Buy a book based on a game?

A book based on the popular expansion for the World of Warcraft: Rise of the Lich King is due to be in stores on April 21. With a subscriber count of over 11million players, the World of Warcraft fan base is sizable and can make a book like this a runaway success if only a significant fraction of its subscribers goes out and buys it.

I haven’t played World of Warcraft since about a month when the game went retail release. Due to real life time constraints, I’ve never been able to get back into it. Just doing the mental math, that was probably around 4 years ago. So, a book like this would hold very little interest for me. And even if I was playing, I doubt I’d go out and buy it. While a game’s lore is interesting, and gives it flavor, I consider it just a part of the scenery. I’m pretty much an objective based player who likes to get better gear and then level up.

However, I’ve met many players who will read every story bit, every clue and the information in every tool tip to soak up as much lore as possible. While they’re good players, they’re also sort of annoying to team with, since they want to go through each encounter as slowly as possible. Mostly, these players just solo through MMOs or play with like minded players.

I’m sure the book will do well and may even attract an non-WoW audience. I’ve read some of Christie Golden’s science fiction and fantasy novels before and I’ve enjoyed them. Certaintly, she has a fan base that will be interested in her work regardless of what she’s writing. And I’m sure Christie will cover all those little details that WoW lore fanatics crave. A short preview of the book can be found here. As for me, I’ll pass. And even if I played WoW, I’d pass. I don’t need to relive a game by reading a book about it.

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