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Up-coming MMORPG Based on Shakespeare's Works

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the forsooth-you-shall-be-nerfed dept.

Linnen writes "Edward Castronova has received a MacArthur Foundation grant to build a MMOG based on Shakespeare's plays." "Castronova said 'Arden' will launch — it's unclear when, as the game is still in the early design stage — built around the theme of 'Richard III.' That's because the play, set during the War of the Roses, offers historical context, as well as enough political intrigue, secret conniving, deal-making and war to delight any gamer, he said. 'It's a historical Shakespeare play, so that means it's really easy for us to take all the sort of fantasy stuff like knights in shining armor and peasants and woodworkers...and we can just really fit right into 'Richard III' right away.'"

4 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. Re:The grind's the thing. by AoT · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It still amazes me how beautiful a language so ugly as english can be.

    That english poets have had such crap to work wth and made such beauty is incredible, it's like you give some guy a shotgun and he carves the statue david.

    --
    A blog about stuff.
  2. The only good thing about this might be... by le0p · · Score: 2, Interesting

    that there's nothing a 16 year old gamer wants to do less than think about Shakespeare. A boring^H^H^H^H^H^Hmature concept like classic literature might actually keep the user base tolerable.

    --
    "I think that God in creating Man somewhat overestimated his ability."-Oscar Wilde
  3. Re:The grind's the thing. by andphi · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Technically, Shakespeare invented some of his vocabulary. Other playwrights and poets of the time did likewise. Milton did it. I daresay Marlowe and Thomas Kidd did as well. Not to mention the Metaphysical and Cavalier poets. Those whose writings have survived were educated men, some had traveled, none were bound by any dictionary or even standardized spelling. They borrowed or made up the words they needed, then helped the players understand what they meant. If the language is beautiful and horrific (I can agree that it's both), it is partially The Bard's doing.

  4. Times scenes are played.... by kinglink · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Fight scene between romeo and tybalt = 1000
    Macbeth's sollique = 1 time (your college professor likely had an account).
    Out out damm spot = 10000 (Lady macbeth in a slip?)

    The problem I forsee is while Shakesphere is a bit baudy, and very clever, he's a writer. His characters move a lot and act out scenes. Will we be watching plays? Will we be part of the excellent fight scenes? or will everything be fighting?

    I forsee this having problems but if it's faithful it could be fun... if it's free :)