NationStates Jolt Archive

I've never been a fan of videio games, but I like reading books. My favorite author is Tom Clancey. So, which do you prefer and why?

I've never been a fan of videio games, but I like reading books. My favorite author is Tom Clancey. So, which do you prefer and why?

Eh..I oscillate between the two. I got into books as a form of escapism, then found video games, did it for that. I picked up gaming on the comp, but still read alot. I stopped gaming on the comp for a while, and picked up video games again. Right now, I'm back at books...lol. While I love the interactivity of video games, I also love the ability to plunge headfirst into a new world (And for considerably less than a new game, I might add), and that you never know how it's going to end. Games tend to be a bit more predictable.

I read newspapers, and websites, but I haven't ever really been much of a fan of novels. Not even short stories that much.

I am, however, a big fan of a wide variety of video games.

I'm a huge fan of reading, and books especially. I was hooked on them since elementary school. Most of the books I read let me forget about life for a bit, and I'm sucked into a fictional, probably more interesting, world.

As for favourite author, I'd have to say Dostoevsky.

I liked video games as a kid. I owned the original Atari as a young child and was one of the first in my community to take a gamble on the new system "Nintendo" back when it came with the robot and the gun. I also played games on my Apple IIe (one of the first successful mass market Personal Computers). I moved up to Turbo Grafx 16 then Super Nintendo, followed by Playstation and Playstation 2. However, I eventually lost interest. As an adult, video games hold very little interest for me anymore. Books, on the other hand, are timeless. One never outgrows books, and because of that, I think they are better.

I don't think you can say that one is better than the other, I enjoy both. I read everynight (reading Rogue Regime a book about North Korea, suggest everyone should read it) and I normally play video games (playing Hearts of Iron 2, Brothers in Arms, Star Wars Galaxies, and moh) on a daily basis too. Plus I still hang out with friends and family, tonight for insistence I went fishing. Both books and video games are means of escaping from reality, except when your reading about the regime of Kim Il Song and Kim Jong Il......these guys are on par with Hitler if not worse and we are all to blame because we elect leaders to chicken to do something about it *cough* Clinton *cough* or retired leaders that don't give a shit about the suffering of the people in North Korea *cough* Carter *cough*.....sorry for the rant the book has made me want to build an army and invade North Korea. Thank god for Hearts of Iron 2 and Rome: Total War.

Books and PC games. Specifically reading while keeping an eye on either my auctions or the road while I run in WoW.

I've never been a fan of videio games, but I like reading books. My favorite author is Tom Clancey. So, which do you prefer and why?

I find it interesting that Tom Clancy has branched into the video game biz lately. Or at least sold his name to them.

Books. I still think that Cat's Cradle is the funniest book that I've ever read (sole to sole), with a bitter edge to it.

I prefer games to a certain extent. However, one of my favorite books is The Prince, and another is some self-help book that has interesting anecdotes. I do not read for fun very often but I will admit that reading would probably be better for me.

I find it interesting that Tom Clancy has branched into the video game biz lately. Or at least sold his name to them.

recently? Clancey has been playing the video game game since day one, he has maybe a grand total of five books that doen't have video games after them, and those have movies with either matt damon, harrison frod or sean connery.

Books. I still think that Cat's Cradle is the funniest book that I've ever read (sole to sole), with a bitter edge to it.

I love Kurt Vonnegut's satiric wit.

The sad part is that in Tom Clancy games, the story line is utterly insignificant, especially when compared to some other games that never had a book version.

I've never been a fan of videio games, but I like reading books. My favorite author is Tom Clancey. So, which do you prefer and why?

He's my favorite author too :fluffle:. Raibow Six and Without Remorse are my favorites. Executive Orders is pretty great as well. I prefer Clarke's character to Ryan's. But book's are much better than video games. The Clancy games are good, but not as good as good as the books. The Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon aren't all that great. Splinter Cell is the greatest game I've ever played. He should write a book based on that. A movie's coming out which should be good.

