Infamous witch trials inspire new video game

It is a centuries-old gruesome tale of fear, horror, injustice and alleged witchcraft in County Antrim.

The infamous Islandmagee witch trials of 1711 have been given a very modern make-over in a ground-breaking video game.

1711 Ireland: A Witch's Fate from Ulster University was one of the first productions launched at Studio Ulster, Northern Ireland's largest virtual production studio.

A partnership between Belfast Harbour, Ulster University and NI Screen, Studio Ulster aims to attract large-scale film and TV productions.

Video games bring another string to the studio's bow, with the video game industry in the UK worth billions.

There are also around 40 video game companies in Northern Ireland alone.

This was the last witch trial on the island of Ireland, at the end of a period when fear of witches had spread across Europe like wildfire.

The trial took place at Carrickfergus courthouse in 1711 when eight Presbyterian women and a man were found guilty of performing witchcraft against a young woman.

Mary Dunbar had accused them of bewitching and tormenting her.

The eight women were convicted under the 1586 Irish Witchcraft Act and sentenced to one year's imprisonment and four stints in the pillory.

It is thought that the man, William Sellor, was executed.

Although the history is compelling, Dr Sneddon said that the story had to be turned into a compelling game too.

"You don't want just a slab of history, it has to work as a game," he said.

"It's been an amazing experience for an historian just to work with so many talented and creative people.

"And go outside my comfort area and work in film and in animation and all sorts of things I never thought I would do.

"I'm actually in the game as a Scottish preacher so you might hear me!"

Dr Victoria McCollum from UU said the game had been made by staff from different university departments including drama, history, music, game design and cinematic arts.

"We're all united in our desire to demonstrate the power of storytelling to let us have a view into another person's world and to reveal this unique piece of Irish cultural history and bring it to life in a new immersive, exciting way," she said.

The player is an 18th-century investigator who travels around locations connected to the witch tales making decisions which can change the course of events.

It is a first person choice-driven game where the player travels through period County Antrim.

"You very much are in the shoes of an investigator," Dr McCollum said.

"Sometimes you might be in the shoes of an accuser, sometimes the accused and you're very much left to your own devices and to make up your own mind.

Dr McCollum said the game is historically accurate from the architecture of the buildings to the costume to the characters.

"You either believe some of the supernatural happenings that are said to have happened or you don't, and the world kind of changes as you move through the game.

She explained that the players choices matter.

"It's called a witch's fate, where you will decide if the witches are innocent or guilty and of course that has consequences," she said.

The way in which players experience the world of 1711 is varied, including a Virtual Reality (VR) app simulating the experience of being accused of witchcraft, a graphic novel adaptation, sounds and archival documents, as well as the gameplay.

For UU game design lecturers Brian Coyle and Sabrina Minter, making the game was a labour of love, but it is not the end of the journey.

"We're in early discussions about how we're going to take the project further for sure," Mr Coyle said.

Games design is becoming an increasingly popular course with around 200 students.

"We used to have like 25 people!" Ms Minter said.

1711 Ireland: A Witch's Fate has been on display in Carrickfergus and is now bound for Salem in the USA, the scene of the most famous witch trials of them all.