Author: by Staff

Though EA's Dante's Inferno draws from the canon of Western literature, few games have gone to books as source material -- so GameCareerGuide asked its readers to do so, and delivers the winning results today. From the original challenge: "Game Career Guide challenged its readers to adapt a piece of literature -- contemporary, medieval, or somewhere in between -- into a game. It could be in any genre of literature or gaming -- the core concept is how compellingly you turn it into a game idea. How will you adapt from one medium to the other? What will you cut? What will you keep? What will you change, and what will stay the same?" And the results... William R. Spear, The Conquerer Worm Spear collects a number of Edgar Allen Poe's works in the unlikely context of an iPhone platformer. The contrast between Poe's morbid seriousness and the frivolity of a mobile constant-motion platformer is brilliant, and the questionable interpretations of Poe's stories fit well with the motives of an amateur Apple App Store developer. Even the hastily mocked up title screen looks like it was taken directly from an actual iPhone title. Paolo Taje, The Odyssey And Then? Odyssey! is an interactive retelling of Homer's epic poem. Using a simple Flash-based interface, players can experience the story in full and explore alternate possibilities not found in the original text. With some modifications, this entry could make an ideal teaching tool. Emily Greenquist, The Picture of Dorian Gray Greenquist takes a complex story and weaves it into a solid game concept. The Picture of Dorian Gray, as a horror-themed RPG, puts players in the role of an amoral protagonist who must eventually face the consequences of his actions. Though the experience would be a largely passive one for the player, the depth in narrative promises a rich payoff. To read the full results, including eight honorable mention entries based on material from Noah's Ark to The Zombie Survival guide, visit the full feature on Gamasutra's education-focused sister site, GameCareerGuide.com.