Bedford: Games technology and art bring town's history to life

Three virtual experiences will be used to teach people about a town's history.

Players use mobile phones to scan murals around Bedford which start games revealing local facts dating back to the 18th century.

Bedford Creative Arts (BCA) worked with digital artists to make murals around the town scannable by mobile devices.

Bedford borough councillor Andrea Spice said the augmented reality games brought "the history of Bedford High Street to life".

The three games are free for players to access by scanning a QR code near the corresponding mural.

The Vault can be found at the site of the old Barnard Bank, the Re-imagine the Skies mural is on Lime Street and Cardington Sheds mural on Mill Street.

The games focus on the history of the town's High Street, aviation heritage and airships respectively.

Players of The Vault have to explore the High Street to crack a code to complete the game.

Unwired Studio created the games and is comprised of lead artist Clemence Debaig, Bedford artist and game designer David Thatcher and Alexander MacKinnon, a 3D illustrator.

Ami Aubrey, programme producer for BCA, said the game "takes about 15 minutes to play".

Ms Spice, portfolio holder for town centres and planning, said it "takes it to a whole new level by giving you the opportunity to immerse yourself in our town's heritage".

BCA director Elaine Midgley hopes the game will demonstrate "how public art can be more than meets the eye through digital tech".

Bedford artist David Thatcher, who specialises in game development software Unity, worked with the team on the project.

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