What book or series would you create a videogame on?

[Dustin]

What fictional world would you choose?

If one exists is there something you would change?

What existing games come to mind when you imagine this game? Or what kind of game is it? MMO, RPG, Puzzle, Sim?


---------------------------

I was thinking a Mistborn: The Final Empire and The Eye of the World MMO but I'll have to elaborate later.

Elantris might make an interesting RPG as well if you designed it for a touch screen device.

[Jason (jasonb)]

I would say that I always thought a great game would be Tad Williams' "Otherland" series. A MMOPG would be awesome but a card game would be interesting. Each deck for each book.

[Magda]

wow there are soooo many

Beautiful creatures - I might not like the book, but it might create a nice world for a game

all the Valdemar books by Mercedes Lackey - the whole world of opportunities, stories and characters (including non human ones)

Loki - because there's just no interesting game about him :D

Rick Riordan's books - I bet there is one already, but it's probably not even half as good as it should be ;)

Zawód: Wiedźma, Część 1 - awesome characters, interesting world and great idea for vampires :D

The Way of Shadows - I know there are games like Thief and so on, but thing about it!

[Allison]

I'd love to play an RPG in Naomi Novik's Temeraire series. That would make me so darn happy, and it's such a huge world to explore.

[Karina]

I have envisioned a New Crobuzon (well, Bas-Lag) mmorpg since the first time I read Perdido Street Station. I'd love to traipse about in Miéville-land.

[Ty]

I know it's already been attempted, but I'd love to see one from A Song of Ice and Fire that's done right. I'd also love to see one in the Boneshaker universe.

[Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth]

Hmmm, I wasn't a massive fan of the book, but an old-school point and click adventure game based in the "China that never was" world of Bridge of Birds might be fun.

[Rasnac]

Iam not a gamer; but in my experience Dune never had a game that really captured the spirit of the book series.

[Trike]

Jason wrote: "I would say that I always thought a great game would be Tad Williams' "Otherland" series. A MMOPG would be awesome but a card game would be interesting. Each deck for each book."

I believe someone is working on an Otherland MMO.

Edit: Yep. Go here: http://otherland.gamigo.com/en/

[Sarah]

When it comes to exploring a world in an MMO or RPG setting, I tend to like experiencing original worlds. I think video games provide a way to tell a story and introduce the player to characters and a world in a similar way that books do, so I guess I see it as maybe redundant to make a book into that kind of game? Maybe if the game chooses to tell a different story, or a different time, a video game would be an interesting way to do that.

I'm a coder and a gamer, so I have had several ideas about games to make inspired from the books I read, but they are usually ideas about how to implement some tech or convention in the book, not retell the story or set something different in that world. For example, after reading Ender's Game I thought that an adaption of the space battle simulator would make for a really fun cooperative game. The idea of working with others towards a common goal, but in different roles at vastly different levels of play, was really interesting to me. I envisioned something like being able to choose to lead a squad, a group of squads, all the way up to the general level, coming up with the overall strategy. Each player would see different levels of information, and give and/or receive orders from your teammates. When I was thinking ambitiously, I thought you could even choose to be a single pilot :P. Since then a couple of games have come out sort of based on this premise, like MAG, but I think it'd probably work better if it wasn't a shooter :P.

Another game I had an idea for was inspired by The Diamond Age, by the scenes where the girl is learning about Turing tapes, algorithms, etc. in the primer. Basically, a puzzle game that involved gradually developing skills to form more and more complicated chains to solve puzzles and make progress through some environment. I think it'd also be a great way to trick kids into learning problem solving and computer programming in a much more immersive way than those dorky math computer games I played as a kid where you had to solve algebra equations to cast spells and kill a dragon :P.

[Dara]

I just finished the Mistborn trilogy last week and I frequently thought while reading it that it would make a great video game series.

[Thomas]

Ready Player One I dare, I dare.

[Dara]

Apollo's Crow wrote: "Dara wrote: "I just finished the Mistborn trilogy last week and I frequently thought while reading it that it would make a great video game series."

Same. I was also thinking the magic system in ..."

I haven't read that one yet but I definitely will. Sanderson has become one of my favorite authors after Mistborn. I'm reading The Way of Kings now.

[Maybe]

I would love to play a game based on The Malazan Book of the Fallen series.

[Neil]

Thomas wrote: "Ready Player One I dare, I dare."

Playing a game where you are playing a character that is playing a character that is playing a game that is built within another game. That would be like gameception.

