Explore Robert Burns' Dumfries home in virutal reality
Ellisland Farm is recreated in Minecraft
A video game version of the farm near Dumfries where Robert Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne has been launched for mobile phones.
The Minecraft version of Explore Ellisland! created by students and academics at the University of Glasgow allows users to explore the farm, dating from 1788 which stands on he banks of the River Nith at Auldgirth, and interact with Burns and his family.
An educational version of the game will also be released in schools on January 25 - the date of the bard's birthday.
Gaming Lab project
The mobile edition of the game follows a PC edition, which was released in 2022.
The project is a partnership between the university, Robert Burns Ellisland Trust which runs Ellisland Museum and Farm, and the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA), while the connection with the university's Games and Gaming Lab was made by Interface Online.
Gamers can hear an exclusive recorded version of Auld Lang Syne by singer Emily Smith and listen to Tam o' Shanter, which was also written at the farm.
Bailey Hodgson, the Minecraft Society's president and one of its founders, who has played the game for a decade, said: "These new versions will make the game more accessible to many more people ahead of Burns night.
"We were delighted with the success of the PC game and have had so many expressions of interest - it even features in some university courses."
Computer game boosts visitor numbers
Dr Timothy Peacock, the lab director and a lecturer in history, based at the university's School of Humanities, said: "The success of Minecraft Ellisland has led to our being approached about similar projects.
"We are delighted with the interest in it, and in the opportunities provided to find new collaborative ways of exploring heritage through research-led gaming."
Joan McAlpine, the project director of the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust, added: "Our visitor numbers increased last year and the publicity surrounding the Minecraft Ellisland game definitely helped.
"The game is a very rich experience, using Scots language and several of Burns's poems.
"It reaches out to a different generation and modernises the understanding of Burns and the time he lived.
"The mobile and education version of the game will help us reach many more young people."