Over the past years, designers and researchers at the Utrecht School of the Arts (HKU) and Wageningen UR (University & Research centre) have been working on a computer game in which pigs and people can play together. The initial design is now being presented: ʻPig Chaseʼ. A screen with light effects enables pigs to interact with a human player via an iPad.

Not just people but also pigs like to play. It was already known that pigs are capable of mastering a simple computer game, for example. The innovative aspect of this research is the idea of getting people and pigs gaming together. Thereby they might offer each other an exciting challenge.

Since 2001, European legislation has made it compulsory for pig farmers to provide entertainment in the pens to combat boredom, aggression and tail biting amongst pigs, which will hopefully eliminate the need for routine tail-docking. Farmers have been experimenting with all kinds of materials and games, but in practice it proves difficult to provide the animals with an adequate challenge. Over the past year, designers Kars Alfrink, Irene van Peer and Hein Lagerweij - who are affiliated with the HKU research group Creative Design for Playful Impact -, the philosopher Clemens Driessen from Wageningen University and animal welfare specialist Marc Bracke from Wageningen UR Livestock Research have been working on a computer game for pigs. Their aim is to fulfil the pigsʼ need to play, and find out whether a different relationship can be founded with humans.

Pig farmers and their pigs have also been closely involved in the design process. This means they have been helping to create the game by reacting more or less enthusiastically to gaming elements in the test phase. The farmers were charmed by the video images to be projected on the wall. The designers then found out that the pigs were also interested in light effects and followed them with their snout. On this basis, they made a video sketch presenting the set-up of the game. The game is called ʻPig Chaseʼ. The human players in the game can steer a light effect on the wall of the pen. The idea is to capture the curious pigsʼ attention and move the light towards targets.

The current game, Pig Chase, is primarily intended as a concept to be elaborated upon to produce various versions. The value of the game as entertainment for pigs is unclear as yet

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