I'm now beginning to lean to Video games...It's almost as if I've read every book I want, hundreds of them, seriously, hundreds of books and now when I go to borders or something I don't see anything that interests me anymore...Now it's either gaming (internet included) or a day outside for me...

I find it interesting that Tom Clancy has branched into the video game biz lately. Or at least sold his name to them.

I didn't know that, but an author does have to eat. :D

recently? Clancey has been playing the video game game since day one, he has maybe a grand total of five books that doen't have video games after them, and those have movies with either matt damon, harrison frod or sean connery.

Really? I assumed it was a recent thing. Whatever. You know what they say about assuming.

The sad part is that in Tom Clancy games, the story line is utterly insignificant, especially when compared to some other games that never had a book version.

Yep. It is quite sad

recently? Clancey has been playing the video game game since day one, he has maybe a grand total of five books that doen't have video games after them, and those have movies with either matt damon, harrison frod or sean connery.

It's Ben Afflec, not Matt Damon. The movie of The Sum of All Fears was so increadibly far from the book. I hated it. I've got it on DVD still, but I hated it. On the comentary with Tom Clancy he start's with: "Hi, I'm Tom Clancy. I wrote the book they ignored."

Harrison Ford was the perfect choice to play Ryan. They should have used him in The Hunt for Red October instead of Alec Baldwin.

You say five books that don't have a video game after them. I only know of two. Rainbow Six and Red Storm Rising. And the video game was before Red Storm Rising.

Uh...

Red Storm Entertainment was actually founded by Tom Clancy...

And here's a list of Clancy games...

Ghost Recon
Rogue Spear
Rainbow Six
Harpoon
Splinter Cell
SSN
Red Storm Rising

Most have multiple expansions, as well as sequels...

There are also other RSE games not based on Clancy storylines...

It's Ben Afflec, not Matt Damon. The movie of The Sum of All Fears was so increadibly far from the book. I hated it. I've got it on DVD still, but I hated it. On the comentary with Tom Clancy he start's with: "Hi, I'm Tom Clancy. I wrote the book they ignored."

Was the “Sum of All Fears” the one where they replaced the Islamic terrorists in the book with comical Nazis as the antagonists?

Books. Most video games fall far short of what I can visualize in my head, plus a good book book is like a vacation to different world. I'm about to start reading Game, Set, match by Len Deighton, the only one of his books I haven't read yet. I like anything from Deighton or Lecarre to Tolien, Tad Williams and Clive Barker to Tolstoy or Joseph Conrad (the last one being a fave of mine)

I also read a lot of non-fiction, mostly history and how-to on the more esoteric artforms, mostly about sculpture. One of my most prized books is one on Blacksmithing that shows and details everything needed to set up and run a blacksmiths shop, plus an extensive history of the craft.

Most video games fall far short of what I can visualize in my head

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2005/07/01/pgr3_screenshots

Was the “Sum of All Fears” the one where they replaced the Islamic terrorists in the book with comical Nazis as the antagonists?

Yep. They also made Jack Ryan into an analyst at the Russian desk instead of the DDI.

Uh...

Red Storm Entertainment was actually founded by Tom Clancy...

And here's a list of Clancy games...

Ghost Recon
Rogue Spear
Rainbow Six
Harpoon
Splinter Cell
SSN
Politika
Red Storm Rising

Most have multiple expansions, as well as sequels...

There are also other RSE games not based on Clancy storylines...

I didn't know that politika was a game. Although it wasn't written by Clancy so doesn't really count as a Clancy book.

I was just looking at a thing about RSE and skimming quickly. I beleive Politika is actually a boardgame, but by RSE nonetheless. I skimmed too quickly to see that it's not a Clancy book though...so I'll remove it.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2005/07/01/pgr3_screenshots

Thanks, but yawn. I'm an artist, I've been practicing visualization since I was quite young. No video game on the market can equal what I can visualize.

Yep. They also made Jack Ryan into an analyst at the Russian desk instead of the DDI.

