Leicester’s De Montfort University has transformed its city-centre campus into an interactive 8-bit video game called DMUniverse, offering young people a fun, retro-inspired way to explore university life.
Created entirely from scratch, DMUniverse is free to play and marks the first time any part of Leicester has been digitally recreated in a publicly accessible game.
Players can freely roam the virtual campus, which includes landmarks such as the Grade II-listed Queens Building—officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993—as well as Castle Gardens and parts of Narborough Road, featured in one of the game’s mini-games.
Year 8 students from St Martin’s Catholic Academy in Stoke Golding recently visited the real campus and compared it to its virtual counterpart. Kaima Okike, who hopes to study Business Management, said: “It looked really cool. I liked how everyone in the game seemed approachable and friendly—that’s how today felt too. There’s always someone around to help. It’s cool how you can experience exams, find books, and test your memory.”
Her classmate, Tommy Fewkes, added: “The world looks really nice and helps you understand what DMU is like. I like that it’s open-world—you don’t have to follow a strict order.”
Research shows video games can improve young people’s cognitive and social skills, and increase their understanding of real-world environments. Earlier this year, DMU student Eden Turner recreated the university’s Kimberlin Library in Minecraft to help autistic students feel more at ease with campus life.
DMUniverse follows a similar goal—familiarising players with DMU’s layout, support systems, and student experience. Players create avatars, take mock assessments, join societies, collect in-game coupons, and interact with characters who share insights about DMU and Leicester.
The concept was developed by DMU’s Associate Director of Web and Digital, Andrew Durnin, in collaboration with students and staff from Leicester College and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College. French game designer Martin Jacob brought the pixelated campus to life after spending time mapping DMU’s mix of modern and historic architecture.
Durnin said: “We’re thrilled with how the game turned out. Hearing students say it’s sparked their interest in higher education is exactly what we hoped for. Not everyone can attend a physical open day, so this gives future students another way to connect with us.”
Development of DMUniverse took six months and uses a nostalgic 8-bit art style reminiscent of classic games from the late ’80s and early ’90s, made popular again by titles like Stardew Valley.
To play DMUniverse, visit: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/dmuniverse/dmuniverse.aspx
