On the Subject of Gaming, Part Four: Reading Material

Okay, so I didn't get here on Thursday like I'd originally planned. I got caught up in something else, but here I am, on your Saturday, to bring some more to the subject of gaming.

Today, well, it's going to be on the short side. It's on books on gaming.

I'm not talking about books like how to design or develop games or like the campaign books issued by Dungeons and Dragons. Rather, I'm referring to the two types of gaming fiction that are out there: books set in the gaming world itself or books where the characters are doing the gaming.

In other words, I'm talking about series set in worlds like Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Magic the Gathering, and books like Ready, Player One.

I'm not going to sit here and say one is better than the other. Honestly, that's a lie to me because I enjoy both. The first piece of gaming fiction I'd ever read was Weis and Hickman's The Dragons of Autumn Twilight. I was already into science-fiction and fantasy by that point, something that I had in common with my then-boyfriend. He loaned me his copies, and I was hooked.

This particular type of fiction doesn't focus on a character playing a character but rather on the world and its inhabitants. It's not seen as a game. It's seen as another world entirely, much like how Tolkien developed Middle-Earth. They might be seen more as fantasy than gaming fiction, but, if the gaming company hadn't existed and wanted that type of promotion, well, I'm certain authors like Weis, Hickman, and Salvatore would have found different ways to bring those characters to life.They probably just wouldn't be the same as we know them. I have no doubts that Weis, Hickman, and Salvatore (all of whom have written books not related to Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, and Dungeons and Dragons) would have still cranked out some spectacular fiction. Magic the Gathering enjoyed some books a few decades ago, and I've seen Halo novels in bookstores at some point. For some, it might seem silly to be writing glorified fanfiction like that, but I love it. It's, right now in my eyes, a great way for fans to keep themselves immersed in the story of the game while away from the game and, from an author's standpoint, adding a slightly personal twist to the story. I haven't dealt with those rules when it comes to publishing-for-pay fanfiction so it's easy for me to feel that way right now. If I ever receive the opportunity to publish-for-pay fanfiction, I may change my mind.

Gaming fiction that reads like a fantasy novel may not be considered among the classics when it comes to literature, but they're still great reads all the same.

The second type is one I've tried my hand at, thanks to Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, is where the characters play characters in a fictional setting, and one I wish I'd read more of before this point. I'm sad to say that I've not read this type of fiction until I started reading The Holder's Dominion by Genese Davis. I do have a copy of Ready, Player One, waiting for me to read it.

I gotta admit I'm not certain which one has a higher volume in terms of publications. Amazon is going to be my friend on that in the near future. It's entirely possible for self-published authors to do the character entering a gaming world setting than it is to write a story in an established domain like Dragonlance. It's the whole getting the licensing rights and ensuring the conventions established by Wizards of the Coast are being followed - yeah, licensing can be a nightmare, so I can see a lot of authors who want to go the gaming fiction route to write in the vein of Ready, Player One. (And possibly Ender's Game. I'm not familiar with that so I don't know if Orsen Scott Card falls into the category of gaming fiction author. Those who have read his works can tell me otherwise.)

Not a lengthy entry today. I'm more interested in finding out what others have read in terms of gaming fiction and if anyone feels there are more types that expand beyond the two I've mentioned here.

That's it for today. The "On the Subject of Gaming" series I'm doing, I do want to continue, and I might just delve into movies based on video games. After that, I'm just going to leave it open for the time being. I also want to delve into pagan fiction, mythology-based fiction, as well as traveling and food along with my current writing projects.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend, either outside, reading a book or playing a game!

Until the next time!