That’s weird. I can see why they would have replaced the terrorists (pc bull most likely), but I don’t see any reason for that.

Books vs. Games?

No doubt both are fun, but there's really no contest. It's like comparing sex with candy. There's books like "The little prince" & games like "Red Alert". Both are fun, but the former will affect you for the rest of your life. Untill the day games do the same, there really is no contest.

Thanks, but yawn. I'm an artist, I've been practicing visualization since I was quite young. No video game on the market can equal what I can visualize.

Hey now. Artists don’t have a monopoly on visualization. They just have the motor skills to express their visualizations.

Thanks, but yawn. I'm an artist, I've been practicing visualization since I was quite young. No video game on the market can equal what I can visualize.
Then why even open your eyes if what you can visualise is better than reality?

Seriously...what you're saying is that despite graphics that people have claimed to be FAKE (as in, it's an actual photograph and not gameplay graphics) that are supposed to describe and narrate the storyline being created in the video just doesn't match up with what you can visualize?

What you're are saying is that you can visualize imagery that is not only better than what REAL LIFE offers, but also better than what the story's author (even if that story is a video game, video game stories have authors too) is trying to show you? With the next generation of video game system will not be limited graphically, so I'm really not buying your "I can visualize in my mind images better than reality" argument.

That’s weird. I can see why they would have replaced the terrorists (pc bull most likely), but I don’t see any reason for that.

And if that wasn't bad enough, Jack and Cathy weren't even married. They were supposed to have three kids. And Cathy didn't even know that Jack was in the CIA. Bah. Now Patriot Games, that was a good movie. They got The Hunt for Red October pretty close to the book as well.

In my opinion the two are incomparable; they're just too different. You get good books and bad books and the same goes for video games. It's impossible to say one is arbitrarily "better" than the other.

Then why even open your eyes if what you can visualise is better than reality?

Seriously...what you're saying is that despite graphics that people have claimed to be FAKE (as in, it's an actual photograph and not gameplay graphics) that are supposed to describe and narrate the storyline being created in the video just doesn't match up with what you can visualize?

What you're are saying is that you can visualize imagery that is not only better than what REAL LIFE offers, but also better than what the story's author (even if that story is a video game, video game stories have authors too) is trying to show you? With the next generation of video game system will not be limited graphically, so I'm really not buying your "I can visualize in my mind images better than reality" argument.

Please don't take this as an insult, but if that's true, you must not have much in the way of imagination. The human brain is far more powerful than any computer; of course a well-exercised mind can outdo a computer in basically every way.

The issue, too, is less about "better" in terms of photo-realism and more about "better" in terms of "meaningful to the viewer." My characters in WoW have run through some pretty amazing digital landscapes, but that's all they are - attractive digital landscapes. When I'm, say, roaming Lothlorien with the Fellowship, it's my Lorien - not Peter Jackson's, not WETA's, not even entirely Tolkien's. Mine. And no one, however talented, could possibly equal that without reading my mind.

Comparing books and video games is like comparing a gourmet meal with fast food. There's nothing wrong with fast food - it's great, it's tasty, it gives exactly what it promises to give, and when you're in the mood for Taco Bell, there's not much tastier - but very few people would say that a Gordita is "better" than a meal at a four-star restaurant. So, you ask, why even open your eyes? Because just having access to four-star meals doesn't mean you'll never want another Gordita. Plus, you know, you trip over stuff when you're wandering around with your eyes closed. ;)

So speaketh the die-hard, lifelong bookworm! :D

Then why even open your eyes if what you can visualise is better than reality?

Seriously...what you're saying is that despite graphics that people have claimed to be FAKE (as in, it's an actual photograph and not gameplay graphics) that are supposed to describe and narrate the storyline being created in the video just doesn't match up with what you can visualize?

What you're are saying is that you can visualize imagery that is not only better than what REAL LIFE offers, but also better than what the story's author (even if that story is a video game, video game stories have authors too) is trying to show you? With the next generation of video game system will not be limited graphically, so I'm really not buying your "I can visualize in my mind images better than reality" argument.
Again I find myself wondering what exactly blind people "see"...

