If books are one of the oldest means of entertainment, then video games must be one of the newest. The idea of video games was first popularised back in the early 70’s with the release of Pong and, with some help from the likes of Pac-Man, Tetris, and Space Invaders, video games have become a billion dollar industry that rivals both the film and music industry. According to yandere simulator game, One could be forgiven for assuming that books and video games have little to offer one another, but the fact is that literature has inspired many games over the years, some of which have been hugely successful. In this article, we’ll be looking at five video games that were inspired by great books.
The Witcher Series
In 2007, a Polish video game development company called CD Projekt RED released a video game called The Witcher which was based upon a series of fantasy novels written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Sapkowski’s books follow a man named Geralt of Rivia who is a Witcher, a fierce monster hunter who takes on contracts to rid the world of things that go bump in the night. Sapkowski’s books were popular among Polish readers for their morally grey and realistic fantasy setting, though they were published in Polish and therefore saw a limited readership, until the video game came along.
Though the first Witcher game was humble, it perfectly captured Sapkowski’s fantasy world and gained a modest but devoted fan base upon its release. A second game called The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was released in 2011 and was more ambitious and saw the series receive more attention. The release of 2015’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was met with critical acclaim and is now considered to be one of the finest games ever made. The game introduced a mainstream audience to The Witcher books and this in turn has seen Sapkowski’s novels translated into a number of languages. Whilst The Witcher books were certainly great, it’s unlikely they would enjoy the popularity they currently have were it not for their adaptation into the world of gaming.
The Metro 2033
First published in 2005, Metro 2033 is a post-apocalyptic novel by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. The novel takes place in the aftermath of a nuclear war which has devastated Moscow and forced survivors to take cover from the radiation in the city’s vast underground Metro stations. Over time, different communities across the metro have formed their own states and factions such as the Rangers of Order keep peace whilst others such as the “Fourth Reich” seeks to take control. A number of sequels have since been published but, given that the books were first published in Russian, this is another series that could have remained unknown to English-speaking readers were it not for a video game adaptations.
In 2010, developer 4A Games released a Metro 2033 video game which brought the book and its sequels to the attention of Western audiences. The game was well received by critics and a sequel was released in 2013 called Metro: Last Light. Last Light built upon the foundations of the first game to be even bigger and more ambitious. This second instalment was equally well received and a third game is currently being developed and is set to be released later this year. The success of the video game series has seen English translations of the books be published and now those who enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction don’t have to learn Russian in order to enjoy Glukhovsky’s books.
Dante’s Inferno
Dante’s Inferno is a game that sees players in the role of a knight who must fight his way through the seven circles of Hell to save his love and redeem himself from his sins. It may sound pretty pulpy, and it is, but the idea for the game is based upon Inferno, the first canticle of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy.
The player must fight their way through each circle of hell, each of which is designed to represent the sins of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. Real historical figures can be encountered in some circles and players can choose to either damn or redeem defeated foes. Dante’s Inferno is hardly the most faithful representation of the Divine Comedy, but it no doubt helped introduce the classical narrative poem to those who had never heard of it.
Spec Ops: The Line
Shooting games saturate the video game market in the same way over the top action blockbusters saturate the film industry. Most are forgettable but Specs Ops: The Line rips common shooter tropes to shreds and offers a memorable, if downright depressing, experience. On the surface the game looks like another average action game, but players soon begin to realise that this game is very aware of what is expected of it, and uses this to its advantage.
After a massive sandstorm has all but destroyed Dubai, US soldiers led by Colonel Konrad go in to try and help the civilians, another sandstorm hits and all contact is lost. Players take the role of a soldier named Walker who, along with his squad, is sent to investigate the city and find Konrad and his men. Upon entering the city, Walker and his team soon discovers that things are worse than they could imagine and are forced to fight their way to Konrad, who has established himself as the ruler of Dubai and has gone more than a little native. If this sounds familiar then its because the team behind Spec Ops was greatly influenced by Joseph Conrad’s Hearts of Darkness. Like the novel, the game explores what happens to people when they are away from “civilization” for too long. Like Kurtz in Heart of Darkness, Colonel Konrad initially leaves the safety of society to help those who he deems to be in need, but it is ultimately he who ends up descending into the chaos rather than saving others from it.
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