As a form of entertainment, video gaming allows the player to exit the real world and enter the virtual reality world for a limited period of time. The recent past decades have seen the world of gaming evolve and attract a lot of attention. Gaming is now considered one of the cornerstones of mainstream entertainment.
There is a high chance that several of the games you have played have their storylines from Sci-Fi books that you have not interacted with just yet. By the time you finish reading this article, your mind will have been enlightened on the best Sci-Fi books that may have directly or indirectly influenced many of the current games.
Below is a list of science fiction books that will appeal to any gamer:
- Neuromancer by William K. Gibson
This is one of the 20th-century classics that portrays the most powerful versions of the future. It was one of the most influential novels in the 80s and Wiliam Gibson’s breakthrough to the Sci-Fi reading society. It is so good; it influenced some games like Deus Ex, Cyberpunk 2077 among other games.
Amazon, in their review of this game, showers many praises. According to them, this is the novel that started it all; the launch of the cyberpunk generation, was also the first novel to receive The Hugo award, considered to be the holy trinity of science fiction. It also received the Philip K. Dick award and The Nebula Award. With the introduction of cyberspace to the world, William Gibson changed science fiction forever. There has been a lot of news about this book being adapted into a film, and if it does come to fruition, it will probably be the most awaited film in the sci-fi genre.
- Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
Snow Crash is a Sumerian myth. It is an excellent work that portrays the world of the metaverse. The book paints to us the picture of a character, Hiro Protagonist, a pizza delivery guy in the real world, but a warrior prince in the virtual world who tracks computer viruses that threaten to bring to life informational apocalypse. The novel was published in 1992 under the genres Science Fiction, cyberpunk, and post-cyberpunk.
- Feed by M.T. Anderson
This novel brings out the dark side of wearable tech. Capitalism and consumerism are exposed and brought to a tragic end. The novel shows us how Titus, a character in the book, together with his friends is immersed in the internet while growing up. They possess everything from IMS and information to games, drama, online stores, and everything else all accessible in their heads.
Titus begins to question the things he has known about the world upon meeting Violet, whose “Feed” was installed later in life and is, therefore, a sort of outsider. This novel is especially recommended for older readers and young activists who love to put their critical thinking skills to the test when it comes to matters to do with corporate realities.
- Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
This novel has been a major hit in the science fiction world and has even won the Nebula and Hugo award. In this novel, a young intelligent boy, Andrew Wigging (Ender), is tasked with partaking in missions virtually as part of a training program for an ongoing war. His skills elevate him to a leadership position in school and earn tremendous respect in the Battle Room.
In a Forbes article by Paul Tassi, he recommends that readers start with the first version of this novel. Paul Tassi says that the ending of this novel portrays one of the most brilliant works of science fiction that have stood the test of time. This is a must-read book for all gamers.
- The War of the Worlds by H.G Wells.
H.G. Wells is one of the first writers to introduce readers to the world of alien invasions. Even at the time of its writing, The War of the Worlds was way ahead of its time and according to this Cool Things Chicago guide, the book raised a panic as fake news among people not realizing that it was only a fictitious work. To this day, it remains to be on of the most influential works of fiction ever published.
The novel has been subject to multiple adaptations some of which include Orson Welles radio drama which is a musical version created by Jeff Wayne, and a film version of the same in 2005 by Steven Spielberg in which Tom Cruise was the star.
- Warcross by Marie Lu
Warcross is another novel whose storyline exploits the corruption in the virtual world. The novel exposes us to the life of a hacker named Emika who tracks people that make illegal bets as her way of making a living. Her skills are in high demand, so the creator of the game also approaches her to uncover a security problem in a special tournament.
Set in a futuristic Tokyo, in a myriad of virtual worlds, this novel will draw readers to try out the Warcross game.
- Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Ann Leckie narrates the story of a former AI of a starship who finds herself stuck in a soldier’s body and she must accomplish her quest for revenge. Facing the challenge of having a single fragile body, she must survive a new and strange existence. The book has been awarded the Hugo award and is a must-read.
Science fiction books open up our minds to many possibilities and place us in these amazing virtual worlds if only for a few minutes to escape the world of reality.
A good game is considered to have a good story, and there are plenty of good stories that have been of great influence to many games that we play today. As we dive into the world of reading, we shall get to discover these and many other awesome stories that have influenced the gaming world.
If you are a science fiction fan that also loves to read about artificial intelligence, you can check out this list of AI books that are must-reads.
We hope this article gave you enough information on some of the greatest sci-fi books that the gamer in you will love. Happy reading!