How video games with immersive storylines and powerful, emotive writing offer some of the most thrilling fiction out there, overtaking books for some readers
With immersive storylines and powerful, emotive writing, some of the most thrilling fiction out there is being created in game form X: @hiyalauren , @madquills , and @imogenwk X: Lauren O'Neill / @hiyalauren : really very cool interesting piece about how we consume narrative, by a woman who really can do it all: novelist, video game writer, and most importantly, chimp expert Danny Salfield Wadeson / @madquills : Fascinating read - no surprise from Imogen. Really interesting to think about the convergence of the two. I think where novels still have the edge is vision - until we trust game writers more and improve narrative pipelines, we risk crushing so much soul. Imogen West-Knights / @imogenwk : A dream to have been asked to think about narrative in video games and the novel for this weekend's FT. If you have any recommendations for lesser-known games with great stories, I'd love to hear them! https://www.ft.com/...
Context & Ripple Effects
This sits in a longer broadening of games as authored cultural works: Twine’s enduring role in text-led interactive fiction showed that game narrative need not depend on blockbuster production, while game composers moving toward soundtrack work reflected wider recognition for game-making disciplines.
The article brings that arc to reader behavior, arguing that written narrative and emotional immersion can make games a substitute—not merely an accompaniment—for conventional fiction.
First-order effects
- For readers drawn to narrative-led games, books face a more direct rival for fiction time and attention.
- Game writing becomes more visible as a core creative attribute rather than background support for mechanics or visuals.
Second-order effects
- Studios seeking narrative audiences have greater incentive to treat writing, branching structure and emotional payoff as product differentiators; publishers must compete with an interactive alternative for the same leisure time.
- The comparison also raises the value of lower-tech narrative formats, consistent with text-first interactive-fiction tools such as Twine, rather than limiting storytelling ambition to cinematic production.
Third-order effects
- If this preference broadens, the boundary between publishing and games will increasingly be defined by formats of participation rather than by separate categories of fiction.
- The shift could favor a more plural games market in which authored writing matters across both small interactive works and large productions, though the article alone does not establish how widespread the audience change is.
The trend: Interactive entertainment is increasingly competing with books and screen media as a primary venue for authored, emotionally resonant fiction.