Thanks to Wired magazine's Clive Thompson for pointing out something I never knew existed en masse, and that's the video game novel. Thompson, who "polished off a stack of gaming novels" to write his article discovered a few things about our beloved game characters one would never know without reading such a novel. For example, Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell) lives in a condo, enjoys gourmet cooking, has a college-age daughter, and he thinks the Iraq war is a "bad idea". What's more, Lara Croft (Tomb Raider) is frustrated by sexist cultures, including her own, and Master Chief (Halo) has trust issues when it comes to his subordinates.
While the video game novel is far from "literature" it provides another level to one's gaming experience, particularly because, when playing a game, you are the character. These books provide gamers with what is supposed to be going on in their own thoughts. Creepy.
Read Thompson's article | Buy Splinter Cell: The Novel