The Bard with a Controller: Why Shakespeare Would Have Been a Total Gamer (and a Bit of a Griefer)
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Jeff dives into why the legendary William Shakespeare would have been a total gamer, from writing revisionist 'Call of Duty' campaigns to causing absolute chaos in 'Crusader Kings 3'.
Right, so I’ve been tinkering with this idea all morning, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than a glitch in a Day 1 Ubisoft patch. We often think of William Shakespeare as this dusty, high-brow figure trapped in a ruff collar, but if you actually dig into his work, the man was a total chaos gremlin. He loved drama, high-stakes betrayals, dick jokes, and meta-commentary. If he were alive today, I reckon he wouldn't be writing plays for the West End; he’d be a lead narrative designer at a triple-A studio or, more likely, losing his mind in a Crusader Kings 3 rabbit hole.
It’s a funny thought, isn't it? The OG storyteller swapping his quill for a DualSense. But as Josh Broadwell recently pointed out over at Polygon, the connection between 16th-century theater and modern gaming is tighter than a speedrunner’s inputs. I’ve taken a look at his list and added a bit of my own digital wizardry to see why the Bard would have been the ultimate gamer.
Take 'Clair Obscur: Expedition 33', for instance. Now, this game is already turning heads for its gorgeous art, but beneath the hood, it’s basically 'King Lear' with more neon. Lear was the quintessential 'really messed-up family' drama—the kind where everyone ends up miserable because the dad didn't get enough validation. In 'Expedition 33', you’ve got these complex familial bonds and a scapegoat character in Alicia that feels straight out of a Shakespearean tragedy. It’s that feeling when you cast a spell and it works a bit too well, but everyone you love pays the price. Shakespeare would’ve lived for that kind of emotional wreckage.
Then there’s the 'Call of Duty' angle. Stay with me here, because this is where it gets interesting. Shakespeare wasn't just a writer; he was a master of Tudor propaganda. He wrote the 'Henriad' and 'Richard III' specifically to make his patrons look like the legendary heroes of destiny while making their enemies look like hunchbacked villains. Sound familiar? 'Call of Duty' navigates that same murky water of the military-industrial complex, painting a very specific worldview. I reckon Will would have respected the hustle. He’d probably be the guy writing the most intense, slightly revisionist campaign scripts while quietly wondering if we should be questioning the 'Mission Accomplished' screen.
And what about 'The Last of Us Part 2'? Some folks call it a 'tale of nihilistic despair,' which is exactly what the critics used to say about 'Macbeth'. People hate on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth because they’re 'unlikeable,' but that’s the bloody point! It’s an exploration of the darkest corners of the human soul. When Ellie goes on her revenge tour, she’s basically a Scottish noble in a flannel shirt. Shakespeare knew that exploring how we break is just as important as seeing how we win. He would’ve looked at the discourse around TLOU2, sipped a pint of ale, and told the haters to stop being such 'lily-livered' cowards.
Now, for something a bit more whimsical—'Dragon Quest XI'. Magic in the Elizabethan era was a weird, dual-natured thing. It was either terrifying (like the weird sisters in Macbeth) or just a Tuesday afternoon (like in 'The Tempest'). 'The Tempest' is basically a JRPG plot: an exiled wizard on a weird island uses illusions, storms, and a literal genie to get his throne back. 'Dragon Quest XI' has that same DNA—noble kingdoms, treachery, and a persistent belief that things will work out if you just keep grinding. Shakespeare would’ve loved the whimsy, though he might have had a few choice words for the late composer’s political views. You know what they say—every masterpiece has a bit of rot in the cellar.
But if we’re talking about where Will would spend his most hours, it’s 'Crusader Kings 3'. This game is a Shakespearean generator. One minute you’re the King of France, the next you’re being poisoned by your nephew who is also your horse’s godfather. The Bard loved a good farce and a messy succession crisis. He’d probably be that player who ignores the map painting just to see how much drama he can cause at a royal wedding. I can see the Twitch stream now: 'TheBard_69: Trying to marry my rival’s daughter while possessed by a demon (No Permadeath)'.
He’d also be all over 'Assassin’s Creed Odyssey'. During the Renaissance, everyone was obsessed with Classical history—it was the 'cool' thing to talk about. Shakespeare wrote 'Troilus and Cressida' and 'Coriolanus' because he wanted to play in that sandbox. Seeing a digital reconstruction of Ancient Greece? He would’ve been enamored. He might have even tried to climb the statues just to see if the view was better than the Globe’s balcony seats.
For the more sensitive side of the Bard, there's 'Opus: Echo of Starsong'. In the 1600s, the idea that the stars weren't just holes in the floor of heaven was starting to take root. A story about star-crossed lovers in deep space would have set his imagination on fire. It’s got that Romeo and Juliet energy, but with more rocket fuel and fewer poison-filled vials (okay, maybe just different kinds of tragedy). It's the 'what if' that always drove his best writing.
Finally, we have 'Final Fantasy 9'. Hamlet famously said, 'The play’s the thing,' using a theatrical performance to catch a killer. 'FF9' opens with a literal theater troupe trying to kidnap a princess. It’s meta, it’s self-aware, and Vivi’s existential dread about what it means to be alive? That’s pure Hamlet monologuing in a pointy hat. Shakespeare knew that sometimes you need a mask to tell the truth, and few games understand that as well as the ninth Final Fantasy.
So, what does this tell us? Maybe that the human story hasn't changed all that much in 400 years. We’re still obsessed with power, revenge, love, and the occasional dick joke. Whether it’s on a wooden stage or a 4K monitor, the 'why' remains the same. I reckon Billy would’ve been a nightmare in a voice chat, but man, his character arcs would be legendary.
Tags: Gaming Culture, Narrative Design, RPG, Shakespeare, Storytelling
Original article: Polygon