Writers and Gamers: Uncommon Inspiration, or a Common Thread?
Article Written by Ryan Bouche
What do these writers have in common?
- Brandon Sanderson
- John Scalzi
- Margaret Weis
- Tracy Hickman
- Terry Pratchett
- Douglas Adams
That’s right! They are all best selling authors … avid gamers!
You read that correctly. Brandon Sanderson famously plays and contributes to Magic: the Gathering. John Scalzi is well known as both a video and board gamer. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman wrote the Dragonlance novels based on a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams both created video games based on their own books.
Do you feel like you have a problem balancing your time between writing or playing games? Don’t panic! There’s really nothing to worry about. If these great authors can be inspired by a good game, you can be too.
They’re not the only ones. In fact, they’re not even a minority. Plenty of authors you’ll find at LTUE are gamers. Last year we loaded our Gaming track panels with people like Dan Wells, Mari Murdock, Charlie N. Holmberg, and David J. Peterson – all authors who also love games.
Admittedly, this may not be a remarkable revelation to you. If we created a venn diagram of people who like to tell stories and people who like to play games, it would probably be very close to a single circle.
At LTUE we want to emphasize the fact that while games are a great way to relax and have fun, they are also a great source of inspiration. Do you think it’s just a coincidence that the king of creative magic systems also plays a card game famous for its overly-complicated magic rules?
This coming February during the 2023 symposium (LTUE 41) you’ll find amazing panels on how to leverage games to get your creative maker juices flowing. LTUE 41 will deliver even more panels on how games can teach you pacing, building up high stakes, and even character development. We can’t wait to see you there!
Need something to pass the time until next February?
Check out the 30th anniversary version of Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide video game, still available in all its text-line glory. (And remember, February 2024 brings us LTUE #42)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1g84m0sXpnNCv84GpN2PLZG/the-game-30th-anniversary-edition
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