5 min readDo you enjoy gaming and have an interest in the Gothic? A Gothic Games Jam is coming to Manchester on 19th October as part of the Gothic Manchester Festival 2019. The event explores what makes a game Gothic and also gives guests an opportunity to design their own Gothic games.
The Gothic Games Jam is organised by Charlotte Gislam and Jon Garrad. Charlotte Gislam is a PhD student at Manchester Metropolitan University researching the narrative capabilities of artificial intelligence in digital game spaces. Charlotte’s other research interests include; the Gothic, speculative fiction, film, and spatial theory. Jon Garrad is a game developer with the San Jenaro Co-Op, and a PhD student at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he works on character death in role-playing games.
Charlotte Gislam and Jon Garrad said: “The theme of this year’s Gothic Manchester Festival is ‘Gothic Times’, and we want to reflect that in our game jam and how we approach the Gothic. Whether horror comes from the past, future, or from something outside the mortal understanding of time, we hope that our event inspires attendees to think of ingenious applications of time to build into their Gothic game.”
So what actually makes a game Gothic? Chris Baldick’s oft-cited recipe for Gothic identifies ‘a fearful sense of inheritance in time’ as a vital ingredient to the creation of a good Gothic tale. Time can be mangled, stretched, and mutilated to achieve a desired effect of horror and terror. That terror may be located in an individual or society hurtling towards a dubious future (think of cosmic horror, a la Lovecraft) or it could originate from uncovering a horrendous secret from the past (think of Rebecca, Jayne Eyre, or The Mysteries of Udolpho).
The Gothic Games Jam will begin with guests playing games and exploring how time and the Gothic are at work within them. The Gothic games which guests will have an opportunity to play at the event will include:
Dark Deeds is a card game in which players take on the role of minions to a powerful, unknown and violent patron. Sound Gothic enough yet? Players must do the bidding of the villainous patron without getting caught by the authorities – rewards are awarded if successful and inevitably, punishment if you fail. Charlotte and Jon describe how this game “builds tension by moving its world and objectives along in real time”.
The Hollow Woods and The Mystery Mansion
Both The Hollow Woods and The Mystery Mansion are storytelling card games including 20 picture cards which can be arranged in a near infinite series of combinations to tell unique stories each and every time you play. The Hollow Woods packs tells stories of enchanted landscapes, dragons and sinister strangers. Whereas, The Mystery Mansion is set in a mysterious country house rife with strange incidents and suspicious characters. Charlotte and Jon comment on how these games both “weave places and scenes together, building stories out of lush aesthetic cues”.
Gormenghast is a boardgame exploring the castle of Mervyn Peake’s extraordinary ‘gothic’ novel of the same name. Following the narrative of the novel, each player takes on the role of a kitchen rat hell-bent on accumulating as much power and influence as possible. Charlotte and Jon reflect: “ah, Gormenghast – [this game] models the arbitrary, archaic rituals and intrigues of the eponymous castle.”
Described by Jon and Charlotte as “the eccentric, Addams-esque game of tragedies, destinies and unfolding nightmares”. Gloom is a card game, in which the aim of the game is to inflict as much tragedy, sorrow, and general unhappiness upon a doomed family you now control the fate of.
The afternoon of the event will feature the game jam element, where guests will be provided with White Boxes of dice and counters, and take a shot at creating their Gothic game, putting the meeples and cubes of the Eurogame tradition to work on a Gothic theme and drive.
Game jams are concentrated explosions of creativity with one goal: make a game by the end of the allotted time. This game does not need to be great, but the time limit and a meeting of minds will often move the project into unexpected areas which may deliver a fresh perspective. Jams are often used in game development to give creators an area of minimised risk in which they can shake up existing formulas and try out new mechanics and themes. Beyond the industry, they are a reminder that there is value in what you can create as a group, beyond the binary value of good/bad or the produced thing’s value in the marketplace. A successful game jam creates a community which comes together to share information, skills, and ideas all towards the common goal of making something.
Charlotte and Jon reflect: “We hope you will join us in a day of spooky fun, Gothic games, and sharing ideas; leaving not only with the knowledge that YOU were able to make a game but that there is a community out there, keen to support and encourage these creations”.
The Gothic Games Jam will take place on Saturday 19th October from 10am – 5pm in Manchester Metropolitan University’s Business School. Tickets are free and available on Eventbrite here.
Article with thanks to Charlotte Gislam, Jon Garrad and Lucy Simpson
