students with researching and developing game ‘slices,’ with the most promising concepts evolving into a playable demo. The goal was to inspire young people to consider careers in horticulture by illustrating the sector's innovative practices.

Students conducted in-depth research on key areas of the horticulture industry, including robotic fruit picking, logistics, strawberry breeding, and soft fruit preservation/storage. They engaged in field trips and discussions with businesses to identify industry challenges. Guided by CCCU staff, students then developed game narratives, rules, and objectives to highlight the sector’s diversity and address unconscious bias.

Project benefits

• Provided students with hands-on industry experience while engancing collaboration between academia and industry, driving innovation and real-world application of gaming technology.
• Increased awareness of career opportunities within the horticulture sector.
• Enabled businesses to share insights, helping shape the development of engaging educational tools.

Project outcomes

• The student-developed games were showcased at Fruit Focus, an annual UK fruit-growing industry event, attracting hundreds of visitors.
• The project gained significant traction on social media, accumulating over 4,000 views.
• Helped demystify the horticulture industry and highlight its technological advancements to a younger audience.

For more details, please see: Serious games at Fruit Focus 2024 and Growing Kent and Medway Games

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