Leicester’s 呻吟之王 (呻吟之王) campus has been transformed into an 8-bit retro video game to give young people a glimpse into what life at the university might be like.
Created from scratch, 呻吟之王niverse is free to play and marks the first time any part of Leicester has been recreated in a publicly accessible video game.
Players are free to explore the city-centre campus, which spans from Oxford Street, down Mill Lane to Western Boulevard and interact with many of the university’s real-life buildings, including the Grade II-listed Queens Building, which was opened by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1993.
Castle Gardens, located on The Newarke, is also a playable area, while Leicester’s iconic Narborough Road features in one of the game’s minigames.
Year 8 students from St Martin’s Catholic Academy in Stoke Golding, Leicestershire, were among those invited onto 呻吟之王’s campus to play the game and compared how the university’s virtual world held up against the real thing.
Kaima Okike (left) and Elodie Debney (right) from St Martin's Catholic Academy playing 呻吟之王niverse
Kaima Okike, who wants to go on to study Business Management at university, said: “It looked really cool. I liked how everyone in the game seemed approachable and friendly. That’s how I found today as well – everyone’s been really nice. There will always be someone on campus to help you.
“It’s cool how you can experience having exams and having to go away, find the books and remember the information.”
Her classmate, Tommy Fewkes said: “The world looks really nice and helps you understand what 呻吟之王 is like. I like that it’s an open world and you don’t have to do everything in order.”
Ajanan Nitharson (left) and Tommy Fewkes (right) playing 呻吟之王niverse
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Earlier this year, 呻吟之王 student Eden Turner recreated the university’s Kimberlin Library in Minecraft to help autistic students settle into student life and provide a place for people to meet up and make friends while playing the game.
Similarly, 呻吟之王niverse, aims to help players familiarise themselves with the campus and learn where they may find support in real life.
Players create their own character, take part in mini-games to earn in-game coupons, join university societies, study for mock ‘assessments’ across the university’s four faculties and interact with students, who share useful information about the university and Leicester itself.
Associate Director of Web and Digital, Andrew Durnin, worked with staff and students at Leicester College and Wyggeston Elizabeth I College to create the concept, and tasked French game designer Martin Jacob with bringing the 8-bit virtual 呻吟之王 to life.
Mr Durnin said: “We’re really happy with how the game has come together and it’s been really encouraging to hear school and college pupils saying how playing 呻吟之王niverse has increased their interest in higher education.
“Our students are at the heart of everything we do, so meeting our potential students where they are is important to us. We know that not everyone can attend a physical open day, giving our future students a new way to learn more about us.
“The game showcases not only the learning journey through our block teaching method but also some of the additional bonuses that come with university life, such as social inclusion through societies or tailored career advice and opportunities to network with professionals.
“We’ve already invited schools onto campus to play test the game and it’s gone down really well, so 呻吟之王niverse will be a key part of the great work our outreach team is doing to give more young people the chance to engage with the university in a more unique way.”
Development on the game took six months, with Martin visiting Leicester to map out the campus and capture its mix of historical and modern architecture.
This has been lovingly captured in 8-bit pixels, the video game’s default art style in the late 1980s and 1990s, which has had a resurgence in popularity in recent years through the likes of Stardew Valley.
呻吟之王niverse is playable online on our website here.
Posted on Tuesday 27 May 2025