Opera as a Video Game

As far as decontextualization goes, it is likely going to take quite a lot of it to interpret Mozart’s Don Giovanni as a twenty first century video game.  I think the best place to start would be to strip the opera down to its bare essentials, translate that into the visuals of the game, and then build it back up from there. The set design of the show already isn’t very extravagant and often rather empty at times, which could lend itself very well to the sleek modernism that is typically associated with technology. The landscape of the game could be made of rectangular panels that the player has to navigate across, much like the shape of a stage itself. This organization could also draw on the architecture of the set design towards the end of the opera when Leporello and Don Giovanni meet up again after pretending to be each other; that is, the set piece comprised of various levels interconnected by numerous ladders and stairs. Take the same general design but turn those levels into suspended in air platforms, and you have a design that references the original while also being thrust into the future, not to mention making an interesting terrain to jump through. 

The lighting of the opera is often on the darker side, being just enough to see the character’s faces and keeping the attention focused there, while allowing the viewer to not even notice the backdrops of the set unless one was specifically looking for it. I think this would have to be amped up at least a little in the video game in order to make the experience more immersive for the game player, which in the age of virtual reality is something that is often strived for the most. The backgrounds should be fully fleshed out so that when the characters experience pain or downfalls, it will be as if you are right there with them.  

Speaking of characters, it would be interesting if the player could choose to embody any of the various main characters, furthering the narrative from different angles. Watching this opera when it was first premiered, I would imagine that the audience members would have had a similar attitude towards main character Don Giovanni that they would today, which is one of actively rooting against him. Gamers could choose to play as any of the characters trying to deliver justice to him for his misdeeds, or play as him and dive into the complexity of becoming a villain. Or the gamer could create an original character and, for example, team up with Donna Elvira in her attempts to expose Don Giovanni for what he is. There are so many different ways that the characters interact and affect each other throughout the story that there should be no limit on the effects the game player can have, leaving innumerable different ways that the game can be repeated. 

In terms of the subject matter of the opera, it would likely have to be changed or addressed differently in the video game version, considering that its many suggestions of violence towards women is not something that would be seen positively, not to mention the fact that it is not very fitting for a video game objective. Perhaps the story would be lightened up a bit to better suit casual game play. Don Giovanni and Leporello’s dynamic reminds me of that of Beauty and the Beast’s Gaston and LeFou; Don Giovanni and Gaston are brash, arrogant and entitled, while Leporello and LeFou are the sidekicks that often provide some comic relief. The game version of these characters could draw inspiration from their similar Disney counterparts, seeing that it is a dynamic that people are familiar with and has been done in a way that is appropriate and understandable to a wide age range. I think the game even has the potential to be funny if Leporello is played up to be more of the bumbling and silly sidekick that he could easily turn into, while still retaining his respectability in wanting to leave his servitude of Don Giovanni.  

Some compelling instances of technology already used in the opera was the lighting up of the Commendatore statue and the flames that spontaneously burst up and engulf Don Giovanni in the final scene. These should remain key features in the game, maybe even serving as objects that open up side quests or give certain power ups due to their importance in the story. Regardless of what ways the game is set up or played, the message of the game should ring as true as it did in the opera. Don Giovanni had no regard for the wellbeing of anyone but himself, and he got the justice the other characters so wished to serve him. Game Over.