# Why so few games inspired by books? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 22, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259 "2011-09-22T21:48:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/1 "2011-09-22T21:48:49Z")
This struck me when discussing games elsewhere, why are so few games inspired by books? There are plenty of book to movie adaptations, quite a few movie to game adaptations but not many book to game adaptations. I imagine a lot of people would love the opportunity to play in their favourite story-world. I can just see The Culture story universe of Iain Banks working well as a MMO is set up correctly for example. Plenty of oppurtunity for player character custimisation and shenanigans as a member of Special Circumstances. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/2 "2011-09-22T22:11:20Z")
people who play videogames don’t read ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/3 "2011-09-22T22:23:16Z")
I’d guess it’s because very, very few books (particularly those of genres which would adapt well to video games) have anywhere near the readership / viewership of genre-appropriate movies or TV shows. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/4 "2011-09-22T22:23:47Z")
> [@Disposable Hero](#): > > I can just see The Culture story universe of Iain Banks working well as a MMO is set up correctly for example. Plenty of oppurtunity for player character custimisation and shenanigans as a member of Special Circumstances. 😉 The Culture universe is great, and I buy each Iain M. Banks (note the M. - it’s important :)) book and read it as soon as it comes out. But his books are not describing it very well - that is, they are not all “space operas”, some only concern a tiny corner of it, and some are only related to it tangentially. There is also a great spread of time covered. Not sure how much that would lend itself to an MMO. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/5 "2011-09-22T22:33:21Z")
To continue my previous post: Peter F. Hamilton’s universe would, on the other hand, make a great MMO. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/6 "2011-09-22T23:07:09Z")
Which one? The Reality Disfunction Universe or Pandora’s Star? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/7 "2011-09-22T23:07:12Z")
There’s likely more than you think…though the Megami Tensei metaseries likely skews the count significantly. Just among the ones available in English, there are over a dozen games in the metaseries - the Persona series, the Digital Devil Saga series, the Shin Megami Tensei series (Nocturne, Strange Journey, and Imagine, only), the last two Devil Summoners, Devil Survivor, two of the Devil Children games, and one Last Bible game. There are a lot more in Japan - _50_ games (including remakes) across 8 series, plus a number of one-offs, all based on a trilogy of light novels from the mid-80s. (And the series is still going! Devil Survivor’s sequel and 3DS remake only just recently came out in Japan, and both are slated for North American release.) It’s not always easy to tell what order the light novel/manga/anime/video game cycle works in, but I’d be surprised if Megami Tensei was anywhere near the only one to start off in light novels and take off in video games. Not to mention that there’s likely a number of games that never leave Japan (or whatever the home region is) that are based on proper novels, and some based on proper novels that never leave their home region. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/8 "2011-09-22T23:12:43Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > Which one? The Reality Disfunction Universe or Pandora’s Star? Good question. The Commonwealth society is described better, IMO, and is more consistent, but the Night’s Dawn society lends itself more to the MMO - more fun protagonists to blow away. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/9 "2011-09-23T00:14:12Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I’d guess it’s because very, very few books (particularly those of genres which would adapt well to video games) have anywhere near the readership / viewership of genre-appropriate movies or TV shows. You’re probably right but I do think game-designers are missing a deep and rich source of inspiration. Though they’d probably prefer to make their own stories out of whole cloth. > [@Terr 65](#): > > The Culture universe is great, and I buy each Iain M. Banks (note the M. - it’s important ) book and read it as soon as it comes out. But his books are not describing it very well - that is, they are not all “space operas”, some only concern a tiny corner of it, and some are only related to it tangentially. There is also a great spread of time covered. Not sure how much that would lend itself to an MMO. All valid points but I think the basic elements of the Culture universe would lend itself well to some game genres. I mentioned MMO’s but I’ve never actually played one, just going by what I imagine they’re like _(which is probably totally wrong)_ > [@Terr 65](#): > > To continue my previous post: Peter F. Hamilton’s universe would, on the other hand, make a great MMO. That would also be a good one, I remember really liking The Reality Dysfunction and enjoying The Neutronium Alchemist but The Naked God left such a bitter taste it retroactively tainted the previous two books and I’ve never read anything else by the same author. It is definitely an interesting story-universe though. Thanks everyone! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/10 "2011-09-23T00:20:29Z")