I think the guy up there on the really tall horsey is trying to say he's never been impressed with the visual storytelling in games. Trying to prove him wrong by using a game that tries to be as realistic (visually) as possible, is besides the point.

If you'd instead used something like the original Aliens vs. Predator game, you could - maybe - have convinced him he's wrong. That game didn't have more story/plot than a racing game, yet it managed to stress people out completely and scare them shitless. 1/3 of the game was nearly impossible to play. Not because it was insanely difficult, but because the visual storytelling was so effective, that instead of fighting, you just sat there, shaking and shitting in your pants.

The realism of the visuals isn't nearly as important as some people make it out to be. It's about boggling the mind. Even simple graphics can accomplish that, if the artist is good. But I think the whole "I can imagine it better" thing is flaved.

Rivendel looked almost like a replica of what I had imagined in the LoTR movies. Great job by the artists and the director. Really. I didn't expect them to capture it so well, and I wouldn't have thought their vision of the place was so similar to my own.
But that just shows that a good author can make people visualise some very impressive shit, and that a great author can make people visualise the same impressive shit. So really, the credit most go to the author.

Still... In my experience, most people doesn't go around imagining mindblowing cityscapes etc. The ones that do becomes artists. So the arguement is inherently flawed. People's imagination will always try to paint a picture of what it's thinking about.
The great thing about both books, movies and games, is that good artists can tell or show people things that are so far flung they never anticipate it and never would have imagined it on their own.

Personally I prefer books for now, because games - story-wise - are still in their infancy. I've yet to see a game that would make me think for a month, change my perspective on something or otherwise make a lasting impression on me. I've seen plenty of visually stunning games and movies. But the stories simply can't compete... Yet.

Harrison Ford was the perfect choice to play Ryan. They should have used him in The Hunt for Red October instead of Alec Baldwin.

Actually, Clancy himself has said that he disliked Ford's potrayal of Ryan in both films, and feels that of the three actors, Baldwin was closest to his view of Ryan as a character.

They were also planning to use Baldwin for both Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, but Baldwin wanted more money after Hunt for Red October...

I really couldn't say...I'm totally addicted to both books and video games...

I've never been a fan of videio games, but I like reading books. My favorite author is Tom Clancey. So, which do you prefer and why?
Video games require hand-eye coordination. Books require imagination.

Hmmm... work on my finger speed or my brain...

brain.

Books.

Actually, Clancy himself has said that he disliked Ford's potrayal of Ryan in both films, and feels that of the three actors, Baldwin was closest to his view of Ryan as a character.

They were also planning to use Baldwin for both Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, but Baldwin wanted more money after Hunt for Red October...
Funniest thing, they absolutely screwed over an innocent book when they did that turkey "Sum of All Fears" instead of a nice cold-war piece (which would be right for the early-career Ryan) like Cardinal of the Kremlin. in the paper-format, SoAF was late-Ryan, as in post- Clear and Present Danger. In the Movies, hes' a Newb in SoAF, and it doesn't work (no history to use with his opposite number during the tense phone call). The actor they got playing a Young Ryan might have been able to do a better job with Cardinal anyway. INstead, the entire story was re-written for the screen by a hack, with (and how in hell did that happen?) Clancy's okey-doke into a Domestic Terrorism angle. (oddly enough, Clancy's books,when they have included our native brand of radical loooneeys rightly portray them as meatheaded morons and airheaded idealists. Only in Rainbow Six were the American Bad Guys even competent-and that was Corporate-backed scumbags.)

IMHO, Ford was a perfect "Late Ryan", The Baldwin boy was a decent "Mid-career/early Career" Ryan, and Loki from Dogma shouldn't have tried to be Jack Ryan at all.

Then why even open your eyes if what you can visualise is better than reality?

Seriously...what you're saying is that despite graphics that people have claimed to be FAKE (as in, it's an actual photograph and not gameplay graphics) that are supposed to describe and narrate the storyline being created in the video just doesn't match up with what you can visualize?

