91热爆

By Cameron McAllister // 91热爆 The Social contributor // 4 March 2021

Books have been a popular source for movies for decades but what a lot people may not realise is their profound influence on video games. Some of the most popular games ever made have been inspired by books.

Arguably the most famous games to be inspired by books is The Witcher series. The fantasy books follow Geralt of Rivia who is a Witcher, a sword-for-hire who has been rigorously trained and mutated to slay monsters with the help of magic and potions.

The first two books are collections of short stories following Geralt on various adventures. These collections were then followed by a series of epically complex novels on a similar scale to Game of Thrones. The games, of which there are three, are set quite some time after the books and were not written by the author of the books, Andrzej Sapkowski, who has said that the games are not an alternative nor a sequel but a free adaptation containing elements of his work, adapted by a different author.

Despite Sapkowski distancing himself from the games made by CD Projekt Red, they have clearly had a positive impact on the popularity of the books which have now been adapted into a Netflix series. Although the first screen adaptation was a Polish film and mini-series, both called The Hexer.

The third game in the series, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, was critically-acclaimed and has sold more than 28 million copies. Poland is so proud of the series that in 2011, the then Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, gifted the US President, Barack Obama, a copy of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings as part of the official diplomatic gift. I doubt President Biden will get a copy of Cyberpunk 2077 anytime soon.

One of the oldest and most influential books to have the video game treatment is Journey to the West, an epic tale written in 16th century Ming Dynasty, China. The story follows animal spirits Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy as they join Buddhist monk Tripitaka, believed to be inspired by real-life monk Xuanzang, on his quest to retrieve sacred scrolls from India.

Journey to the West has been adapted many times for film, theatre, TV and games. One of the most notable games to be based on the adventures of the Monkey King is Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. A futuristic retelling set in a post-apocalyptic future in which Monkey is being held captive on a slave ship. He manages to escape along with a young woman called Trip who enslaves Monkey, with a special technological headband, into helping her get home.

Despite the change in setting there are still quite a few similarities between the book and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. Trip, which is short for Tripitaka, is a sort of modernised version of the monk from the book who enslaved Monkey with a special headband to help guide him on his journey.

The game was well-known for its use of motion capture with its main star and co-director being Andy Serkis. The Hollywood star had recently played King Kong in the Peter Jackson epic. Type casting or what? Monkey’s sidekick Pigsy, who is half-man half-pig, is played by Richard Ridings who you may recognise as the voice of one of the world’s most famous hogs, Peppa Pig’s dad. More type casting?

The game was well received by critics but due to poor sales a sequel was never made. However, the Monkey King’s tale (pun not intended) will live on in the highly-anticipated game Black Myth: Wukong.

An author who has been associated with games more than any other is Tom Clancy, whose name has been at the forefront of video game titles since the 90s.

Although Clancy is a best-selling author, it is partly down to co-founding game studio Redstorm in 1996 that led to so many of his game credits. Whilst the studio was looking at ideas for a new game, Clancy mentioned to CEO and former British Royal Navy Captain Doug Littlejohn that he was thinking of writing a book about a hostage rescue team. After a brainstorming week where Littlejohn and Clancy came up with the title, Rainbow Six, the author went away to write the book whilst the studio began work on the game.

The book was based around one of Clancy’s pre-existing characters, ex-Navy SEAL John Clark, who is made head of an international counter-terrorism task force. The game and book were conceptualised around the same time so have a relatively similar plot. However, according to lead designer Brian Upton, Tom Clancy hardly engaged with game studio after the initial development workshop. Although it is Tom Clancy’s name on the book and games, Upton claims Clancy turned Upton’s story into a book.

Despite mixed reviews at release, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six has become a long-running series of games which are still popular today.

Post-apocalyptic shooters are easy to come by nowadays but one series that stands above the monotonous crowd of action games is the Metro trilogy.

Originally published as an online novel, Metro 2033 and its sequels are about the sprawling Moscow Metro which has become a refuge for survivors of a devastating nuclear war which has forced humanity underground where stations formed their own miniature states.

The first and third books follow protagonist Artyom, as he deals with threats from humans and mutants. The first book and game share a similar plot as Artyom navigates the metro to warn people of a new threat to humanity. The second book Metro 2034 follows another protagonist whilst the second game carries on with Artyom’s story.

The third book returns to Artyom but there are more disparities between the book and the third game Metro: Exodus.

With movies still a big source of concepts for game studios it is clear to see the hugely positive impact literature has had on games. What will be next in the ever growing list of game-adaptations of books?

Normal People: The Game, anyone?