One thing to keep in mind is that the vast majority of movie-themed video games are really just commercials for the movie, and wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the movie studios’ marketing departments. Books don’t get that sort of media blitz. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/11 "2011-09-23T00:22:35Z")
There’s a whole raft of Harry Potter games but I have no idea if they are more inspired by the books or by the movies. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/12 "2011-09-23T03:45:32Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > people who play videogames don’t read Uh huh. I invite you to take a look at my collection of dead tree books, and then my collection of video games. As for the OP, I think it’s because many video games don’t rely much on storytelling. Some arcade type games do have some background (R Type and Arkanoid did, that I recall), but most are simply clickfests. I believe that Parasite Eve was inspired by either a book or a manga. Other than that, I don’t know of any games that were inspired by a specific book. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/13 "2011-09-23T04:00:34Z")
_S.T.A.L.K.E.R._ was loosely based off the book, _Roadside Picnic_. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman’s _Deathgate Cycle_ had a video game adaptation, and there have been a couple of Discworld video games. Of course, there are the various (pre-movie) Tolkien games. A number of Tom Clancy novels have been adapted, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/14 "2011-09-23T04:01:16Z")
_Dune_ has a good [board game](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_%28board_game%29), and at least one decent video game, with multiplayer mode via LAN available. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/15 "2011-09-23T04:08:50Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > _S.T.A.L.K.E.R._ was loosely based off the book, _Roadside Picnic_. Thanks for telling me that - I didn’t know there was a video game. The book was amazing (I never read it in English though, I wonder if it loses in translation). I mean, every book written by Strugatskii brothers is great, but that one was socks-off-knocking. On edit: hm. When you say “loosely”, you mean “extremely loosely” don’t you 🙂 Maybe it is an indication that it is very hard to make a game out of a book without being extremely loose with the book. I mean, books are by their nature narratives, while video games (well, MMOs) are wide open and free-ranging. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/16 "2011-09-23T07:01:21Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > One thing to keep in mind is that the vast majority of movie-themed video games are really just commercials for the movie, and wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the movie studios’ marketing departments. It’s more the other way around. Tie-in games are created to capitalize on the bigger media blitz for the movie. There are very few book releases that can provide the sort of marketing buzz that could justify the hassle of making a derivative product. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/17 "2011-09-23T07:05:26Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > A number of Tom Clancy novels have been adapted, as well. Interestingly, _Rainbow Six_ started as an independent product. It wasn’t until the game was well in production that Clancy decided to turn it into a book. ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/18 "2011-09-23T07:30:19Z")
there have been games based on Tolkiens work, ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/19 "2011-09-23T08:50:45Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > On edit: hm. When you say “loosely”, you mean “extremely loosely” don’t you 🙂 Maybe it is an indication that it is very hard to make a game out of a book without being extremely loose with the book. I mean, books are by their nature narratives, while video games (well, MMOs) are wide open and free-ranging. Loosely as in it draws many concepts from the book (and the Tarkovsky movie), but is its own story. They’re making a game around _Game of Thrones_, due out soonish (no doubt to capitalize on the TV series). I’m also pretty sure there was a _Wheel of Time_ game planned at some point, don’t know what became of that. _Lord of the Rings_ has always been a font of video game goodness. There was a pretty good _Blade Runner_ game, primarily inspired by the movie but of course the movie was inspired by _Do Androids […] Sheep_, so it counts. There was a pretty bad hack 'n slash game drawing much from Dante’s _Inferno_. As for oldies, I seem to remember a \*Riverworld \*game was released somewhere in the mid 90s ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259/20 "2011-09-23T09:55:55Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I believe that Parasite Eve was inspired by either a book or a manga. Yes, yes it was. [A novel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasite_Eve). Can’t believe I forgot that one when I made my earlier post. I’d have had an actual example for ‘games based on proper novels’ (although the original novel has since been translated, so both have spread out of their home region). The game (which I have yet to actually FINISH) is actually a sequel to the novel. There are two manga - one adapts the novel, one adapts the first game. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-few-games-inspired-by-books/597259.md?page=2)