What you're are saying is that you can visualize imagery that is not only better than what REAL LIFE offers, but also better than what the story's author (even if that story is a video game, video game stories have authors too) is trying to show you? With the next generation of video game system will not be limited graphically, so I'm really not buying your "I can visualize in my mind images better than reality" argument.

"better" isn't in the "Picture Quality" as much as the immersion into another world. "Better" is very very subjective. It's a matter of different purposes. Generally, you aren't looking for hte cheat-codes to "win" a book, you're experiencing a Story, and more-than-half that experience is generated in your own mind, while a Video game merely excercises the muscles and nerves in your hands and eyeballs.

Well, i do both. and my favourite is to combine the two into Dungeons and Dragons. you have the true interactivity of anything literally goes, better than a videogame with limited choices, and can see it all in your head like a book.

As i've got a bit of a gift for writing, nothing special but i'm top of the class for writing in school, i tend to play the DM, dungeon master, who runs the game and is essentially the author of the story arc.

but D&D is a once-a-week 3 hour thing, so i both read and play videogames. Generally i'll be on some console / my pc / online stuff until i get sent to bed, then i'll pull a book from under my pillow and read till i get too tired.

AS far as choices go, i like to look beyond the graphics of a game, and my favourites are still things like link to the past, Goldeneye, good ol' side-scrolling shooting megaman (and the X series), and Plok. Plok is an odd one. think mario meets rayman. platforming freakiness, but plok was my first game ever. For new games i go in for RPGs, Tales of Symphonia at the moment, and shoot-em-ups. Timesplitters 2 is a good one, and metroid prime 2, though my Gamecube is on loan to my girlfriend at the moment (i met a girl more knowledgeable in FF than me. i think it's an RPG geek's dream)

Book wise, i like Douglas adams and Terry pratchett. genius pure and simple.

Well, i do both. and my favourite is to combine the two into Dungeons and Dragons. you have the true interactivity of anything literally goes, better than a videogame with limited choices, and can see it all in your head like a book.

As i've got a bit of a gift for writing, nothing special but i'm top of the class for writing in school, i tend to play the DM, dungeon master, who runs the game and is essentially the author of the story arc.

but D&D is a once-a-week 3 hour thing, so i both read and play videogames. Generally i'll be on some console / my pc / online stuff until i get sent to bed, then i'll pull a book from under my pillow and read till i get too tired.

D&D, Twilight 2000, Traveller, Rifts, WEG Star Wars, Phoenix Project, TWERPS, BESM, GURPS, Call of Cthulu (pre D'twenny crap), and Paranoia.

Current campaigns are in in Twilight 2000, WEG, and BESM. Weekly games four to six hours, rotating schedule. (I'm running tonight, Twilight 2K. Next week I'm Playing in WEG Star Wars and a buddy's running, and the week after is a BESM game.)

I work sixty hours a week, and manage to polish off two to three novels in the same time frame.
PLUS posting here. (I'm an insomniac, sorry...)

My favorite author is Tom Clancey.

TOM CLANCY THAT AMERICANO-CENTRIC....author...

:gundge:

Hate his plots.

Apples! No, oranges! Shit, this is hard.

Books, by far. They're so much more apt than video games at stimulating the imagination.

Books! Your mind comes up with it's own constructs. That's why a movie about a book you read always sucks...

Video games? Brain deadness. I was a Tetris addict eons ago. Now I'm a recovering Tetris addict. :p

I like both and couldn't choose really between them.

TOM CLANCY THAT AMERICANO-CENTRIC....author...


:gundge:
Hate his plots.

Sounds like I’m going to have to start reading his work. :D

Sounds like I’m going to have to start reading his work. :D
No don't. I think they are really bad....although my dad can't get enough of his work.

I've never been a fan of videio games, but I like reading books. My favorite author is Tom Clancey. So, which do you prefer and why?


They're not exactly comparable...
Why must they be mutually exclusive?

