Carolina Gurdian-Peralta

Thursday March 5th, 2015

ART240: Art and Technology

Video Game Carmen 

The opera Carmen was first performed in Opera Comique located in Paris, France on the date March 3rd, 1875. Carmen is a story about a peasant girl who works at a cigar factory in Sevilla, Spain. The conflict within the story consists of Carmen, being a very feminine girl who likes the attention of men, starts working in this big factory. She receives attention from everyone except her boss called Jose Zuniga. She gets into a big fight with another girl in the factory when the police arrives and she manages to escape, but unfortunately Don Jose gets arrested. He gets release and there is when their romantic affair starts and they fall in love. Carmen lover, Escamillo, fights with Jose Zuniga for Carmen’s love, unable to finish the fight Escamillo sets a date for a combat and Jose Zuniga’s lover begs him to return home since his mother is ill, he wars Carmen they will meet again and gives her a ring along with his promise. It is until Carmen tells him that their affair is over, that she was born free and free she will die. Jose filled with anger, stabs Carmen to death. 

I learned many things while watching this opera, and the first thing is how drastic and dramatic the plot is. Death is a constant in almost every opera produced, while tragedy and sadness dominates the entire story. During that century desire to challenge idealism and replace it with realism was primal.Change was being asked by the viewers started thinking that the grand opera became a little predictable and not very original. The opera comique started looking for new and fresh talent, it became the venue for the introduction of new and more innovative works. This opera was presented particularly after the Franco-Prussian war in the years 1870-1871. People after that were in need of new entertainment since they were shocked and affected by the French body politic and created ripple effects that reached into the world of opera.

I decided to develop a video game that takes place inside the cigar factory, the factory is going to be portrayed as old and made of red bricks. The characters that one can play with are Carmen and Jose Zuniga. The video game will consist of having to pass a series of problems presented while working in the cigar factory. It will start as the character getting the job as the first issue, while working the character will be making money as a reward in the game. That money is later used to pay taxes and food to be able to live in the virtual world. Later on, another issue is presented as another challenge which is Carmen fighting with another co-worker, if you are playing with Carmen then you have to win the fight and if you are playing with Jose then you have to break the fight. The next challenge is for Carmen and Jose to have an affair without any other players noticing or suspecting anything since they are secret lovers. Another challenge is running from the police after the fight to avoid prison, as well as then fighting Carmen’s lover wether with words being Carmen of physically when playing with Jose. The final challenge or mission in the game is going to be for Jose to kill Carmen with a knife and stab her to death and fight back Carmen, and if the player is Carmen she has to run from him and fight for her life. 

After each challenge, you win flowers, for later on trade them for a favor to save your life or when you are in trouble. Carmen will win a flower every time she seduces a man and wins his heart and after every challenge while Jose will win a flower every time he gets Carmen’s attention and after every challenge as well. The flowers are red roses, and they work in saving the player from trouble when the challenge has not been complete successful. Like for example, if Carmen cannot run from the police after getting into a fight with her co-worker, then she gets to go to prison. Carmen can use one of her red roses to give to the police officer outside her cell to let her go. If they fail a challenge the player is going to not only lose money and not receive a flower but they must do a secret favor to one of their friends without anyone noticing to replace the failed challenge. Like for example Micaela is the first friend of Carmen in the video game, if you fail a challenge Micaela can ask of you to go and kill her boyfriend that cheated on her or can ask you to steal money from the workers in the cigar factory for her. The player must complete the favor in a secretly manner and cannot get caught. If they get caught and into trouble they go down a level and have to re-start the past challenge to continue to the next level with a new challenge.

The setting of the video game is in Sevilla, Spain in a small town where the player can go to the cigar factory (main building) the plaza to buy food and goods and their house. They can also open new places to go as they make friends and invite you to their house or a restaurant. The player has to work in the factory to gain money and be able to eat, but can also make friends inside the video game.