Innovation Voucher Project: Mesomorphic Ltd

UHI Moray partnered with Mesomorphic Ltd in the development of a new innovative roguelike game, Algorismus, to support mental arithmetic training and skills.

The Algorismus game will take the form of a role-playing game where the player progresses through a dungeon, fighting monsters and collecting items to help them along the way. Players will solve maths-based puzzles when they encounter monsters, with more success achieved depending on the speed and accuracy of the player’s answers. The project aim was to undertake a feasibility study into the game’s viability and potential markets. The game will take the tedium out of practicing mental arithmetic - it is novel and innovative; removing rote learning and repetition, putting it into a dynamic gaming context which intrinsically rewards the player’s efforts.  This partnership was made possible through a successful funding application to the Scottish Funding Council Standard Innovation Voucher scheme.

Maria Bell, Managing Director, Mesomorphic Ltd:

“This project has been quite an eye opening and very positive experience for us, despite the challenges experienced with the pandemic on our timeline and the resources we had available to dedicate to the project.  This was met with complete understanding from UHI Moray who helped us to adapt our plans accordingly.  Flexibility allowed for project changes and open discussions around developing both a paper based and digital version of the game to increase revenue and we also investigated providing opportunities for students to take on some of the development work as work placements. Our relationship with UHI has strengthened further as a result of this project and we have made new contacts within the establishment. This has opened new doors for joint projects in the future and as a company we look forward to supporting more UHI students in the future”.

Lecturers Yvonne McDonald and Gary Groves, Research Assistant Andrew French, and Deputy Head of Curriculum in Computing Dr Malcolm Clark:

“An enjoyable and interesting project to work with Mesomorphic on.  The project had several positive impacts on the academic team and has provided a valuable opportunity to engage directly in a software development project at a very early stage in its lifecycle. The project team formed positive working relationships with the staff at Mesomorphic Ltd. which have strengthened our own relations with an active industry partner who is a key player in the development of digital skills in the Highlands and Islands.”