"A night at the Uni": the University of Barcelona becomes the setting of a videogame
The University of Barcelona has a heritage that covers more than 600.000 square meters and a collection of more than a million and a half of volumes in its libraries. Out of all of these, more than 250.000 titles form the biggest historical fund in Spain, with a great number of unique works. More than 560 years of history of the University of Barcelona enabled shaping a unique heritage in Spain. Now, people can get closer to this history through A night at the Uni, the first videogame set in the spaces of a Spanish university.
The University of Barcelona has a heritage that covers more than 600.000 square meters and a collection of more than a million and a half of volumes in its libraries. Out of all of these, more than 250.000 titles form the biggest historical fund in Spain, with a great number of unique works. More than 560 years of history of the University of Barcelona enabled shaping a unique heritage in Spain. Now, people can get closer to this history through A night at the Uni, the first videogame set in the spaces of a Spanish university.
The graphic adventure game is based on the book Breu història de la Universitat de Barcelona, by Montserrat Fullola (Publications and Editions of the UB, 2015), which summarizes the evolution of the institution through historical events such as the brightness of its medieval origins, the exile in Cervera, the return to Barcelona, the creation of the Historical Building, the darkness of the Franco regime or the democratic recommencement.
The videogame, designed by students of the School of New Interactive Technologies (ENTI), affiliated school with the UB, begins with a group of students who are trapped at night in the Historical Building of the University of Barcelona. In order to get out of the building they have to solve enigmas related to the history of the institution and face the ghost of former rectors. Throughout this adventure, they can discover places such as the Paranimph and the gallery of the Paranimph, the old botanical garden, the Philology Library or the Reserve room.
Richard Hebert, academic coordinator at ENTI-UB, says that “the center, pioneer in the launching of the bachelor degree in Videogames in Catalonia, accepted the challenge of developing the first videogame about a university”. “During four months -he continues- four students of this degree, three developers and an artist worked hard with great motivation to create a quality product combining lectures, practicals and exams”.
The videogame is available in Catalan, Spanish and English; it can be used on computer and downloaded on Apple Store (IOS) and Google Play Store (Android).