REVIEW: RU GAME
By Ndalo Mbombo
Enveloped in darkness, the RU GAME cast launched every audience member into a memory maze of bittersweet goodbyes shared with nervous, excited and proud loved ones, seeing off sons and daughters as they left home for Rhodes University.
“Ufunde ke mntanam, ziduru kqithi ifees zase Rhodes.”
“Ntwana yami! Ungamithisi ke njalo.”
“Aww, our baby sister is going to university!”
Each year, the Rhodes University Drama Department presents an orientation show to welcome first-year students by showing them what to expect in their new life via good theatre. This year’s show, directed by Makhaola Ndebele, had a video game element.
A lengthy introduction of one girl from KZN from within the audience right by the stairs demanded we awkwardly crane our necks to see this performer. My neck started to feel stiff. But her story and seemingly heavy luggage helped us settle in well after resonating with her travelling journey.
We finally saw all the actors when they sang igwijo (no mistakes made) in front of the very first row of seats before walking up onto the well-lit stage in this interdisciplinary multilingual musical theatre production. We soon realised the game was on when a purple-faced, red-glasses-wearing and brown-afroed avatar popped up on the screen behind the performer-gamers who welcomed the audience-gamers to experience! explore! expand! The fourth wall was torn in two, nowhere in sight because, for most of the show, the gamers were looking at us.
It reminded us that we are also logged into this game and have player IDs even as we witness the testimonies of the gamers who came before us.
We listen; we don’t judge. Yes, the TikTok trend. The gamers played that game as well. Let’s say we judged and learned never to make decisions about our education based on a love interest – it could derail your entire university plan (if you had one).
There were many other things to judge in the game. Like:
- The sexual harassment of a vulnerable Oppidan affected by the accommodation crisis.
- The polygamous res boyfriend.
- Consented but not consented to unprotected sex.
- Irresponsible drinking and smoking.
- Discrimination because of linguistic differences.
- Fighting over females (when has that ever been cute?).
- Xenophobia.
There were some applaudable things in the game. Like:
- The destigmatising of HIV testing.
- The importance of owning up and taking responsibility as a gamer that got another gamer pregnant.
- The reminder that referencing is a crucial part of the game.
- The reminder that res safety is also essential and that all gamers must partake in safety drills.
- The importance of ensuring you are okay mentally to avoid a system crash.
- The importance of student activism to revolt against a system that one gamer accused of being designed to keep us losing all the time.
With seamless shifts between cool, cold and warm, bright colours illuminating the stage, we travelled between experiences, watching gamers dressed in blue and purple uniforms explore a world of such experiences which many first-year gamers will face.
Amapiano is an excellent way of honouring the music terrain of South Africa. Right after the system crashes, darkness swallows the audience gamers once again. When the light returns, we meet new gamers who share what they learned during their gaming experience here at Rhodes. Their experiences remind current gamers that there’s a promise of growth, a recreation of the self, learning and unlearning.
