Opening Night (video game) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Opening Night |
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Cover art
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| Developer(s) | MECC |
| Publisher(s) | MECC |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Macintosh |
| Release date(s) | 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Education/simulation |
Opening Night is a 1995 education/simulation video game by MECC, and developed in cooperation with The Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. It is aimed at children aged 10 and up.
Gameplay
Players create, direct, and perform mystery plays in a lifelike theatre, featuring The Children's Theatre Company actors in period costumes. They do this by manipulating multimedia including 40 actors, 100 sets, and 300 props to create stories. Lighting, music, and sound effects can be later added. To access an item, players first choose the Category Viewer to choose the category, then next the Item Viewer to choose the item. Double-clicking on the item places it onto the stage. The game was curriculum-driven; it aimed to allow students to use their creativity to write scripts and create plays for assessments, and to use their imagination.
A timer helps synchronise actions, while the recorder is used to capture action. Text-to-speech technology allows the player to hear the character say what they have written; however if words are mispronounced they are encouraged to type the words out phonetically instead. Star Tribune commented that the dialogue can either appear at the bottom of the screen like movie subtitles, or spoken in a "Stephen Hawking monotone".
Release
Dale LaFrenz, MECC president and chief executive officer, commented that she expected Opening Night, alongside MayaQuest and Math Munchers Deluxe, to be released in time for the pre-holiday selling season of 1995.
The game was the 73rd best-selling title during the November–December 1995 period (holiday season).
