Launched at the Medway Rapture Gaming Festival, Medway Fighter is a research project led by Canterbury Christ Church University, in collaboration with Electric Medway and Medway Hack. The game will showcase the power of collective creativity and community involvement to express cultural heritage.

The research project will use interactive workshops with participants receiving introductory training in the design and making of video games, and crowd-sourcing of ideas to co-design and co-create the fighting game.

Taking inspiration from one of the highest-grossing video games, Street Fighter, Medway Fighter is a fighting action game, based on historical figures from Medway towns. Players will be transported through a pixel art version of Medway, finding fight arenas and speaking to non-player characters based on local legends from Medway, to uncover clues to enter the next level of the game. The project was launched at Medway Gaming Festival at the Historic Dockyard Chatham this month and will be released in 2026 at the Electric Medway Digital Arts Festival.

Key Features of Medway Fighter:

• Community-Crafted Storyline: An engaging narrative developed with input from local residents and storytellers
• Unique Characters and Settings: Designs and concepts brought to life by community artists and illustrators
• Interactive Gameplay: Features and mechanics refined through extensive feedback from beta testers
• Cultural Touchstones: Elements inspired by the local culture and history, adding a personal touch to the game

Jon Schwochert, Senior Lecturer in Games Design in the School of Creative Arts and Industries, is leading the project. He said: “We are aiming to empower non-games industry participants to tell stories about their community through the medium of video games.

“We’ll highlight historical figures, community members, and places, to explore how to use accessible art forms and current industry technology to engage marginalized communities from historically deprived areas with arts and culture.”

Workshop info:

Learn about game mechanics and help create a new video game, Medway Fighter, in a one or two-hour session available to schools and organisations in Medway. In this workshop participants will learn about the different areas of games design and explore mechanics in fighting games. They’ll then have a chance to give their input into the design of a game currently in development.

To get involved email medwayfighter@canterbury.ac.uk or visit the website.