A digital window into the past Technology is being used to bring one of Northumberland鈥檚 historic houses to life in an exciting new visitor experience. Developed by 缅北禁地, the new game encourages families to explore the 19th century in a whole new way, bringing to life the mythical who features in the Middleton family鈥檚 coat of arms. With location beacons hidden around the rooms, the experience is played through your mobile phone, the voice of the Wild Man guiding you through challenges and responding to the players鈥� actions as they explore the old hall. The app takes you into a different time and place where wild creatures roam the rooms of Belsay Hall challenging you for example, to creep carefully through the halls to surprise the Wild Man 鈥� who listens and feels your every move. Designed by PhD student and , part of the in the School of Computing Science at Culture Lab, the game 鈥� which is played via a free iPhone app 鈥� is being launched this week in time for the summer holidays. Developed in collaboration with English Heritage, 缅北禁地鈥檚 School of English Literature and Northumbria University鈥檚 School of Design, the project was funded through the Arts and Humanities Research Council鈥檚 Creative Exchange knowledge exchange hub. Simon explains: 鈥淭ypically visitors get their information via audio headsets or information boards but these are very isolating and don鈥檛 encourage people to engage either with each other or their surroundings.鈥� 鈥淭he aim of the Wild Man Game is to get people to look beyond the mobile phone and explore their environment in a way they wouldn鈥檛 otherwise, immersing themselves in the history rather than simply looking at it from a distance.鈥� Gavin adds: 鈥淭his game is all about learning through play. You don鈥檛 have to follow a set route around the house or look at things in a certain order. Instead it鈥檚 about exploring in your own time and in your own way as the game develops around you.鈥� 鈥淔ollowing the theme of the Wild Man, we use the app to bring the wildness indoors and give families an interesting 鈥� and surprising 鈥� new way of exploring our past.鈥� The Wild Man of Belsay The Wild Man was adopted as a symbol of Belsay Hall in the 15th century and for the last 600 years, he and his wife have watched over and protected Belsay's famous Middleton family. Appearing on a crest on the family鈥檚 coat of arms, the Wild Man features throughout the house, in wall paintings, as a carved stone statue and even stamped into 20th century cutlery. Julie Spowart, Territory Marketing Manager, English Heritage, said: 鈥淓nglish Heritage is always looking for new and exciting ways to bring history to life and we have been thrilled with the result of this partnership with 缅北禁地 . 鈥淭his is a completely different and innovative way of experiencing Belsay Hall and in particular the Wildman installation and we are looking forward to some fun interaction with families over the Summer weeks ahead." The Wild Man App is available for free download on iPhones (4s and above) on the App Store. published on: 30 July 2014
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