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On Monday, October 29, a new computer game, “Uzcel Gaismas pili!” (Raise the Castle of Light!), was released. The main characters are modernized versions of Latvian authors and characters from Latvian literature – Lāčplēsis, the Princess, Rainis, Aleksandrs Čaks, and others – and the action takes place in a virtual Castle of Light, the planned building of the Latvian National Library (LNB).
The game is the first attempt to introduce the LNB project – the Castle of Light and Lightnet – to children, and does so in an interactive, clear, and engaging manner, using the newest technologies. The computer game is designed to teach kids and rouse their curiosity about Latvian folklore and children’s literature, written in various time periods. The game is intended for elementary-school children from age six to age fifteen, though it will also be of interest to players of all ages.
The plot of the computer game is based on the eternal struggle between good and evil. Only this time the struggle takes place is a library – the planned Castle of Light, where the game’s hero, the Student, arrives to check out books. Yet the library is haunted by evil forces, which have broken into the cabinet of Latvian folksongs and scattered the note cards; one of the player’s central missions is to find the lost pages. While moving through the library and meeting characters from Latvian literature, the players must perform various tests of ingenuity and display their logical-thinking skills.
The idea for the computer game was conceived by the Latvian National Library Foundation, which also commissioned the game; the project came about with the support of Lattelecom, the State Culture Capital Foundation, UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture, and the World Federation of Free Latvians. The project was led by producer Bruno Aščuks; the author of the script was Nora Ikstena; the programming group was led by Raimonds Ūdris; and the production team included author/artist Harijs Brants and artists Egils Mednis un Indulis Gailāns.
The director of the Latvian National Library Foundation, Kārina Pētersone, had the following to say about the project: “The Foundation has been working very optimistically for ten years now, in order to finally catch sight of the true Castle of Light. Currently, a virtual version of the Castle of Light has been created for kids to play with on the Internet. Children are the future users of the National Library; that’s why we have to think right now about how to get them to go to libraries and gyms, not hellish gambling dens or nightclubs. We are looking for a way to open a door to the library for them, using modern methods, while, at the same time, leading them into the worlds of folklore and literature in a non-traditional way. That’s why we are thankful for our sponsors, who appreciated the uniqueness of the idea and our team’s potential, and helped us to actualize this idea.”
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