Witch Games - Blog 8

     This week, I ran into a game inspired by the Salem Witch Trials. This prompted me to think if there were other games out there relating to the same thing. So I went on a deep internet search of games that have something to do with Salem or witches. This blog is about what all I found. 

    The original game that peeked my interest in this topic is called Salem 1692. It can be purchased for $24.99 on Amazon (Salem 1692). The basic premise of the game is each player draws a card and is given a character from Salem. Such characters include Abigail Williams, John Proctor, Sarah Good, Mary Warren, and more. There are other cards you draw, and if you draw a "witch" card your goal is to eliminate all non-witch players from the game. Everyone else's goal is to find the witches and get rid of them. There are also kill cards, constable cards, a conspiracy card, and more. It is indeed an interesting concept for a "fun" game, seeing as though it is based off of a period of hysteria and the hanging of innocent people. I have to say though, I myself am intrigued in playing the game, especially after the things I have learned in this class. Additionally, the same game company has a game about the Black Plague so making games off of depressing historical moments seems to be their MO. This game has 1,856 global ratings on amazon, with 85% 5 star ratings. 

    Another, perhaps more lighthearted, witch game I found is called Whirling Witchcraft. It can be purchased on Amazon for $29.99 (Whirling Witchcraft). This game appears to be much more kid friendly, as it is recommended for ages 10+. This game is all about cauldrons and spells, as each player is a witch and has their own cauldron. The goal of the game is to overflow the other witches cauldrons, and you do this by carefully choosing spell recipes. This game has 119 global ratings on Amazon is 85% 5 star ratings. Whirling Witchcraft follows along with more dramatized version of witches, as it's all about the spells and cauldrons. The game even comes with physical cauldrons for players to build their spells in. 

    The reason why I was interested in this blog topic is because I already wrote a blog about tourism in Salem, and the monetization of the Salem Witch Trials, which is what we will be discussing in class this week. I feel like this is a build-off of that, as it follows along the lines of the monetization of the trials. To me, such games could be taken to either extreme. On the one hand, they could be seen as poking fun or making light of what happened in 1692. On the other hand, they could just be for a fun, a silly little game. And they could introduce individuals to learning more about what really happened with the Salem Witch Trials. 

    Either way you look at it, it is still clear that people are making money off of the Salem Witch Trials, and that Salem is not the only culprit of this monetization. 

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