If you love playing video games and love reading, then why not read about video games? Here is a great selection of books that include video games as a core component of the story, so you can indulge in both hobbies at the same time.
Table of contents
Slay
Slay, written by Brittany Morris, follows Keira, who has developed and maintained Slay, a card dueling, VR multiplayer game of the same name. As the game’s anonymous developer, Keira carefully balances maintaining her secret identity while protecting the safe online community Black gamers find in Slay.
However, when a player is murdered by another player in the real world, Keira’s game is labeled “a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals” and threatened by an internet troll.
Slay delivers a gripping dive into internet culture, online gaming, and the spaces Black gamers often face relentless hostility. Morris’ novel delivers an impressive feat in juggling the complex duality Keira faces both at home and online as she works to maintain her friendships, game, and identity.
Snow Crash
Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson, concerns itself with a virtual world called the Metaverse (before it was cool). In fact, Snow Crashed pioneered the term.
In Snow Crash, you’ll be following a pizza delivery man who serves up pizza to those who never dare leave their mansions to stay plugged into the Metaverse. However, naturally, this samurai-wielding legend in the Metaverse is being troubled by hackers in the real world.
Snow Crash was ahead of its time when it was released and is responsible for inspiring generations of Silicon Valley innovators.
Armada
Another story from the Ready Player One author Ernest Cline, Armada doesn’t concern itself with a virtual world that’s taken precedence over the real one. Zack, the protagonist, plays one video game, in particular, to become the best, like his father was.
However, Zack is soon thrust into urban legends and myths that surround the game as it shuts down right before he is about to take the top spot. The mysteries that he ends up investigating go well beyond the game.
For a story that follows mysteries surrounding a video game, like a real ARG, then check out Armada.
Otherworld
Otherworld, by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller, is a more thrilling rendition of the virtual world trope. In this virtual reality, Life 2.0, you won’t simply be experiencing a simulation of the real world but stepping into a whole new one.
Being able to taste and smell in this other world (hence the name), you’ll be leaving your body behind to live a life free of regrets. However, there are more insidious things working behind the scenes.
For an addictive and mysterious take about Life 2.0, Otherworld has you covered.
Warcross
Warcross, by Marie Lu, is the name of the novel and of the game inside that’s been spread worldwide. You’ll be following Emika, who’s a bounty hunter who targets those who bet on the game illegally.
However, she’ll soon get a call from the developer who offers a lucrative job. To hack into the game to be an informant on the inside of this year’s tournament to uncover a security problem.
In this thrilling tale, Emika’s decisions on who to trust will determine everything,
Game Over: Rise of the Raid Mob
Game Over: Rise of the Raid Mob is the first entry of the Game Over series by M. J. Sullivan. Naturally, it concerns a virtual reality that is more convincing than the real world, and four of the best gamers in the world are pulled into it.
When being sucked into Distant Dawn, the game, the protagonists’ relished anonymity is robbed from them as they get everyone’s attention, including that of an alien force who watches them with keen interest.
Note that the Game Over line of stories is intended for a younger audience; however, it still makes for a great read.
Invitation to The Game
The Game, initially published as Invitation to The Game in 1991 by Monica Hughes, is a story set in a dystopian future where robots are now handling the grand majority of jobs.
The protagonist, Lisse, and her friends are condemned to a neighborhood for the permanently unemployed after finishing high school. However, they get invited to “The Game,” which is a paradise. It’s unclear whether it’s a simulation or a completely other world.
What’s worse is that every time they play “The Game,” the world seems more and more real.
For the Win
For the Win, by Cory Doctorow, is an interesting tale about virtual exploitation that reflects modern capitalist corruption and practices.
In China, young players are pressed into gold farming, the act of amassing game wealth, which is then sold to richer Western players who would rather skip the grind. This exploitation doesn’t come without eventual resistance, however.
The conflicts in the MMORPG quickly ramp up to the real world, where our protagonists must suffer blackmail, violence, and even murder.
In Real Life
In Real Life, by Cory Doctorow, is a much more grounded video game story. Coarsegold Online is an MMO with a huge following, and it is where Anda meets a gold farmer.
Gold farming is illegal in Coarsegold Online, which is the practice of hunting down valuable items to sell to other players for real money. Anda’s values are turned around when she realizes that the gold farmer is impoverished and struggling.
For a more down-to-earth story about culture and video games, In Real Life may be the next story for you.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is less concerned with a virtual world or globally viral MMO but follows a group of three video game designers.
This story goes over their life and their experiences as they begin a successful video game company together called Unfair Games. You’ll join them along the good, the bad, and the complex of what life brings. This is a story of friendship and comradery.
For a sweet story with video games being a smaller component of the protagonists’ lives, check out Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.
With this entourage of great stories that include video games, you can finally immerse yourself in gripping tales about your favorite hobby.
Published: Jul 13, 2024 01:08 pm