Science fiction and games go together

Escapist Magazine is probably one of the best editorial mags for games out today, and it isn’t even on paper. In their latest issue, Greg Tito talks about something many gamers might not think about, but probably acknowledge deep in their hearts: the contributions of science fiction in making great games.

The article basically talks about how many of the games we play today reflect particular influences from science fiction literature. For instance, the real-time strategy game genre is akin to Orson Scott Card‘s idea of a battle school in “Ender’s Game”. That is, if you can imagine zero-gravity laser tag between two teams of 40 kids.

William Gibson and Neal Stephenson, for their “Neuromancer” and “Snow Crash” books, respectively, brought to the minds of game designers the idea of immersive gameplay, of jacking into the “matrix” and becoming someone else entirely. If that sounds familiar, it’s probably because MMOs, interactive worlds, and the “Matrix” movies brought it into public consciousness even more.

Many of the games we play now had to have a seed in the minds of its makers, a spark of creation that saw its light in the form of an established videogame. The author writes, “True creativity flows not from the mind of one man, but from a wellspring of dreams and ideas fed by the consciousness of an entire civilization.” Hopefully, that means a time will come when videogames themselves will be the seed for innovations in writing. It’s something to think about for the next time you play Halo, at least.

Escapist Magazine is probably one of the best editorial mags for games out today, and it isn’t even on paper. In their latest issue, Greg Tito talks about something many gamers might not think about, but probably acknowledge deep in their hearts: the contributions of science fiction in making great games.

The article basically talks about how many of the games we play today reflect particular influences from science fiction literature. For instance, the real-time strategy game genre is akin to Orson Scott Card‘s idea of a battle school in “Ender’s Game”. That is, if you can imagine zero-gravity laser tag between two teams of 40 kids.

William Gibson and Neal Stephenson, for their “Neuromancer” and “Snow Crash” books, respectively, brought to the minds of game designers the idea of immersive gameplay, of jacking into the “matrix” and becoming someone else entirely. If that sounds familiar, it’s probably because MMOs, interactive worlds, and the “Matrix” movies brought it into public consciousness even more.

Many of the games we play now had to have a seed in the minds of its makers, a spark of creation that saw its light in the form of an established videogame. The author writes, “True creativity flows not from the mind of one man, but from a wellspring of dreams and ideas fed by the consciousness of an entire civilization.” Hopefully, that means a time will come when videogames themselves will be the seed for innovations in writing. It’s something to think about for the next time you play Halo, at least.