Oh, National Video Game Day, I am so here for you. Because, I have a confession to make. I love video games. Yes, I am an adult and a female but there is no shame in that. Blame my
older brother for getting me into games as a small adorable child. We had a Sega Genesis (an ancient relic today) and half the games we owned were Disney related.
Pocahontas, this one’s for you.
When I learned that today is National Video Game day, I was stoked. And since we’re all about books here at Page Chaser, what better time to talk about how amazing it would be if our favorite books were made into video games.
Today, fellow Chaser and gamer
Rachel and I are teaming up to bring you our picks for books that would make fantastic video games.
So queue the confetti. Fire up the Playstation. And dream about all the games that could be.
Lydia's Picks:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Okay, I know what you’re thinking: “Another Battle Royale?” Just hear me out. Forget
Fortnite,
PUBG, and the online multiplayer Battle Royale modes that have been tacked onto just about every major game that’s released in the past year. The Hunger Games would make a much better deathmatch experience.
Just think about it – you could have a story mode that follows the stories of the 74th and 75th Annual Hunger Games as described in the book, plus an online multiplayer mode with new maps. Just like how contestant popularity within the Capitol directly impacts the odds in the arena, once a player was killed, they could vote on their favorites and send them little floating parcels with critical survival items. Alliances could be made and broken. Players could choose a District to be from, giving them unique advantages and disadvantages. So many possibilities. This would make a deep and immersive Battle Royale experience unlike any of the ones out there.
The Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling
Yes, I know plenty of HP games exist, but the
main console games were OK at best. I would LOVE to see a new game based on the events of the Harry Potter series, but with updated art and graphics that can compete with today’s standards for big releases. Imagine an open world-style Hogwarts, filled with interesting things to explore and Easter Eggs from Rowling’s books. You could create your own character, be sorted into a house, and have your own adventures. Bonus points if the game takes place in the same timeline when Harry, Ron, and Hermione were at Hogwarts. Even though most HP fans know their story forwards and backwards, how cool would it be to have a unique adventure, while seeing the impacts of the books’ protagonists’ journey on the school and the larger wizarding world?
Can we all agree that these games need a facelift? Hagrid has never looked so horrifying.
To Best the Boys by Mary Weber
There are so many aspects of this novel that would be awesome in a video game:
- The world of Caldon would be a beautiful backdrop for an adventure. The cobbled streets, scenic district of Pinsbury Port, mysterious castle, and labyrinth are just BEGGING to be immortalized in digital art.
- Sleuthing as a game mechanic. As protagonist Rhen, you could follow clues and find evidence to support your scientific research as you work towards a cure for the mysterious disease plaguing the town.
- Multiplayer competition through the labyrinth. The iconic male-only competition that Rhen and her cousin Seleni sneak into in the book would be awesome as a competitive multiplayer mode. New puzzles, multiple “right” ways to get to the next objective, and scarce resources would make for a heart-pounding race with endless possibilities.
Rachel’s Picks:
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
You probably know it as the Netflix movie that was a better version of that
M. Night Shyamalan movie, but like all truly good spookies, it started as a book. Horror-centric video games have so many ways to scare you into submission, and this has some serious potential.
If you are also a spooky video game connoisseur, you might remember an indie-gone-wild called
Amnesia. In it, you couldn’t actually fight back against the monsters, and looking at them for too long would make you lose your mind. You just stumbled this creepy castle, solving puzzles and trying to not have a heart attack (literally).
Bird Box: the Video Game could use similar mechanics, including sections where you are blind-folded and only have your audio (and potentially some rumble settings) to rely upon. CAN YOU IMAGINE.
Amnesia peaked before over-the-ear, noise-cancelling headphones were popular. Bird Box could ruin your life – but, like, in the best way.
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Ronnie,
I know we have some history. But in celebration of National Video Game Day, I am willing to put it aside if you’re willing to sell the rights in order to create a Divergent-based video game. In my sanctified imagination, I see it like Jedi: Fallen Order, meaning it lives in the universe without following the main characters, but with the character-building engine of
Skyrim or
Mass Effect that we all wanted for
Fallen Order and sadly, didn’t receive.
In the books, you primarily focus on the Faction Tris joins – the Dauntless. Let’s talk about the other Factions! What are the Amity doing all day? Or, make it a prequel game, and let’s explain how this nonsense even started up. I’m interested!
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
It’s been nearly 15 years. We can do better than this. At this point, you can just throw me a LEGO version and I’ll be happy.
Literally Any Amish Romance Novel
Friends, hear me when I unashamedly admit: I love farming sims like
Harvest Moon and
Stardew Valley. In a world where everything feels out of control and overly complicated, there is nothing better than sliding into an idyllic countryside, planting some turnips, and giving blackberries to some nice, misunderstood boy until he agrees to marry you.
Can. You. Imagine. If. We. Made. It. Amish.
Attach your horse to a buggy! Help other people build barns! Bonnets! Bonnets everywhere!
This is the best idea I’ve ever had, and I won’t apologize for it.
What do you think about our picks? It was so hard to choose just a handful! Tell us your ideas in the comments! Happy National Video Game Day!
Page Chaser is operated by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc. (HCCP), the publisher of To Best the Boys.
