NonSteader Blog: Top 10 Video Games for Authors (and everyone)

My favorite Trivial Pursuit, for example.

I'm a huge fan of games, be it board, console, PC or other. One of the pluses about being a gamer is the ability to really take off into a world that is not your own, live another life. Games have the ability to communicate those stories, just as books do. What is being a writer, after all, if not a storyteller? Writing is a skill that we take years to develop in most cases. We hear from an early age that reading is essential to our craft, that the more we read the better we will become at capturing our stories, be they fiction or non-fiction. Lately, books have gotten cheaper, and people read more on computer screens than paper. But in making that shift to reading on the screen, we should remember that there is another new medium that should not be forgotten. Video games.

We think of them usually as a few mindless hours to distract a child or a fun way to kill time. Some make money streaming their games for others to watch (reminiscent of the days we used to go over to our friend's houses to gather around one N64, PS or dual each other at Pong) or record their gameplay for uploads to YouTube. These mostly focus on the technical skill of the game, how to beat a boss, how to kill faster, more efficient travel, tips and tricks. But playing a game yourself, especially a well-crafted game, with a story you can get invested in, that can be a transformative experience. There are some games that suck you in just as deftly as a well-written novel.

Modern video games have the potential to be just as epic, enthralling and engaging as the storytellers of old. Modern writers should consider playing games to see if there's anything they could absorb that may make them more effective storytellers. Most importantly, they can be an important bridge to the older forms of storytelling which relied more on verbal and visual communication, less on written words. Video games are the visual and verbal storytellers of our time. They are the modern equivalent of the shaman dancing around the fire, the old fisherman with his tall tales of giant creatures, the mother soothing her children with fairy tales. They are showing us who we are, and who we have the potential to be. Like any good story, video games fill a void within us.

Therefore, since it is #NationalVideoGameDay, I'll be giving you my:

Top 10 Video Games for Authors

Please keep in mind, these are not reviews, they are merely opinion. Some of these may be based loosely on books. This list is not based on gameplay, difficulty or personal choice, simply on quality and depth of story.

Honorable Mentions:

Silent Hill Series, Resident Evil Series, Prince of Persia (They made movies.)

10. Alan Wake, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare (Steam)