Dumfriesshire home of Robert Burns brought to virtual life in Minecroft

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Millions of gaming fans are being introduced to the historic Dumfriesshire home of national bard Robert Burns.Ellisland Farm has been brought back to “virtual life” in the hugely-popular online game Minecraft.The site was the location and inspiration for some of the poet’s most famous works including Auld Lang Syne.And now, thanks to a collaboration between the Ellisland Trust, the University of Glasgow and the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA), it will feature in the game enjoyed by 140 million fans worldwide.Students and academics have helped to faithfully recreate the 18th-century farm as Burns and his family knew it.Players will get to hear Burns’ poetry and song while in the Minecraft world and they will be able to interact in Scots with the Bard and his wife Jean Armour.Joan McAlpine, business development manager of the Ellisland trust, is hoping that the link will raise the profile of the site and attract new visitors.She said: “Heritage attractions are always striving to attract diverse new audiences and this Minecraft game opens Ellisland to potentially large numbers of children and young people all round the world.“They will know Auld Lang Syne but may not have known where it was written or by whom.“The game includes a brand-new version of the song by one of our trustees, singer Emily Smith, and original audio of Tam o’ Shanter.“We are so excited about it and loved working with Bailey Hodgson and the Glasgow University team.”Bailey, president of the university’s Minecraft Society, has been playing the game for a decade.She told the Standard it was important to the design team that they created “an authentic experience that captures the farm as Burns would have known it”.Bailey said: “I live on a