Video games and books have long been individual pillars of entertainment in their own right, each having its approach towards story. As gaming grows older and tackles increasingly sophisticated storylines, it can no longer ignore the influence of literary themes. Now, from expansive open world quests to the random unpredictability of internet slots, the fingerprints of great literature can influence how gamers interact with what they see on screen.
The Literary Turn in Game Design
Early video games were mechanical. Pong and Space Invaders had little in the way of narrative. Two decades ago, though, things changed. Games like The Last of Us, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Disco Elysium do not just provide fascinating gameplay but storylines based on conflict, tragedy, redemption and philosophy. These are all ingredients common to many Western literary classics.
Game designers increasingly borrow literary models—the three-act structure, hero’s journey, and unreliable narration—to build richly immersive tales. These models inform players and imbue choice and experience with meaning. Games are transformed from mere entertainment into intensely personal, transformative experiences that reflect the emotional resonance of classic novels.
Myth and the Hero’s Journey
Literary themes are surprisingly evident even in unanticipated niches in gaming, for instance, in online slots and casino games. More games are being developed that use themes from mythology and folk tales to reach back into some of the oldest forms of narrative. Some have even designed narrative paths for slots where players progress through chapters or levels based on results.
Consider some of those immersive themes available on the king casino, none other than Casino Kings, in which slots based on mythology transport players into ancient worlds, mirroring Joseph Campbell’s monomyth structure. The player starts as a beginner, shepherded through by symbols and rewards, confronting challenges in between, ending in a narrative “climax” in bonus features or jackpots. Storytelling in its simplest form, yes.
Shakespeare in the Joystick
One of the most often adapted literary themes in games today is tragedy in a Shakespearean vein. Games such as Bioshock Infinite or Spec Ops: The Line make players make impossible choices and often reap bitter repercussions, no matter what choice they make. These games have in common with Shakespearean heroes—they are flawed, driven by ambition or guilt, spiralling in circles they can’t escape.
This tragic framework makes for powerful game storytelling, highlighting the limits of control in interactive media. Players might think they’re in charge, but the story—much like fate in a Shakespearean play—inevitably reasserts itself.
Dystopia and Social Commentary
Like George Orwell or Aldous Huxley, game designers employ dystopian worlds to comment on today. Deus Ex, Papers, Please and Detroit: Become Human place players inside oppressive systems in which independence is called into question and right and wrong are murky. These games don’t just mimic suffering; they make people think.
What distinguishes games in this context is player agency. Readers of 1984 can sympathise with Winston Smith’s struggles. Still, players of Papers, Please have to choose themselves if they are going to bar a mother from entry into an imaginary country because her documents are incomplete and lack one particular stamp. These make passive viewers active ethical agents—and possibly enrich the literary merit of the experience.
Character Archetypes and Inner Conflict
Literature has always depended on archetypes—the reluctant hero, the sage mentor, the tragic villain—to create interesting characters. Games have taken and adapted these roles. Characters in games such as Kratos in God of War or Geralt in The Witcher games have highly multidimensional and multilayered personalities. These characters are not avatars; they are fleshed out by having backstories, flaws and emotional depth in common with literary characters such as Odysseus or Heathcliff.
Also, since these games involve making choices that influence what happens, they can deliver a more intense representation of internal conflict. Games such as Life is Strange or Heavy Rain involve players in psychological conflicts that challenge their values and appraisals. The outcome? Stories told not just through words but through living.
The Future of Literary Gaming
The border between book and game becomes increasingly blurred as technology becomes increasingly sophisticated. With growing AI-based dialogue capabilities, open-world realism and interactive narrative capabilities, games may become one of the most significant means of conveying a story in the 21st century.
Writers and game developers are already co-producing projects investigating how prose can blend in with gameplay. Bestselling books adapted into games or short stories embedded entirely within game spaces portend a future where reading and playing are no longer separate experiences.
Fundamentally, gaming does not supplant literature; it frames it. The medium is different—joysticks instead of pages—but the intention is the same: to tell stories about who people are, question assumptions and leave an indelible emotional mark.
Whether it’s a blockbuster RPG or a basic mythology-based slot, literary tradition profoundly influences gaming. As consumers increasingly crave more considered, profound content, the dialogue between books and games can only intensify—and deepen.
