Four video games based on classic literary works, ranging from The Hobbit to Hamlet

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The new War of the Worlds video game by Flipswitch Studios, featuring dramatic scenes of towering tripods advancing through a devastated landscape, is eagerly awaited by gamers. Interestingly, discussions about the game seem to focus more on its parallels with Spielberg’s 2005 film rather than its connection to H.G. Wells’s 1898 novel from which the story originates. For years, novels have served as inspiration for video games. Here are four examples of games that clearly show their literary influences. Peter Jackson’s films, while praised for visualizing the seemingly unfilmable, also spurred early game developers to push hardware limitations, creating what was once considered unplayable. From today’s perspective, The Hobbit appears to be a basic text-based adventure, yet its techniques were ahead of its time. Because Tolkien’s narrative could not be directly converted into just 16 kilobytes of memory, the developers, Veronika Megler and Phil Mitchell, had to create a unique game engine before such technology was common.

A game engine lays the foundation of basic principles and elements, like language rules, which can be customized for a game’s specific needs. In The Hobbit, non-playable characters interact with players independently based on certain core language principles, forming what we would now refer to as “emergent narrative.” Although more Tolkien-based games have been made since then, The Hobbit stands out because it shows how efforts to translate literature into games can inspire new forms of computer storytelling and programming creativity. Bioshock immerses players in the underwater city of Rapture, designed by mogul Andrew Ryan.

Philosophically, though, it draws players into the realm of Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged, a text highly regarded by many libertarian entrepreneurs. While many games let players reflect their ethical values, Bioshock is especially significant. Despite being a first-person shooter, it still provokes deep thought. Even in the heat of action, a player might hesitate when deciding whether to sacrifice children to gain ADAM, a valuable resource that makes the game easier. Game designer and blogger Clint Hocking described this as “ludonarrative dissonance,” a situation where the narrative message conflicts with the gameplay required to succeed. However, it can also be seen as a gaming version of literature’s “negative capability,” the ability to accept unresolved moral and artistic contradictions.

The GamerGate controversy in 2014, an online campaign challenging diversity and representation in gaming, led Golden Glitch Studios to launch a crowdfunding effort to reinterpret Hamlet from Shakespeare, focusing on Ophelia’s perspective. Elsinore illustrates how adaptations can remain true to their literary origins through game mechanics rather than merely replicating dialogue, characters, or settings. Notably, even though Elsinore follows some typical point-and-click adventure game norms, Ophelia has limited actions. Mostly, she (and thus the player) engages in conversation or overhears others, highlighting her secondary role in the original play where she is often spoken about or over rather than speaking herself. While effective in character portrayal, Elsinore also prompts questions about the differences between literary and gaming experiences. To finish a game, including this one with its multiple endings, players must achieve success. If a game concludes with a character’s suicide, despite our sorrow, we might also feel a sense of accomplishment. Can gaming ever emulate the tragic essence of theater? The Witcher 3, one of the most celebrated games in recent years, is based on the fantasy world created by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Its success lies in balancing an open-world environment with narrative structure.

Generally, the more freedom a game world provides, allowing players to tackle things in various orders, the more challenging it is to maintain a coherent story and character development. This is the opposite of how novels typically work, offering limited reader navigation but achieving maximum coherence. Developer CD Projekt Red managed to merge these aspects with independent side-quests that tell their own stories, expanding the world and protagonist Geralt’s character. Yet the game maintains a logical progression in the main narrative, regardless of how or when players choose to explore. This underscores how game scholars can use literature-based games to examine fundamental elements of both media. What provides a narrative its structure? Do reading and playing create similar impacts? By adapting works of literature, these games borrow not only stories but also the prestige connected to their iconic sources.

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