Contemporary Fiction: The Next Big Thing in Video Games?

By Neal 

A few weeks back, we told you about a video game based on a Douglas Clegg novella—and here’s the latest evidence of the inspiration gamemakers are taking from the literary world: Digi Ronin Games are developing a new “casual game” for the Mac and PC platforms based on The Fixer Upper, the new novel from bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews.

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The game follows the broad contours of the novel’s plot, following Dempsey Jo Killebrew from Washington, D.C., to small-town Georgia where she’s expected to renovate the family mansion. Finding hidden objects in the rooms of the estate moves the story forward; there will also be several “mini-games” stemming from the storyline, and the book’s characters will make appearances to give out clues and assign additional tasks.

“We are thrilled and honored to be working with an author the caliber of Mary Kay Andrews,” Jay Powell, the co-founder of Digi Ronin, says in a press release. “Her style and stories are a perfect match for the casual game market, and we intend to do her and her legions of fans proud.” And, indeed, while most casual games inspired by books appear to stem from the YA or mystery/suspense fields, this is the first game we’ve come across based on commercial women’s fiction. Maybe it’ll spark a trend… heck, which book would you most like to see turned into a videogame?