[Paul]

That's a no brainer for me Ready Player One...reminded me why I love reading when I was losing my faith :)

[Joseph]

Given all of the C.J. Cherryh I've been reading, I'm going to say a Mass Effect-style RPG (maybe with Sins of a Solar Empire-type strategy elements) set in the Downbelow Station universe or maybe a fantasy RPG based on The Morgaine Saga -- that could be really cool because she's using Gates to travel between worlds, so you could string together a bunch of completely different worlds.

[Dustin]

Dara wrote: "I just finished the Mistborn trilogy last week and I frequently thought while reading it that it would make a great video game series."

http://www.mistborngame.com/

[Wilmar]

Mine, The Silver Ninja. :D I mean, it has an epic helicopter chase scene in the end while escaping a collapsing building. Aaaand, super powers.

I wish I knew how to make a game, I'd probably do it myself. :D

Definitely a 3rd person action game in the same vein as Batman Arkham Asylum/City

The Silver Ninja

[Dara]

Apollo's Crow wrote: "Dara wrote: "I haven't read that one yet but I definitely will. Sanderson has become one of my favorite authors after Mistborn. I'm reading The Way of Kings now."

Nice! I actually just won a copy..."

Hmm, there's a free HTML version but I'll buy it to support Sanderson.

[Dara]

Dustin wrote: "Dara wrote: "I just finished the Mistborn trilogy last week and I frequently thought while reading it that it would make a great video game series."

http://www.mistborngame.com/"

THAT IS AWESOME.

[Valerie]

I would enjoy an RPG game for The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks, along the lines of the Fable games.

[H.t.]

Ender's Game, something that replicates the weird training games that he had to go through. A strategic game versus the 'buggers' might be cool too.

[Doug]

The Black Company -- I loved that book, but the series as a whole was weak. You could play as a magic user or blade, choose your faction, work your way up until you're a major player in the battle between the two Big Bads (the Lady and the Dominator). In the book, there are ten undead mages called The Taken, and each has its army of conscripts and mercenaries. All ten are supposedly allied with the Lady in a fight against the rebels, but some want to resurrect the Lady's husband, the Dominator. LOTS of political intrigue, backstabbing, betrayals.

And now for something completely different: I've always wanted a game where I could play as Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe.

[Doug]

Also, how about a Discworld video game? Last time this was attempted (I think) was back in the 1990s. Not bad, but hey, technology has come a long way since then. I want a Discworld MMORPG!

[Paul]

D S wrote: "Also, how about a Discworld video game? Last time this was attempted (I think) was back in the 1990s. Not bad, but hey, technology has come a long way since then. I want a Discworld MMORPG!"

Disc World now has a couple board games.

[Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth]

D S wrote: "Also, how about a Discworld video game? Last time this was attempted (I think) was back in the 1990s. Not bad, but hey, technology has come a long way since then. I want a Discworld MMORPG!"

This post makes me sad. The games were how I discovered Discworld and I mourn the fact that such games, so common when I was a child, are rarely made now. Another plain, simple, Discworld point and click adventure game is what I'd like, with less of the technology that has come a long way, because what was delightful about those games was the story anyway.

[Matthew Anderson]

I want an Old Man's War FPS.

[Joe Informatico]

Rasnac wrote: "Iam not a gamer; but in my experience Dune never had a game that really captured the spirit of the book series."

Dune II is perhaps the most influential real-time strategy (RTS) game of all time.

[Molly]

Rasnac wrote: "Iam not a gamer; but in my experience Dune never had a game that really captured the spirit of the book series."

Joe wrote: "Dune II is perhaps the most influential real-time strategy (RTS) game of all time.

Dune II was an awesome game, but it had practically nothing to do with the Dune books, other than taking place in a desert and having your characters houses either be Atrides or Harkonnen (or a third group whose names weren't even from the books, if I recall correctly). Dune I, the adventure game, did try to mirror the plot of the book (or, more accurately the movie). Unfortunately the game design was pretty dreadful.

[Gary]

I'd love to see a Nine Princes in Amber game based on the Corwin cycle of that series, and then a sequel focusing on Merlin. Personally, I don't think this series really lends itself to a MMORPG since having that many people running around with the powers of the Pattern or the Logrus wouldn't make a lot of sense.

There was a text with EGA graphics version I played on an Apple II back when they were considered high technology. It would be interesting to see how someone would handle it these days. Walking the pattern and dueling would be all well and good, but I'm not sure how someone might want to handle walking in shadow, but with a few million bucks I'm sure something pretty amazing could be done.

[Jason]

Valerie wrote: "I would enjoy an RPG game for The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks, along the lines of the Fable games."

Seconded. Actually thirded as I think it was mentioned as Way of Shadows above too. Great world, awesome systems of magic, unique one off additions. Would be awesome.

