Games have come a long way since the days of consoles like the ZX Spectrum, but fantasy lovers still crave interactive fiction games like The Hobbit for an alternative kind of adventure where the narrative is the main driving force. To be honest, gaming and reading have always gone hand-in-hand, whether it's reading about your favourite games in a magazine or website like ours, playing through a 'Pick A Path' book, or following instructions from a D&D guide. It's the ultimate bonus for literary fans - being able to actually join in with the action, and a new hybrid console is about to open doors for more interactive fiction titles heading our way.
I bet you never thought that you would be reading about an e-reader as a game console today, but here it is. Meet the Ink Console from Singular 9 LTD, a new device that will soon be part of a crowdfunding campaign to bring it to life for fantasy adventure fans everywhere. It promises games that are real page-turners (literally), allowing gamers to immerse themselves in amazing worlds rather than just reading about them.
The e-ink console will have a 7.5" screen and the device looks very much like a standard Kindle albeit with an analog stick and button on the front. If anything, it looks like it would keep great company with the PlayDate, another quirky handheld that does things differently from the norm and one that also promotes indie games. The console will provide a way for writers to get into the world of gaming with a simple-to-use program that requires no coding experience, meaning that we could have a budding Game Book community arriving on the scene very soon!
Writing on the official project page, founder Dana tells us that 'The idea for Ink Console came from a desire to bring the magic of text adventures, like the 1980s classic Zork I, to a new audience unfamiliar with these games. We also were very inspired by the beloved "Choose Your Own Adventure" series of books. Our hope is that this interactive format makes reading feel like an adventure and helps instill a love for books in young readers.'
The campaign for the console will go live on the 1st of March, and you can find out more and check out the range of available Game Books by heading to the Ink Console website!
