Two University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) students have created a computer game aimed at getting schoolchildren interested in science.

Games design students Dan Startin and Harry Prestidge have worked with Claire Holt, from Flashbang Science, to launch the eye-catching, educational and fun Flashbang Tubes.

The idea has been developed to maintain children’s interest in science following on from Flashbang Science workshops in schools. Claire approached UCLan and Dan and Harry, while managed by Stephen Higgins, were only too happy to help.

Claire said: “I was so impressed with the whole ease of interaction with UCLan from the very start. Dan and Harry have taken on board the passion we have for the business and it’s just been fantastic. They’ve been absolutely tremendous students and a pleasure to work with.”

The brightly designed game is a new addition to Flashbang’s range of services in the education field. The company offers science opportunities to children who visit Claire’s mobile science laboratory. The laboratory is run by professional scientists who are there to provide “hands on” practical workshops in a custom-built lab.

Dan said: “We had to do a lot of research into children’s games because we’ve been used to doing games for ourselves. We had to make sure they appealed so came up with six games and went on to develop them from there.”

“The characters we created are being used for merchandise and promotional use so it’s a nice buzz to see something we’ve designed out there on the side of vans and the website,” added Harry.

Harry and Dan have just completed designs for two more science based games for FlashBang Science with the help of a UCLan innovation voucher.

One game is about atoms and particles while the other covers materials and resistance.

Stephen Higgins, who was most instrumental in the programming and development of the game, said: “A key goal in developing our first game for the web was to seamlessly integrate it with the broader website, which required a design which was not only creative but precise.”

Play the game.