Twelfth Night Game: Content and Structure

    Much of poetry delights in the notion that the content of a poem might be enhanced if that same content informs the structure of the poem.  The most obvious example of this is concrete or shaped poetry.  We have probably all written one of these poems in grade school.  A poem about a dandelion is shaped like a dandelion, the words of the poem forming the picture of the flower.  George Herbert is usually the author that is read when teachers explore this type of verse.

     I love when game designers use elements of a game’s themes to structure  gameplay and game mechanics.  This practice gives a game lots of flavor and coherence.  I am interested in doing this sort of thing as I design or hack games for my classroom. 

     Right now, I am prepping for the upcoming school year in part by working on a game based on Twelfth Night by Shakespeare.  Here are some building blocks that the play seems to bring forth: a five act structure, narrative freedom with constraints based on characters’ traits, the important use of disguises, dramatic irony galore, and the use of a clown as an important messenger of deeper themes.  I also think that some Shakespearean scripted language might add to the flavor and humor of the game.  I am thinking of those Shakespearean insult activities that teachers often use to engage kids in the bard.

     If you have any ideas about how the structure and themes of Twelfth Night can make this game awesome, leave me a comment.