The Salem Witch Trials have captured the imagination of generations, infusing art, literature and most recently a video game.
This summer, Dallas-based game developer MumboJumbo released "Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials," which has become a popular download at sites like Apple's iTunes.
The story of the witch trials is a familiar one, MumboJumbo CEO Mark Cottam said. It was well-suited as a game theme because of the story, its ties to Nathaniel Hawthorne, who was born in Salem and its natural scariness, he said.
"We knew that everybody may not be an expert, but it's something they're aware of," the CEO said. "Having something that people recognize just when they look at it and read the words is really helpful."
The game went out to the PC market June 13, to retail stores July 26 and to iTunes Aug. 5, according to the company. The cost ranges from $6.99 to $19.99, depending on the version and the bonus materials players choose to add on.
The 10-year-old company launched its Midnight Mysteries franchise with famous American writer Edgar Allan Poe in 2009, the CEO said.
"Edgar Allan Poe made sense because of the 200th anniversary of his birth," he said. "We knew there was going to be talk about it."
Cottam said the company's designers create games with twists, mystery and intrigue, and the Salem Witch Trials was one of five ideas on the drawing board to succeed the Poe game. The concept quickly became one of the designers' favorites and received favorable feedback with testers.
"Of all the game concepts ever tested (at MumboJumbo), it was the highest performing one out there," Cottam said.
The CEO also noted that the idea of witches, along with vampires and werewolves, has become popular of late.
Richard Trask, Danvers' archivist, agreed with Cottam on the trend.
"Every 10 or 15 years, pop culture tends to grab onto something and run with it for a while," he said.
Hawthorne was a good spokesman for a game related to the Salem Witch Trials, Trask said. The American author's "Young Goodman Brown" was written with them in mind, he said.
Trask also noted that Hawthorne added the "W" to his name to distance himself from his own family's ties to the witch trials.
"Witchcraft, especially Salem witchcraft, has been a popular subject from the 17th century on," he said. "Any new media that comes out latches on."
Trask, who works at the town's Peabody Institute Library, said that since the witch trials' 300th anniversary in 1992, the subject has only grown in popularity.
The game designers don't claim historical accuracy, Cottam noted. The Midnight Mystery series ties a great author to some historical event, Cottam said.
"At the end of the day, the designers found enough truth with enough mystery that we kind of made up a story that all ties together very nicely," he said.
Cottam said he personally didn't know a lot about the Salem Witch Trials prior to the game.
"It's a part of our history," he said. "It's interesting to see a story built around that and thinking of the people at the time and how a few people could inform a whole area and its thoughts."
Trask wasn't overly concerned about the accuracy so long as players understand Midnight Mysteries is a game.
In fact, Trask prefers a fantasy video game that doesn't pretend to be true, rather than something that portrays a story as accurate and isn't.
Amy Waywell, director of visitors services and marketing for The House of the Seven Gables, said she learned about the game through online news alerts.
"I thought it was fun," she said. "You can't really mention Hawthorne at all and Salem without pulling The House of the Seven Gables in."
The Salem venue is actually one area in the overall story and is part of a bonus mini-game that can be purchased separately, said Dawn McKenzie, a spokeswoman for MumboJumbo.
Waywell was pleased that the designers used the actual exterior of the house for the story, though designers took license with the interior.
She, too, hoped players would appreciate the story isn't meant to be accurate.
"It puts the city and the legacy of the city in front of people that wouldn't normally investigate Salem further," the director said.
If the game prompts players to do their own research and learn about Hawthorne and Salem, and creates enough interest to make a visit, even better, Waywell said.
"As long as they aren't taking it at complete face value, I think it's great for Salem, and it's nice for the Seven Gables," she said. "It's not every day that you're a whole chapter in a video game."
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