5 Video Games you didn’t know were based on books

With every creation comes inspiration. The inspiration behind a video game can come in various forms, one of which can be through books. This is the same way in which movies have been inspired, or simply recreated through books – We’ve seen this many times. Many of the ‘unique’ ideas we see today, all have a root, a beginning, and most of the time is just a remix of all the information our minds have absorbed through different people, experiences, sources, and various kinds of media. Even the online casino games we see today were once inspired. In fact, if you play slots online from Ireland today, you will easily notice how various casino games have been inspired. This can be seen through sport-themed games, movie-based games, and more.

Besides the inspiration books can bring towards the game creation process, there are also various video games that are simply an adaptation of a single book or book series. Therefore, this article will present five famous video games you didn’t know were based on books.

Assassin’s Creed

The concept of the first ‘Assassin’s Creed’ video game series is inspired by the novel ‘Alamut,’ written by Vladmir Bartol in 1938. You could see this through various aspects in the video game replicating the novel. Today, the video game series may have continued to not have much to do with the original novel, however, it still acted as the first point of inspiration behind the first game series.

In fact, the famous quote by the ‘Assassins’ – ‘‘Nothing is true, everything is permitted’’ from the Assassin’s Creed video game series, comes directly from the ‘Alamut’ novel, being slightly amended from the original quote ‘‘Nothing is absolute, everything is permitted’’.

BioShock

Bioshock is based on a complete deconstruction of Ayn Rand’s novel and philosophical views. This is with regards to her book ‘Atlas Shrugged,’ and her philosophy of ‘Objectivism’ which influences the ‘BioShock’ world and story. ‘Objectivism’ refers to a system where everybody is free to follow their pure self-interest. The creators investigate what kind of society it would be if everyone was solely in it for themselves, with no grounds of loyalty to anyone but themselves. Therefore, there is a huge relationship between the book and the video game.

The Witcher

The Witcher is one of the most well-known open-world action games released in the previous ten years. However, few people are aware that it is based on a series of fantasy novels of the same name. The Witcher series, written by Polish novelist Andrzej Sapkowski, follows ‘Geralt of Rivia,’ a monster killer who stalks his victims using a range of magical talents. Unlike the novels, the video game series enables players to make decisions on Geralt’s behalf, allowing the gamer to shape the world with each decision.

Metro 2033

The game and novel both take place in a Post-apocalyptic Moscow in a Metro system. Additionally, they are both based on the protagonist ‘Artyom.’ This game is a straight adaptation of the Russian book ‘Metro 2033’ By Dmitry Glukhovsky. When the novel was first published in Russia in 2005, it turned out to be an enormous success. Glukhovsky worked closely with the game’s creators throughout the game development process. The video game was released in 2010 in the U.S., where Glukhovsky was even credited for the original plot.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six

The video game ‘Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six’ is incredibly open about the roots behind the video game. In fact, it’s all in the title – The book it’s based on, and its author! The game, like the novel, is an exciting take on the military genre that distinguishes it from many others. ‘Rainbow Six’ supports team success rather than individual achievement. Just like the team did in the novel, the video game is all about tactical planning and precise execution.

Conclusion

Following the list of games based on books, it is natural to assume that most video games have all been some past inspiration. It is also safe to assume that there are potentially more video games which are based on books which you didn’t know about. However, with some good research behind each game you play, you can easily find out the origins of the concept.