The best books that inspired popular video games

summary

• Video games take inspiration from literature to create fascinating worlds and stories.

• Books like Metro 2033, Roadside Picnic, and Heart of Darkness inspired popular games.

• The Harry Potter series inspired countless video games, including the upcoming Hogwarts Legacy.

As video games slowly evolve into a complex medium filled with everything from cathartic gameplay experiences to captivating stories, it's easy to see why some games draw inspiration from real-life literature to be as charming as possible. These books go a long way in helping establish a diverse world full of unique things and events to keep in mind.

Gamers who love their fair share of video games will love some of the novels that played a huge role in shaping the greatest titles that gamers know. These books are fun to read and do a great job of letting players imagine a world they are already familiar with in some capacity.

8

Metro 2033

Inspired by: Metro series

• Author: Dmitri Glukhovsky
• Publication year: 2002

The Metro The series of games includes some of the best experiences players can subject themselves to, especially if they love nail-biting gameplay focused on survival in hostile environments. The games were inspired by a Russian novel that explores the lives of a group of survivors of a nuclear holocaust.

Exploring the claustrophobic underground metro and dealing with multiple mutants that can damage the player's gear is a harrowing experience every time. Most players who love the Metro series will be thankful for the novel that started it all.

7

Roadside picnic

Inspired by: The STALKER series

• Author: Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
• Publication Year: 1972

Roadside picnic One of the most influential philosophical science fiction novels, which is very familiar to fans. Anomalies and death-defying shootings STALKER turning it into a hardcore gem is the reason for the success of this popular book.

The stories take place in a world where aliens have visited Earth and many anomaly zones have spread across the globe. Roadside Picnic depicts the life of a scavenger willing to enter these areas and risk his life to retrieve valuable artifacts.

6

Heart of Darkness

Inspired by: Spec Ops: The Line

• Author: Joseph Conrad
• Publication Year: Year 1899

A novel ahead of its time, heart of darkness It is a story that explores the twisted power dynamics and lack of morality that can be seen in the aristocracy. Its social commentary makes it a powerful piece of storytelling that has inspired many other creations, including one of the best story-driven third-person shooters of all time.

Specific Ops: Line It's a game that masks itself as a run-of-the-mill generic military shooter, only to throw a curveball later and let players experience one of the greatest stories they'll ever enjoy in a video game. This harrowing story is a critique of military violence and how the act has been turned into a source of entertainment in games, which goes deeper than anyone would think the plot goes once they boot. Specific Ops: Line.

5

Witcher

Inspired by: The Witcher series

• Author: Andrzej Sapkowski
• Publication year: 1986 (first short story)

Witcher What began as a collection of short stories before eventually becoming a long-running series and one of Sapkowski's most notable works. However, there is no denying that these books have become popular courtesy of the video game trilogy inspired by this dark fantasy series that has become one of the biggest names in the video game industry.

Both Witcher And its sequel enjoyed modest critical and commercial success, but all this was just a stepping stone. The Witcher 3 Enshrined in the hearts of many as one of the greatest open-world action RPGs ever made. Players love Geralt of Rivia and his friends, turning them into some of the most beloved fictional characters of all time, brought to life by Sapkowski's literary flair.

4

Parasitic eve

Inspired by: The Parasite Eve series

• Author: Hidki army
• Publication Year: 1995

Parasitic eve SquareSoft is a rare example of a JRPG that tackled mature themes, overstayed its welcome, and essentially served as a sequel to the novel that inspired the game. Hideki Sena's book documents the story of a perfect creature seeking a suitable human host to help humanity evolve.

However, his methods are too harsh and terrifying to be justified, and his plan ultimately fails when things don't line up with his grand vision. The seeds planted by this plot Parasitic eve Works well as a standalone entry and doesn't force players to take a deep knowledge of the novel responsible for the game's existence.

3

Harry Potter

Inspired by: Countless Harry Potter games, including Hogwarts Legacy

• Author: JK Rowling
• Publication year: 1997

JK Rowling may be one of the most controversial celebrities of modern times, but there's no denying that this literary genius has captivated an entire generation of readers with her work. Harry Potter series. The magical setting of Hogwarts has inspired many popular video games that fans can't get enough of.

From a somewhat underrated live adaptation of the story to one of the biggest open-world RPGs of 2023, it's easy to see why. Harry PotterIts influence on the world of video games is profound. Hogwarts Legacy It might be the best game set in this universe, but it still has a long way to go before it truly captures the charm of the series. Harry Potter In the name of the house.

2

I have no mouth, and I must scream

Inspired by: the video game of the same name

• Author: Harlan Ellison
• Publication year: 1967

One of the most disturbing stories readers can check out is, I have no mouth, and I must scream A harrowing story where a supercomputer wipes out all of humanity, leaving only five survivors alive whom it can torture for the rest of its days. Their stories deal with some harsh themes that some readers may not be able to stomach.

As a result, it's easy to see why a video game adaptation of this novel would be so annoying to play. However, the extended story I have no mouth, and I must scream This makes it a great game to check out for players who can deal with their fair share of disturbing content, especially if they're fans of classic point-and-click games.

1

The Adventures of Pinocchio

Inspired by: P

• Author: Carlo Collodi
• Publication year: Year 1881

The Soulslike genre has gained steam since its release Dark spiritsAnd is one of the best titles from a developer other than FromSoftware that players can check out The lie of p. Apart from the focus on many multi-stage boss fights, the Victorian world The lie of p The environment is dripping with an explosion to check.

The fact that the world of this game is inspired by the story of Pinocchio gives this game more staying power than most people think. The story is tantric enough to do justice to Carlo Collodi's story and adds another captivating layer to the game's tantalizing action combat.