Anyone else want to do that? I've thought about it, but may need quantum computers to fully realize it... Mine should be particle based sci-fi, where every object is built from scratch with particles. Difficulties should range from mortal to god. How about you? What would your game be? PC, console, board?
Interesting question. It does happen. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which I enjoyed greatly, was adapted on TV as Blade Runner. Blade Runner was then adapted to a video game, which you can find on Steam right now if you so wish. So, yes, it does happen! Books and games are very different mediums. It can work, but I think action-rich genres like Science Fiction and Fantasy are more viable for such adaptations. Other genres where action or tension isn't as plentiful will be harder to adapt into games, if not outright unfeasible. I think many books should just stay books, or be adapted into movies at best. If I were ever to do that, though? I'd choose the visual novel medium. It's a "game" but there isn't any actual gameplay. You just click with your mouse to advance the prose or dialogue inside a box. But there's more than that, of course. There is usually a background and a character sprite to accompany any dialogue. There is also music in the background, and that's mainly what interests me. Music can be incredibly powerful when combined together with a story. I've read some visual novels but not many. I don't actually like them all that much, but some of the ones I did like were really good. The Clannad visual novel was an incredible experience from start to finish. Here is what it looks like for anyone who's curious. It's a screenshot from the Air visual novel. It's quite old (back from the year 2000) but it's good enough to have enjoyed numerous re-releases throughout the years. The screenshot below is from the latest release for the Switch. Spoiler: Large image
As someone who's interested in both writing and game development, I've considered giving it a try. However, I find that most stories that work best in written format don't typically work well for games, and vice versa. They're different mediums for a reason, and have different ways of telling stories. I have considered maybe dipping into interactive fiction a bit? That seems like a potential way to game-ify a story without losing the strength of the medium. The problem is, I haven't experienced many examples of interactive fiction, so it's hard to imagine what you can really do with it. Has anyone dipped into this, and do you have any recommendations? (I feel like interactive fiction tends to be quite different from the approach of visual novels? But I could be wrong.)
@ps102 and @DestryHawk I remember reading/playing a choose your own adventure type story. Where there is mostly text and you pick what happens next. I can not recall what it was named, but you were a CEO in a paranormal setting, handling magic and all sorts of things while running your company. It was a very interesting game and I remember liking it a lot. On the gaming platform Steam, you can look up "choose your own story" adventures and such. They will mostly be text-driven. But there are some that have graphics such as the Telltale games.
I want one of my books made into a Souls-like game. With rolling, punishing bosses and a 'git gud' mentality. I think one of them could be really fun and the only rule I would have in regards to the difficulty is I have to be able to beat it. Otherwise, make it amazing Fromsoft! I solo'ed Orenstein and Smough, so you know where that bar is.
Games and stories both require an internal logic and consistency. The transition from one to the other is not easy. Look at all the problems they had with turning David Weber's Honorverse series into a video game. Over 2 years in development before it was abandoned after multiple hacks of the website.
One of the things about stories in games is that they're experienced completely differently (in most cases). The unique thing about games as a medium is the interaction. The story is told through experience rather than linear ideas. It's not just about what's happening in the plot- it's about the feel of the game moment to moment. Pacing, mood, etc. are all established differently. The mechanics of a game are as much a part of the story than the written plot. And even in a game with a linear plot, the player has to feel like they have some sort of agency and effect on the story. It seems really, really hard to get right and maintain the integrity of a story. But it must be amazing when it goes right...
For me, I am not really going to do a story for my gaming world. I want the world to be interactive enough for players to simply play along and create their own stories. They may lose a companion to a violent alien, and then make the choice to go to war with that alien species, and all that will happen along the way. In my game one should be able to control a single character. And at the same time be able to play it like a strategy game, controlling fleets and armies. If your character lands in such a position that is. You may just be a grunt for your whole gaming period, depending on your starting settings.
I thought this thread was going to reference Sanderson releasing a Kickstarter for a DnD type game for his Cosmere. He already has a Stormlight Archives game (that I've played multiple times with my brother), and it's intriguing to see how the world Sanderson created translates to a tabletop game. For myself, I think my world isn't conducive to a video game. I do see it possibly being a film or limited TV series but that doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. I think it would be hard to be okay with a digital rendering of the place I can see so vividly in my head. If I could draw it, that would be a different kind of approach entirely. Alas, I am not gifted with that art currently. Maybe if I did more as an open world exploration kind of game made of side quests (kind of Death Stranding style), that would let me feel more comfortable with digitalizing it.
