Should We Write For Games?

The recent discussion on eReaders and the problems of books having to compete with games (and other distractions) on iPads and the like set me thinking. Perhaps it's wrong to try and compete; perhaps we should see games as another outlet for our writing?

 
I think it's perfectly possible to love both. When I was younger I found games such as Lords of Midnight and Tir Na Nog - ancient history now - almost as engrossing and magical places as Earthsea and Narnia.

Games and books are different things, of course, and they entertain in different ways, but there's a crossover there. Good games require good writing - by which I mean they need believable characters and narrative tension and all the stuff we as writers are used to grappling with. There are also hybrid forms where literature and gaming connect : interactive fiction where the reader gets to make choices and text adventure games where the writing creates the world in the reader/player's mind.

Perhaps rather than fretting about the lure of games, we should write for them instead? It's an avenue that intrigues me, I have to say. So, coming soon, is a guest post by my good friend Andy Yates, gaming guru and all-round good guy, who has played more computer games than I've had hot dinners. Andy blogs about PC games here and he also writes too : both conventional and interactive fiction. I'm sure he'll have a lot of fascinating stuff to tell us. Stay tuned!