The Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower Bulbs Business Unit of Wageningen University & Research will launch ‘Kassim the game’, which it describes as a ‘serious game’ for the cultivation of cucumbers, in January 2022.
The game ties in with the KASSIM online greenhouse model developed by WUR and is also based on the KASPRO simulation model. The game has been expanded with a crop growth model for cucumber and will be playable via an online environment.
At the start of a game round the rules of the game are determined and certain starting points can be entered, such as plant density or the presence of an energy screen or lighting. The player can then start growing the digital cucumbers. This allows the player to change climate setpoints and choose a different screen strategy. At the end, the game shows how many cucumbers have been produced and how much energy has been used and the ranking in terms of a high score.
Students from Inholland recently tested the Beta version of the game, resulting in more visual elements being added. The player now sees AI generated images of the cucumbers grown, which are based on, among other things, the number of cucumbers that have been virtually grown and the fruit weight.
WUR is developing the game as part of the project Het Nieuwe Telen: Gas Erop! The aim of which is to disseminate knowledge through the education of energy-efficient cultivation (HNT). The project is co-financed by Regie Organ SIA, part of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).
Photo source: WUR