Written by Nyasha Oliver
I’ve always seen video games go hand in hand with storytelling. Ever since I first played the Sega Megadrive as a child, immersing myself into different worlds and experiences of game characters has been a reflection on what I like to read and write.
Games such as Final Fantasy X, Nier Gestalt, Ocarina of Time, and Shadow of Memories are among those that have been influential in my early gamer years, and I owe a lot to video games throughout the years that have shaped my own stories.
Now as a writer, seeing video games be the focus in fictional books feels like a full circle movement for me. Slowly but surely, the publishing industry has been printing books with characters and stories that play a part within the gaming world. Whether that be a gaming content creator going viral, murder in an RPG card game, or an eSports player living two different lives, here are five books written by Black authors that were inspired by video games.
- Slay by Brittney Morris
Slay was one of the first books I discovered that uses VR as part of the plot. Written by Brittney Morris, Kiera Johnson is a 17-year old student at Jefferson Academy by day and the developer of the multiplayer online card game Slay by night. As it’s a Black Panther-inspired game, it’s a safe haven for Black gamers worldwide. That is, until a teenager is murdered over a dispute in the Slay world and threats start coming in online and offline. Described as a Ready Player One meets The Hate U Give, Slay is a gripping YA thriller that weaves racism, video game violence, and murder that you’ll enjoy getting into as much as I did.
- Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters
This is definitely a sweet best friends-to-lovers YA queer romance that’s an ode to gamers, comic book fans, and Afro-Latinx culture. Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters revolves around the summer before college for Issac Martin. All he wants is to spend as much time with his best friend Diego. So Issac enacts a foolproof plan — get a pair of badges for Legends Con, a comic convention and attend his first ever Teen Pride. The only issue is Issac’s old crush, Davi, who walks back into his life, and Issac’s perfect summer starts spiraling out of control. The writing is good, the characters are adorable, and the story is definitely one for romantic nerds to pick up!
- Jerry Changed the Game!: How Engineer Jerry Lawson Revolutionized Video Games Forever by Don Tate
Want to know the story of Jerry Lawson, a pioneer in the video game industry and creator of arcade game, Demolition Derby? In this children’s picture book, Jerry Changed the Game! How Engineer Jerry Lawson Revolutionized Video Games Forever by Don Tate (illustrated by Cherise Harris) is an engaging story that brings to life how Jerry Lawson went from tinkering with electronics and gadgets as a child, to becoming an engineer in the 1970s, to founding Video Soft Inc., the first African American owned video game company in the United States. With vibrant illustrations and an inspirational message to players and future gamers, this book is bound to inspire not just children but anyone who wants to learn about a historical figure in gaming.
- Game On by Seressia GlassÂ
If it’s not the cute cover, it’s the plot that will make you read Game On by Seressia Glass. The story involves the fake relationship trope between a gaming streamer and a gaming company CEO. Avid gamer Samara Reynolds uses her platform and skills to advocate for equal representation in video games, but when she critiques the popular game Legendsfall, her video goes viral leading to hundreds of people critiquing it and the founding company, Artemis Games. Aron Galanis, the CEO, is determined to right the wrongs after seeing Artemis trending online and believes working together with Samara will help so he offers her a job at Artemis. Truly, Game On is a satisfying read that tackles the importance of toxicity in the gaming community.
- Don’t Hate the Player by Alexis Nedd
Here’s a nice YA romance that might pique your interest: Alexis Nedd’s Don’t Hate the Player. When a major esports tournament comes to Emilia Romero’s city, her well balanced life is about to be rocked when a member of a rival team Jake Hooper recognizes her. Jake works together with Emilia to keep her secret, even though he’s had a crush on her since he was ten years old and the pressures of life threaten to pull everything apart for the two. Don’t Hate Me is a story full of laughs but also full of thought-provoking moments on issues such as sexism, online harassment, and what friendship truly is.
It was great to read through the lens of these characters and stories within the gaming world and learn something new. Slay gave me a teenage game developer involved in a whodunit type of mystery. Right Where I Left You showed the portrayal of fandoms on social media and in conventions. Jerry Changed the Game taught me a lot about a video game legend before my time. Game On highlighted what it’s like to be a content creator in gaming. Don’t Hate the Player introduced me to the world of esports on a deeper level. Being able to read these books by such amazing Black authors that center video games in fiction was a joy. So make sure to put the controller down once in a while and pick up these books for a change!