[Kevin]

Dara wrote: "Dustin wrote:

http://www.mistborngame.com/"

THAT IS AWESOME. "

Yea, it is. :)

Sanderson made a blogpost about this a while back. He's working closely with the developers and does the writing for the game. It will be set several centuries before the trilogy. Brandon seemed quite pleased with the process so far.

So the writing and the story are there, if they can get the mechanics right, it will be awesome. :)

[elie88]

series: sons of anarchy: open world but like the yakuza games not GTA and not a huge world, just the town and some outside venues

supernatural: you create your hunter, and buy a car, the hub of the game is the bar, and you pick missions from the bar people along with fellow hunters to help you out on missions.

[Trike]

elie88 wrote: "supernatural: you create your hunter, and buy a car, the hub of the game is the bar, and you pick missions from the bar people along with fellow hunters to help you out on missions."

That's actually a brilliant idea. I hate racing games, but the cars are so pretty. And Supernatural lends itself to episodic missions that you can really mix up.

[Phil]

Both Riverworld by Philip Jose Farmer and Ringworld by Larry Niven had GURPS supplements done for them but I think they would both make good exploration based RPG's on their own.

[Jason]

Trike wrote: "elie88 wrote: "supernatural: you create your hunter, and buy a car, the hub of the game is the bar, and you pick missions from the bar people along with fellow hunters to help you out on missions."..."

And what a killer soundtrack it could have! Awesome idea.

[Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth]

elie88 wrote: "supernatural: you create your hunter, and buy a car, the hub of the game is the bar, and you pick missions from the bar people along with fellow hunters to help you out on missions. "

Where can I buy this game? It sounds great! Anyone want to make it?

[Joseph]

How about a Bioware RPG based on Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun?

I'd also accept Barsoom or Michael Reaves' The Shattered World.

[Igor]

Mistborn without question.

[Jonathon]

Elantris could be made into a puzzle game for tablets/handheld devices with touch screens.

James S. A. Corey's Expanse universe (Leviathan Wakes/Caliban's War etc.) could be made into a Bioware style RPG where you start out on your own, and put together a crew on your ship and you travel around the solar system, completing missions to progress through the story (although no ME2-style mining because that was horrible)

Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards universe could be made into an awesome Assassin's Creed/Dishonored style stealth/action game

[Doug]

Ruth wrote: "This post makes me sad. The games were how I discovered Discworld and I mourn the fact that such games, so common when I was a child, are rarely made now. Another plain, simple, Discworld point and click adventure game is what I'd like, with less of the technology that has come a long way, because what was delightful about those games was the story anyway."


I'd take a point-and-click, too -- but aside from indie creators (see, for example, To The Moon), we don't see much of that anymore. And, yes, I miss them, too. Have many a fond memory of Space Quest.

[Rob, Roberator]

D S wrote: "I'd take a point-and-click, too -- but aside from indie creators (see, for example, To The Moon), we don't see much of that anymore. And, yes, I miss them, too. Have many a fond memory of Space Quest. "

There has been a fairly big revival of these kinds of game via kickstarter in the last year.

Of course none of them have been delivered yet.

Since you mentioned space quest, I'd assume you know about http://guysfromandromeda.com/ though, right?

[Alfred]

Joseph wrote: "How about a Bioware RPG based on Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun?

I'd also accept Barsoom or Michael Reaves' The Shattered World."

Have you heard about this thing: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/i...
It's not set directly in Book of the New Sun's world but the world it is set in seems to be somewhat inspired by Gene Wolfe. Nor is it being made by Bioware but a lot of the people who made Planescape: Torment are involved in making it and that's a good sign. Also one of the writers on the game is going to be Patrick Rothfuss, so that's a good sign too.
Yes I am shamelessly trying to get people to give money to it, more money means more awesome! (Hopefully.)
I don't know of any Barsoom games but I ran across this once: http://www.gog.com/gamecard/ultima_wo...
However it seems pretty old and I haven't played it and don't know too much about it so I can't vouch for it's quality.

As for what what books I would like to see as video games I definitely think that Mistborn done as a kind of mix between Dishonored and inFamous would be great, especially if you set one game in the fantasy Lord Ruler era and a second game in the steampunk and western Waxillium era.

[Joseph]

Alfred wrote: "Have you heard about this thing: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/i..."

Already a backer. I also hope for awesomeness.

[Christine]

Years ago I had a computer game based on Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time books. Not the main characters, but the adventures of a novice Aes Sedai. I think today, the whole world is ripe for an MMO.

[Ricky]

Would love to see a game based in the Percy Jackson universe. Almost a Dragon Age style game with you creating your own half-blood, choosing your parent and look and everything.

Of course an original Harry Potter game would be cool as well.