Orson Scott Card interview: Ender's Game as many games |
Orson Scott Card, author of Ender's Game (the Hugo Award winner and Nebula Award winner), is a recovering game addict - or at least that's one interpretation you can give his interview over at Gaming Today. Ender's Game is being turned into a movie by Warner Brothers, and at the same time Orson Scott Card is open to the possibility of his book becoming a video game.For those not familiar with Ender's Game, just understand that it's one of the best sci-fi books ever written (in our honest opinions). A fast-paced story about violence, evil, war, and leadership. It's required reading, or so Wikipedia claims, at the Marine Corps University at Quantico.
And if it's good enough for the US Marines, it should be good enough for you gamers out there, right? Anyway, back to the interview. Orson Scott Card talked about being addicted to gaming:
The weird thing was that even when I wasn't playing, I felt a tremendous anxiety. I had responsibilities - there were cities waiting for me to tell them what to build! Now, I'm not insane. My conscious mind knew that it was just a game, and when I wasn't running the program, nothing was happening at all. But I invested so much tension in the playing of the game that it didn't go away when I left the computer. The call of duty was still there.
The interview also tackled what goes into writing a story for video games. Card said:
Games CAN'T have the kind of storylines that movies and books have, or they wouldn't be playable. ... What makes a game work is the opposite of what makes a story work. In a story, you are seeking to find out what really happened - why people do what they do, what the results of their choices are. ... In a game, the opposite illusion must be created. Even though most games absolutely force you to follow preset paths, the gamewrights try to give you the illusion that you are making free choices (even though you are actually, in almost all games, still being channeled through certain puzzles with fixed solutions).
As for Ender's Game, it won't just be one game in Card's vision:
- The Battle Room. This pivotal set in the book can be several game modules in real life.
- Space war games. The three wars (back in Mazer's time all the way to Ender's time).
- Story-based games. Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow.
- MMORPG. This one is based on the Battle School in Ender's Game.
- The Fantasy Game. The "mind game" from the novel.
- The Hive Queen. It's like Civilization (a game franchise that Card was addicted to).
- Post-war war. Card describes this as being like Risk.
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Comments [refresh]
I can't wait!! If the movie and games are anywhere near as good as the book, I'll be overjoyed.
man i loved enders game... it was a "optional" read out of our choices... i had to pick a book and anything with game in it would interest me , and i read reviews and such and this was perfect..... i might read it again and man... it was the BEST book i ever read.... Harry Potter and LOTR are good adventure stories and mystery or w/e but this... this is out of proportions.....
i tried reading the 2nd.. didnt interest me, i was told it was not like the 1st but chose to buy and read anyway and bout a 1/3 of the way there i lost interest and ill probly continue to the 3rd seing how its suppose to continue the story or w/e... but man if i see a movie or a game or both ill have an JOYGASM!!!!! (sp?) LOL....
if they are anything like the books or anywhere near as good as they are they will be some amazing games
3rd book, dude theres like 7..... read in each enders game book it should say their sequels and prequels
and u said the 2nd was good , i dunno the beginning was boring.. unlike enders game (1) ... it just was soooo amazing,..... even tho i didnt read fully the 2nd one..... im sure it was good and the beginning wasnt so bad... its that i had exams and wasnt good enough to take my own personal time to read it when im home instead of reading during school since they dont rly teach a whole lot anyway
After reading this book, the first thing i said to myself was that this should become a video game!!!! This is awsome!!!!
I can't wait to play the game!!
I absolutely love the books.
and yes, belive it or not! my Real name is Ender, but I'm not from US, far from it, I'm a Mexican geek who knows a ***** about strategy and love videogames.
Ohh and I know that my english isn't quite good, But I had to post!
Am I the only one Who thinks that BEAN is better character than Ender!?