A Witch Before the Inquisition
Develop an immersive-role playing video game that takes players through the twists and turns of a witchcraft trial! A Witch Before the Inquisition follows the testimony of alleged witch Paula de Eguiluz in seventeenth-century Cartagena de Indias (modern day Colombia). The game is part of Epoch: History Games Initiative which is a partner with JapanLab.
During the 1630s, the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Cartagena prosecuted over 50 individuals for the crime of witchcraft. The most well known was Paula de Eguiluz, a popular and well-connected healer from Santo Domingo. Follow Paula’s story and confessions to uncover a vast network of people and exchanges of knowledge unfolding in the underbelly of the city. Investigate her life in the city and her relationships with the people surrounding her, such as her rivalry with the surgeon-turned-witch Diego Lopez and her mentorship of other women on trial. Through Paula’s trial, the player will learn about a wider colonial demonization of African and Indigenous knowledge, healing practices, and spiritualities, how those marginalized by Spanish society worked to subvert hierarchy, and how those imprisoned by the Inquisition learned how to navigate expectations and the process of being on trial. Join this team to help create an interactive video game exploring these aspects and more!
Apply by … using this short survey
The application process is competitive. Successful applicants will be asked to interview in the first week of May
No prior experience is required, but an ideal team will include students with a combination of:
Latin American history
Creative writing
UI/UX design
Coding in Unity
Spanish language
Video games
Traditional and/or digital art
Students with any of the above are encouraged to apply.
Digital Humanities Intern Responsibilities
Familiarize yourself with the historical background
Take the lead on your portion of the game, and assist on others
Find historical artwork, develop original artwork, or a combination thereof
Write text and integrate it into the game
Design and code the game
Create an engaging user interface.
Participate in testing and refining the game created by the group.
Attend weekly meetings on TBD.
Digital Humanities Intern Learning Outcomes
Interdisciplinary research experience focused on Latin American history and culture
Gain familiarity working with and interpreting textual and visual sources for a public audience
Experience working as part of a team to complete a real, useable project
Coding experience