Play the Knave is an interactive digital game in which players act out scenes from Shakespeare’s dramas, karaoke-style. A Kinect motion capture camera lets players use their own bodies to control their avatar movements, making Play the Knave as fun as it is educational—whether one is playing in a classroom, theater, museum, or at home. The project was featured on BBC News, which covered an installation of the game at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

Directed by English professor Gina Bloom and involving other English faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students, this research project is a site for exciting collaboration across all sectors of the department. Undergraduates have been especially central to the development of Play the Knave. Over thirty English majors have worked as interns on the project since its inception, gaining experience in relevant fields while applying skills learned in their English classes.

To find out more about Play the Knave, visit their website or their Steam Greenlight page.

Photo: Fall 2016 interns for Play the Knave, with Prof. Gina Bloom.