Sounds like I’m going to have to start reading his work. :D

Tryna piss me off, eh?

*rolls up shirt sleeves*

Wanna piece of me? Wanna piece of me?

:mp5:

I've never been a fan of videio games, but I like reading books. My favorite author is Tom Clancey. So, which do you prefer and why?
Both are good. for Video games, I perfere the Final Fantasy series. for books, Fantasy/sci-fi.

books because video games get your heartrate too high and make your thumb hurt from the jointstick and make your palms sweaty too much

Why do we need to choose?

Anyway, most action or sci-fi books follow the path of money and fame:

BOOK --> MOVIE --> VIDEO GAME --> FAN STORIES --> GEEK DROOL --> MORE BOOKS --> DISMISSAL

Which is better? Books or video games?better for what?
for learning or for fun?

Both at the same time, hands on a book and toes on the keyboard :p

I have to say computer games, although I do read and I'm really into Stephen Kings The Dark Tower series right now, I only like to read some books and only read at all some times. Ive always played games and they have generally wider appeal. Plus you cant read a book for hours on end, a good game will have you doing that.

Plus you cant read a book for hours on end...

Yes you can. I do it all the time.

Books.

No don't. I think they are really bad....although my dad can't get enough of his work.

Bad advice. Clancy's books are great. Your dad has good taste in books.

Video games, no contest. Not that I dont love to read books, but honestly, all I do is move my eyes, read the book, and get a half-assed movie. Say what you will about my imagination, I find books repetitive and dull, with the same rhetoric reoccuring.

Video games can usually last you much longer(yes, books are usually cheaper, but a 10-20 dollar game can still last you over 100 hours, and you can replay them later), and they stimulate me more. All a book does is give me some fun, and give me the message the author is trying to convey. I get both from video games, better, and I work my mind too, having to actually interact with the game.

Plus you cant read a book for hours on end, a good game will have you doing that.

You've never started reading a book and got so involved you couldn't put it down? :( Wow! Keep reading, eventually you will find one.

A good serie of sci-fi books by Jack McDevitt:

1. "The Engines of God" 5/5
2. "Deepsix" ?/5
3. "Chindi" 4/5
4. "Omega" 4.5/5

Maybe the best serie of the last 5 years. The quest for alien life takes a turn to the worse, as humanity discovers one dead civilization after another. Just to realize that something is killing them. Something that's coming towards us...

To me books/literary works surpass all other forms of media in many ways. Really, there is no comparison to the magic of story.

That said, I enjoy video games quite a lot, too! :D

Hmm, I'm a little late...but here's a response to the replies to my last post.


First off, while the link I posted merely shows screen-shots from a racing game, the purpose was to demonstrate the amount of precise detail that game producers will be able to put into their games during the next generation of video game systems. That said, consider how the next game in the Final Fantasy series will look on the new consoles...

Now that I've weakly defended that side of the games vs books argument (and yes, I know that no matter what, it's still a personal opinion), here's something else to think about.

Text-based games. MUDs. (Basically, text-based MMORPG.) Basically...it's a book, except you control the storyline. You pick one of a handful of MUDs, which would essentially be like choosing the basic plot of the novel, then mold your own character (or multiple characters) and begin playing a game that offers nothing more then text descriptions of your environment and what is going on around you.

So...with text-based games in mind, explain to me how books still beat games on that level...

The issue, too, is less about "better" in terms of photo-realism and more about "better" in terms of "meaningful to the viewer." My characters in WoW have run through some pretty amazing digital landscapes, but that's all they are - attractive digital landscapes. When I'm, say, roaming Lothlorien with the Fellowship, it's my Lorien - not Peter Jackson's, not WETA's, not even entirely Tolkien's. Mine. And no one, however talented, could possibly equal that without reading my mind.

