Shakespeare: the Video Game

Here begins our ambitious journey, to bring attention to one of the most influential English writers in all of history through the medium of video games.

In the second semester of our game design course at AUT, we have been tasked with using the Unity game engine to produce a 3D mini game inspired by a Shakespearian play to promote cultural literacy. In our group of four, my team has taken on the play “Measure for Measure” as inspiration for the creation of our game. With our combined effort and talent, we intend to use skills ranging from animation, coding, level building, storytelling and creative directing to utilize the Unity engine and create a short, single stage, fully functioning game centred around a narrative and values inspired by our play, to the best of our ability.

To briefly summarize “Measure for Measure”, it is somewhat similar to the narrative of “Under Cover Boss”, but evidently has more sophisticated dialog and more grounded values. A wise Duke appoints his cousin Angelo to overlook the city of Vienna in his supposed absence, but instead goes undercover and observes the results of his cousin’s unjust rule. The Duke serves as an omnipotent god like figure, who tricks and manipulates people to observe their true colours, and then dispatches justice against those who are deserving of it. The play acquires its name from the ideal of “An eye for an eye”. The Duke is a true believer of bestowing treatment to others as one would desire for themselves, and hence “Measure for Measure”. This is seen prominently at the end of the play when the Duke orders Angelo to be hanged, as Angelo had knowingly arrested an innocent man and sentenced him to death. Seeing as the Duke is knowingly merciful, he reveals that the man sent to death is still alive under his influence, and that Angelo may live because of it.

The value of justified treatment and aspect of secret identities creates the perfect scenario to create a game about a vigilante, hell bent in bringing balance to a corrupt world through his smoke and mirrors. The narrative of our game will be based in a modernist take of a watered down “Measure for Measure”. Where the duke character is front and centre, and before him is broken world which he must take upon him to fix.

(Image source: https://vulpeslibris.wordpress.com/2014/03/21/measure-for-measure-by-william-shakespeare/)