Computer game exploring wonders of a hidden world ensures lasting legacy for the late Prof Harriet Jones
By: Communications
A new video game crafted from the imagination of a scientist and her child, and completed in her memory, brings the hidden universe of microscopic life to players.
Aggi's Tiny Friends is a charming and educational indie game that invites players into the hidden, but fascinating, world of protists.
Protists are microscopic life forms that blur the lines between plants, animals and fungi. Some like algae make their own food through photosynthesis like plants, while others such as amoebas hunt for their food like animals.
The game is the brainchild of Professor Harriet Jones, a protistologist and lecturer in the School of Biology at the University of East Anglia (UEA), before her death in 2022.
It was started alongside her middle child, Autumn, who is now 25 but began creating games from the age of eight.
Autumn said: “Having just released my first long term project, Wibbly Witches on Steam, I was looking for something different. My mum suggested building an educational game for her based on her kid’s books. I didn’t really know much about protistology before I started this project.
“By working with my mum, her enthusiasm for educating both young and old inspired me to build a fun, educational game for her. Sadly, she passed away before it was finished, but I am sure she would have been delighted with the game and be promoting it with her characteristic enthusiasm!”
To finish the game, Autumn worked in collaboration with Dr Yana Eglit, an academic based in Canada, who volunteered assistance after the UK Protistology Society put a call out to their members.
Yana, who visited Harriet in the last few months of her life to discuss the project, then met regularly with Autumn on Teams to help finish the game.
Image: Prof Harriet Jones, Dr Ian Senior and Autumn
Blending storytelling with real-world discovery
Within the game, a guide named Aggi – a character from one of Harriet’s books, Aggi and the Mystic Boots – helps players customise their own cell: choosing its shape, feeding method and movement style, before sending it into vibrant, simulated ecosystems teeming with other organisms.
Every decision affects how the creature moves around the world and how it can fend off other creatures wanting to eat it, or how it can capture and eat others – mirroring the real life of these fascinating protists.
The minimalist-style gameplay is designed to mimic the experience of looking through a microscope and is accessible to all ages without skill barriers. As players explore, they unlock journal entries and earn stars by discovering real-world microorganisms, blending science learning with play.
The family welcomes Aggi’s Tiny Friends being used and credited in educational science communications, and are open to collaborating with the University, Norwich Research Park, and other institutions – to explore new game scenarios or develop future educational games.
Image: Screenshots from the game Aggi’s Tiny Friends
Keeping Harriet’s passion for protists alive
Known as Harry to her family and friends, her husband, Dr Ian Senior, spoke about her lasting impact on those she met and taught, and said:
“Harry had a big impact on all who came into contact with her and on us, her family. She was always busy from the moment she woke in the morning until last thing at night. Always in a hurry and determined to make a difference to her students, family and friends.
“I've subsequently met some of her old students and all tell me she made a big impact on them and their subsequent life choices. The ones I have met have continued on to have biology-related careers which is wonderful to see.”
When asked about the reason why the family embarked on this journey to complete Aggi’s Tiny Friends, Ian said:
“For me, it’s the joy that showed in Harry's face when she first saw her books. She was delighted to finally have and hold these beautifully illustrated books in her hands. She was so excited about finally bringing her protist adventure story to life and to be able to share her love of protists with the world.
“Her last ever talk was to the UK Protists Society from her sick bed. She talked about science communication to the young using her books and demoing the game to her science contemporaries.”
Image L-R: Prof Harriet Jones, Dr Ian Senior and Autumn
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