New video game adventure to introduce players to Mi'kmaw language and culture
2 Unama'ki (Cape Breton) studios team up to develop game
Video game enthusiasts and Mi'kmaw language lovers have a reason to celebrate.
Green Robot Studios, based in Sydney, N.S., is set to release a PC video game at the end of 2024 highlighting Mi'kmaw language and culture.
The title of Kun'tewiktuk - A Mi'kmaw Adventure is derived from the Mi'kmaw word meaning "place of the rock."
It takes players thousands of years in the past to follow the journey of siblings Wasuek (meaning "flower") and U'n (meaning "fog"), who are mysteriously separated. Players guide Wasuek on her quest to reunite with her brother, while adventuring through a Cape Breton landscape and defeating characters inspired by Mi'kmaw folklore.
The game's creator, Shawn Green of Green Robot Studios in Sydney N.S., is non-Indigenous but makes educational games that share history from Cape Breton.
He said the pandemic and its change to his work was a catalyst to creating this project. Green Robot Studios originally designed educational games for use in museums and exhibits, but with museums being closed due to COVID-19, the company switched gears to focusing on video games for public use, while still maintaining the educational aspects.
In an effort to ensure an authentic and respectful portrayal of Mi'kmaw culture and language, Green partnered with Kji-Wikuom Studios, an audio/video engineering studio based in Eskasoni First Nation that focuses on the preservation and revitalization of the Mi'kmaw language.
Green calls the partnership between the two studios "serendipitous," and a relationship that grew after a phone call with Tom Johnson, founder of Kji-Wikuom studios.
"I said to him, 'We're in the early stages of developing a video game that's based on Mi'kmaw legends and lore.' He said, 'I'm in the early stages of establishing a recording and production studio dedicated to Mi'kmaw culture and language and storytelling,'" said Green.
"And that was it — the rest is history."
Thanks to the partnership, Kji-Wikuom provided the project with resources including language consultation, audio recordings, casting, performances, promotions, community outreach and more.
"We wouldn't have done the project without that level of collaboration," said Green.
Janaya Paul, who is Mi'kmaw from Eskasoni and studio co-ordinator at Kji-Wikuom, said the studio's mission is an obligation to the Mi'kmaw nation to pass on the language and keep it strong for future generations.
She said she feels a video game is an exciting medium to share language and legends.
"It's a different initiative, a different way to teach the language, stories and history because right now we're trying to aim towards the youth," said Paul.
World exposure in Germany
The game has garnered attention at major gaming conventions, including Game Con Canada in Edmonton and Gamescom in Germany with an estimated 335,000 attendees.
Tristan Johnson, who is Mi'kmaw from Eskasoni and an audio-video editor at Kji-Wikuom, travelled to both conventions to showcase the new game.
He said it was well received at both events, but in Germany it got the attention of anthropologists who were intrigued by the game's role in language preservation.
"They were really excited to learn about, because it's kind of an endangered language and any sort of record of a language that's in danger being put out into the world is super valuable," he said.
He said they were asking questions about the grammar and were interested in if players will be able to learn the language just from playing.
Johnson said he enjoyed working on the project and feels it deepened his own understanding of the language.
"Even the small exposure, which is just me working on the game, listening to the fluent speakers that come in, I feel more connected with myself spiritually," said Johnson.
"I think it's such a special thing to be a part of."
Green said developers are working on the final packaging for the game's release.
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