Submitted by Noah K. Sturdevant
As an author, I’ve heard from many people that my books would make for great games. Those people aren’t wrong. My Mark Vedis: Warlock Urban Fantasy series could make a good video game, while my Karazan Online LitRPG/Gamelit series could be a video game or tabletop game. And while most people would love to get the exposure and money that comes from expanding their work into different types of media, it’s not quite that simple.
Money? Exposure? Mom was right all along!
Still, maybe a few people would like to give it a shot. Here are some things to keep in mind before you get to work.
To start, games are a risky investment of both time and money. Sure, authors already risk both when they publish a book, though indie authors, such as myself, tend to put up more cash up front for editing, covers, marketing, and such. However, that cost pales in comparison to a game. Unless you are super rich, or are good at convincing people to fund your game, you’re going to need to be prepared to do a lot of work.
But, let’s assume finances aren’t a problem. Let’s look at some other issues you’ll want to be prepared for.
To start, there’s going to be a hell of a lot of writing. Sure, you’ve (hopefully) got a series bible that contains the backstory of your world and its major events, as well as your way of approaching genre specific conventions, such as magic, romance, giant robot construction, mystery solving, grave robbing, or whatever. That’s a solid beginning, but a game has to account for all the things a player would like to do and know. That means that you have to figure it out and write it in a way that’s informative and entertaining. Every extra detail you add to the lore and rules will help keep the player immersed and the Dungeon Master (in the case of tabletop games) or game engine (in the case of video games) from breaking the immersion of the game.
Let’s say you want to seduce an enemy, for example. In a video game, if you have written up a few hundred random phrases to pull from for yes, not yet, or no responses, the player won’t get bored. If you simply have them say no or yes, the player will probably end up trying to kill them in different ways instead, because the romance part of the game stinks. For a tabletop, the DM will have more freedom, but you’ll still have to figure out the rules. For example, if a female dragon refused to bang a half elf/half demon player, is it because of their race, their alignment, their alliances, low charisma, or just because she’s not ready to be a single mom and she’s too lazy to cast a contraceptive spell.
“Keep your laws off my cloaca!”
And that’s just one encounter. Think of everything else that needs to be written. A single campaign could take as long to write as a novel, especially the first few.
That brings me to the next point. Time. Most authors need to keep putting out book on a regular basis to keep the bills paid. Very few can take years off from writing books to dream up all the stuff a game requires. Sure, some can hire people to help them, but even many popular traditionally published authors don’t have that kind of money to invest.
After all, there is no guarantee the game will sell, even if it’s great. For every Witcher franchise there are hundreds of games that were never completed, much less turned a profit.
Now, am I saying any of this is impossible? No, of course not. There are shortcuts for video games in the form of generic systems that you can customize. The same goes for tabletop games, which can be based on creative commons or open-source rule sets. As far as funding goes, there are options there, too.
Kickstarter and similar crowdfunding sites have made any number of tabletop and video games possible. If you have a rabid fan base and a good product to pitch, you could unleash a best seller onto the world, or at least a product that gets your name out there and provides a decent return on your investment.
All I’m saying is that, while whipping up a game sounds like fun, it’s better to go into anything that takes you away from writing books fully aware of what you’re getting into.
And for any readers, if your favorite author says they’d love to make a game, but they just can’t do it yet, maybe now you’ll have a better understanding of why.
P.S. It’s extremely difficult to sell the rights to make a movie or show out of a book or series, too. If anyone feels like buying the rights to make a Netflix or Disney + version of my books, send me an email.
Noah K. Sturdevant
Website: www.noahksturdevant.com Email:[email protected]
Noah is a man of mystery and intrigue. Granted, most of secrets revolve around lost socks and conspiracy theories about otters. Word to the wise, don’t get him started on the otter thing unless you’ve got a free weekend.
Noah Grew up in Southeast Kansas, but has lived in Asia for the last decade, bouncing from South Korea, to China, to Bangkok, Thailand, where he’s spent the last seven years.
Noah’s latest book is Quick Draw! A charity comedy flash-fiction anthology, which is available on Amazon, or by clicking the following link
