A new online game developed through a partnership between the James Hutton Institute and Abertay University has brought together researchers, students and staff including Dr Andrew Reid, lecturer in Games Production at Abertay, to explore how potatoes have shaped Scotland’s food and farming.
Created earlier this year, Potato Expedition: 1946 was designed and built by students from Abertay’s Professional Masters in Games Development as part of its Applied Games and Research Design module, working closely with researchers from the Hutton.
The game, developed by Root Games, casts players as a plant collector travelling to South America to gather wild potato species. The aim is to safely return 20 distinct specimens to help establish the Commonwealth Potato Collection (CPC), a key resource used in breeding crops resilient to disease and climate pressures.
Held in trust by the Hutton, the CPC contains around 1500 accessions - individual samples of potato genetic material representing cultivars, breeding lines and populations. These trace back to a relatively small number of berries or tubers collected from wild and cultivated potato species in South and Central America, forming a vital gene bank for future food security.
Curator of the CPC, Gaynor McKenzie said: “Working with Abertay University Games Lab and its students has given our team the unique opportunity to highlight the importance of biodiversity and its preservation to a wide audience.
"Although this project was in an entirely different area of work for me, I greatly enjoyed collaborating with the students, whose enthusiasm, creativity, and professionalism were evident throughout. They delivered a final product that captured exactly what I had envisioned.”
Blending storytelling, strategy and puzzle-solving, the game challenges players to manage limited resources, identify plant species and respond to unpredictable conditions.
It has been designed to appeal to a broad audience while encouraging engagement with biodiversity and the history of global food crops.
Member of Root Games, Vera Silva also commented: “Working with the James Hutton Institute on the game was an incredibly rewarding and enriching experience.
“One of the most fulfilling parts of the experience has been seeing children enjoy playing the game during the visiting school pupils session at Abertay, as well as at the Edinburgh Science Festival, where we were able to showcase the game in partnership with the Hutton.
“Watching the children become curious, engaged and connected with the ideas behind the project was really rewarding for the team and demonstrated the value and potential of games as educational tools.
"Although the development process was challenging at times, it was absolutely worthwhile, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to collaborate both creatively and professionally with Hutton.”
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