On October 16, the GameDev Técnico, a student organisation at Instituto Superior Técnico dedicated to developing video games, launched “Quinta do Vale”, a mobile game designed to teach children and youngsters how to run a sustainable farm. The game was developed over the last year and covers subjects such as the life cycle of farm animals, animal welfare, circular economy and sustainability, and can be downloaded from Play Store.

Maria Gomes, a Técnico student and the project leader, shares that the experience of developing the application helped her to “manage expectations while working”, as she had to “understand when it’s necessary to take a break and realise that not everything has to be perfect to get a good game”. Ricardo Subtil, also a Técnico student, shares that he has had the opportunity to hone his skills. “Creating interfaces in Unity [the engine on which the game is made] with different resolutions, so that they work on both cell phones and tablets, was my biggest challenge and something I learned how to do thanks to this project,” he says.

In addition to “Quinta do Vale”, GameDev Técnico has also developed other educational games such as “COVIDA”, which was launched in April 2020, and aimed at raising awareness among the general population in the fight against COVID-19.