Date: Wednesday 3rd April 2019

Time: 4pm - 6pm

Location: GM 302 

Tickets: Free - Just turn up!

As a cornerstone of so much of English language culture it is no surprise that Shakespeare has been adapted and mediated across all media forms. In this talk and curated play session Dr Stephen Curtis will look particularly at a range of ways in which the Bard and his works have been used as the inspiration or setting for games, both card/board and digital. As well as a brief summary of the general state of Shakespearean games, Stephen will discuss what the process of ‘gaming’ Shakespeare can offer to critical discussions of the plays and poems that make up his work.

(Chaired by Dr Chloe Germaine Buckley)

Dr Stephen Curtis specialises in the darker aspects of Early Modern Literature, and is currently working on two monographs, the first concerning the representation of blood in Early Modern tragedy and culture, and the second the establishment of a field of Early Modern Horror. This research interest comes from a lifetime spent immersed in horror fiction, films, and games. He has presented on a wide range of contemporary Gothic and horror topics, ranging from death in videogames to the particular horrors to be found on British farms. He tweets at @EarlyModBlood and is always happy to chat about blood and all things horror.

The Manchester Games Studies Network (MGSN), established at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2016 by Sam Illingworth and Paul Wake, is an interdisciplinary research group working on games and play. Our focus is on both analogue and digital games, and the MGSN team brings together academics and practitioners from a range of disciplines, including Computing, Education, English, History, Media Studies, Psychology, Science Communication, and Sociology. Find out more here.