Opera Paper

For my Opera project, I watch Don Giovanni. While I had no idea what to expect, never seeing an opera this old before, I watched with intend and a keen eye. Throughout this entire Opera I was shocked at how brute it was, before this opera I believed that pre-1920’s concepts such as rape and murder were not commonly seen due to society’s strict rule book of what can and can’t be talked about. I, along with how I feel the audience did was surprised. Challenging topics are hard to talk about and this play brings them to light. Although, the audience may not have enjoyed it originally due to the blunt message displayed throughout the show; I’m sure it one favor in some eyes, threatening wrong-doers with the threat of bursting into flames and burning in hell, sits very well in some the pre1920’s culture. 

The show was filled with extravagant sets, really moving you internally and physically, giving a new location often and revisiting the old when needed. These beautiful sets are what opera is partially known for, so to be able to capture the true story of it, I would make this opera an Adventure style video game, sort of like how Pokemon is styled. At the beginning of each scene, the character you’re playing as will have to figure out what they need to do and try to advance beyond that scene.

To give an example, I will use the first scene where Don Giovanni tries to rape a woman and then kills her father as he protects her. The audience for this scene will play as Don Giovanni himself, distorting the artwork to fit his inhumane mindset as he assaults the daughter and kills the father. Leading up to the attack I will have the character dodging police as he follows them, if captured he will have to start over. The game will continue like this, changing characters to who would give the player the most interaction between each scene, until the story of Don Giovanni is complete.

The concept of turning at least a 100 year old Opera into a video game is very outside the box. We have a tendency to separate art into the original category it places it in and then keep it there. Never would I have thought of an Opera as a video game, unless someone in modern times made an opera about a video game. Even then, it’d be a grand stretch considering how classy a night at the opera is supposed to be. In conclusion, this opera would be best as an adventure game. It has a clear story and an already beautiful scenery, you just need to transpose it to game format, interest the player, and keep them advancing through the entire story.