If You Like “X” Book, Play This Video Game

I love video games. I don’t play nearly as much as I would like to, but they are something I really enjoy. Yet, I rarely talk about them on my blog. That mainly has to do with the fact that I don’t know many people (even in this community) who play games, or if they do, the same games I play.

This is actually so strange to me because games are like books, but you live in them. The stories that video games tell can be epic and, guess what? Instead of just reading it, you get to live inside of it! Instead of reading about the girl who kicked someone’s ass, you get to play as the girl who kicked someone’s ass. Instead of reading about dragons burning down towns, you get to kill the dragon burning down the town. In fact, some games are even based on books!

I figured, we always recommend books and tv shows to each other, why not some games? So, here I am to recommend some video games to you that share some of the elements from our favorite books!

*Content Warning: Most of these games include violence, sex, drug/alcohol use, and other mature elements. I don’t discuss that but the trailers below the descriptions might. There are ratings before the trailers start to let you know what might be in it.

If you like westerns, gunfights on horseback, or liked Vengeance Road, Play Red Dead Redemption

Vengeance Road is about a gunslinging girl on a mission for revenge for her father’s murder. Red Dead Redemption is about a gunslinging man on a mission to clear his name to protect his family. If you like a good western story and want to explore a vast area based on 1900’s USA & Mexico, play this game. Red Dead Redemption is complete with horseback riding, hunting, gang shootouts, and there is even DLC with zombies (if you don’t know what DLC is, it means downloadable content which is extra stuff you can add on to your game. In other words, a novella in game form)

If you like survival stories, clashing cultures, or liked The 100, play Far Cry 3

While these stories don’t align perfectly, there are similar elements to it. In Far Cry 3, you’re stranded in a foreign place during a skydiving trip. You soon learn that the place is inhabited by pirates who clash with the native people. I chose this for The 100 because of the clash between cultures and the fact you have to survive while their feud unfolds in front of you – similar to The 100’s Mountain Men, Grounders, and Arkadia.

If you like LOTR or any high fantasy,
play The Witcher 3 or Skyrim

If you know anything about these games, this one is a pretty obvious choice. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Skyrim are basically the video game version of all of our favorite high fantasy novels. Dragons, sword fights, grand hall feasts, kings, queens, magic – it’s all there in both of these games.

If you like pirate badassery, or liked Starflight or felt cheated after Blackhearts, play Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag (for a combo of reasons)

If you were anything like me after reading Blackhearts, you felt cheated out of a pirate story, but after reading Starflight realized you loved space pirates and that all you wanted out of Blackhearts was more pirate badassery. If that is relatable, then Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag is for you. This is a game for every pirate fan. It’s another open-world game where you get to upgrade your ship (yes, you can actually sail the open sea, go fishing, hunt for treasure), battle other ships & commandeer them, upgrade your own town on an island, and more. Seriously, if you like pirates, why aren’t you already playing this?

If you like mythology, God battles,
or liked Percy Jackson, play Smite

Ok, ok, this game does not have an actual plot like a book would. However, if you’re into mythology, it’s worth a play. Smite is a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) which essentially just means that you play as a character on a team with the goal to defeat the opposing team – like on a battlefield. In this one, though, you get to play as a God. All of them are inspired by real mythology – Greek, Egyptian, Hindu, Mayan, Japanese, Chinese, Roman, and Norse. I suck at this game, but it’s pretty cool. Also, it’s free!

If you like morally gray characters, good vs evil, or liked The Young Elites, play Fable III

The Young Elites focuses on a character that is morally gray. She has to make decisions that may not be necessarily good – and by the end of the whole trilogy, those decisions catch up to her. If those are characters you like, play Fable III. In Fable, you get to make the decision whether you want to be good or bad throughout the game. Those decisions will affect how other characters treat you and the outcome of the game.

If you like zombies, post-apocalyptic settings, or liked Feed, play The Last of Us or State of Decay

This is pretty self-explanatory. Like zombies? Play these zombie games! They’re a bit different depending on what you are looking for. The Last of Us has more of a developed story, and its a tad more linear (which means you don’t explore as much and the plot guides you through the game). State of Decay is all about survival – literally. The point of the game is to survive. You have to build your compound, rescue survivors, and if you die – that character is gone permanently and you have to play as one of the other survivors.

Other games worth mentioning but I didn’t want to make this post a mile long

• For those who like adventure like Indiana Jones, play Tomb Raider
• For those who like anything dystopian, play Fallout 4
• For those who like steampunk, like Rebel Mechanics or The Infernal Devices, play Dishonored
• For those who like romance, real-life and any NA or contemporary, play The Sims
• For those who like space adventures like Illuminae, play Mass Effect or Halo

Do you play games? Have you played any I listed above?
If you don’t play games, did any of these sound/look like ones that can convince you otherwise? 😉 

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