~3 minute read"What-Do-I-Do-Now?"
Zork Books Due From Tor
As anyone who's played one knows, personal computer adventure games draw on a rich heritage of fantasy out of myths and legends, as well as from fantasy, adventure, and science-fiction literature and films. Years ago, recognizing the appeal of the interactive format of adventure games, book publishers began to offer novels for young readers in the interactive format. Most notable among these has been a series of "Choose Your Own Adventure" novels from Bantam Books. In these books, the reader can decide on the development of the story by choosing from a number of offered scenarios. The reader is then directed to a particular chapter â which chapter depends on which action was taken. In this way, the reader "assembles" the story.
The "Choose Your Own Adventure" novels have proven very popular and are currently being published at the rate of one title per month by Bantam. Other publishers are bringing out similar lines. Having found new inspiration for these kinds of books from the wealth of adventure programs now available for personal computers, the book industry is even starting to translate computer games into interactive novels.
In December 1983, Tor Books, a major science-fiction and fantasy publishing house, released Zork: The Forces of Krill and Zork: The Malifestro Quest. Both books are, of course, based on Infocom's bestselling Zork adventures and carry the Zork logo.
According to the books' author, Steve Meretzky, the Zork books are especially close to the adventure game format in that there is only one "right" way to solve the adventure. (When the usual format for books of this type is followed, several story lines are offered.)
The Zork books are the lead titles for a new line from Tor, labeled "What-Do-I-Do- Now." Two more Zork books are in the works, and the publisher has expressed interest in additional tides.
At the same time the book industry is realizing that good computer games can become books, the computer industry is finding that good books can become computer games.
Following the lead of board game manufacturers such as Mayfair, software publishers are beginning to offer games based on science-fiction and fantasy novels. At the forefront of this trend is Dragonriders of Pern, a game based on Anne McCaffrey's novel of the same name.
Due to be released by Epyx, Dragonriders of Pern is being billed as a "strategy" game. The game's scenario is based on one of the major elements of the book â the battle of the Dragonriders against "threads" threatening the planet Pern.
In England there is another game that would seem to be based on the novel Dragonriders of Pern. The manufacturer of this game, however, apparently did not find it necessary to ask McCaffrey's permission to use the term Dragon Rider (the title of the game, released by a company called .Salamander), nor did it consult with her about the apparent use of the Dragonrider scenario from her book. In fact, British copyright law does not protect authors against the use of their material in what arc called "derivative" works, such as games.
Such is not the case in the United States. Some authors have been asked to adapt their work to computer games (for example, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, with their collaborative novel Inferno), and several software publishers are looking at recruiting science-fiction and fantasy writers to create game scenarios and to review and edit adventure games for plot continuity, grammar, and other elements.
This article appeared in
Softalk
Jan 1984
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