Comparing books and video games is like comparing a gourmet meal with fast food. There's nothing wrong with fast food - it's great, it's tasty, it gives exactly what it promises to give, and when you're in the mood for Taco Bell, there's not much tastier - but very few people would say that a Gordita is "better" than a meal at a four-star restaurant. So, you ask, why even open your eyes? Because just having access to four-star meals doesn't mean you'll never want another Gordita. Plus, you know, you trip over stuff when you're wandering around with your eyes closed. ;)



WOW. Great description. Perfect analogy. This is the reason that I cannot choose, surprisingly. In my opinion, there are always good and bad books, and there are always good and bad video-games. All of the good ones of each share the essential properties of the other category. Example: One of my favorite video-games for the Nintendo64 was 'Zelda: A Link to the Past'. The main reason was that not only did it have a great storyline, but the ART was so open ended, it allowed a person to create their own world and immerse themselves in that world, just as a book does. One of my favorite comedies, 'A Confederacy of Dunces' was so ridiculous as to force me to feel extreme emotion, just as a video-game would. And so it seems that fast food is better when it has Gourmet ingredients and that Gourmet food is better when you don't have to wait for it or make reservations.


Essentials for a good video game:
Comprehendible yet very open ended controls to allow a feeling of being the main character

Either very descriptive OR open ended artwork coupled with an opposite style of plot writing (I.E. descriptive art with open ended plot or open ended artwork with descriptive plot that ties up all loose ends) to immerse player in plot more, OR to cause player to think more (eventually leading to immersion in the game)

Extremes of unlikely or impossible situations chained together until the entire picture is believable.


Essentials for a good book:
A charisma present in the main character that allows the reader to feel a connection between him/her and the main character as well as certain unexplained behaviours or opinions that the reader can explain for him or herself

Much description of an environment to immerse the reader in the book OR very vague but extensive description of an environment to allow the reader to create one that he/she wants to immerse themselves in.

Open ended plot to allow the reader to take his/her own meaning from the book and loose ends that leave the reader thinking OR a definitive plot that impresses a strong emotion or resolve upon the reader.

ALL fiction (not just sci-fi or fantasy) and most non-educational non-fiction (For example autobiographical accounts of experiences like 'Trawler') must have extremes of unlikely or impossible situations chained together until the entire picture is believable to improve excitement.




See the similarities? It is a difficult choice for me, but I have to choose books because they are more portable. (No batteries needed)

Text-based games. MUDs. (Basically, text-based MMORPG.) Basically...it's a book, except you control the storyline. You pick one of a handful of MUDs, which would essentially be like choosing the basic plot of the novel, then mold your own character (or multiple characters) and begin playing a game that offers nothing more then text descriptions of your environment and what is going on around you.

Sounds cool. What are they going to call them bogams or boogams? :D

Books are very good. Video games of books lets you live the story! I just hate when they change the story!

I can't believe this even needs to be asked..lol

Unless you're a teeny bopper, obviously books far outweigh anything any video game could ever offer. Books are better than video games by leaps and bounds. The very fact that someone needed to ask this, makes me quite afraid for the next generation.

I enjoy both. I give more time to videogames, but I still find the time to read a good book now and then. I recently discovered just how many Discworld books my step-dad has, so I'm going through them at a fair rate, but I like more serious things too, mostly sci-fi.

My favorite authors include; Pratchett, Heinlein, Aldiss, Asimov, Pohl, Dick, Banks, the Brontes, Hobb, Adams, and Wells.

And my favorite videogames include; Civilization, X-Com, Unreal Tournament, Final Fantasy, Fallout, Phantom Brave, and Destroy All Humans!

Asking me to choose any of either of those above any others is largely going to be futile.
I can't believe this even needs to be asked..lol

Unless you're a teeny bopper, obviously books far outweigh anything any video game could ever offer. Books are better than video games by leaps and bounds. The very fact that someone needed to ask this, makes me quite afraid for the next generation.

Why? What's so terrible about videogames? They're not just something for children you know, and many games have spun believable and interesting worlds. Sadly, far more rely on generic ideas, but that's the case with many books as well. No, I'm afraid you're greatly underestimating the value, and the potential of videogames.