Tom Clancy: From Novels to Video Games
Tom Clancy was an author who created a large number of tactical espionage and military novels. These novels were successful and well-known, however many today may more easily recognize Clancy’s name through the number of video games bearing it. In fact, there are now more Tom Clancy video games than novels, as there are 40 games and only 11 novels. The video games do not follow the plot of the novels, however they do take place in similar settings with the same fictional government organizations and terrorist groups.
Tom Clancy had created his own company known as Red Storm Entertainment to create tactical first-person shooter games in his own unique style. This company was quickly purchased by Ubisoft after publishing its first games, and the series flourished under this partnership. The games were directly worked on by Clancy and he was majorly influential in the stories, settings, and technologies within the games. The games were very different than most shooters at the time, and still are today. There is a major focus on teamwork and tactical gameplay rather than just running in and shooting the enemies. Most of the games have a focus on multiplayer and communication, requiring players to function as a tactical military unit.
Despite Clancy’s passing in 2013, the games still bear his name and unique brand of action and tactical espionage. The most recent entry, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, is one of the most popular and acclaimed competitive first-person shooters today. Despite not carrying the same story as Clancy’s novels since the game is entirely multiplayer, it has a large amount of lore behind its playable characters, locations, and organizations. The technology on display in the game is also inspired largely by Clancy’s novels, and the tactical team-based gameplay from previous games is still present and improved.
The Tom Clancy games are a great example of a book series being adapted into the medium of video games. The games do not seek to retell the stories of the novels, rather they use the novels as inspiration and a groundwork for gameplay. The themes behind the action in the novels are on full display in the games, and Clancy’s touch is very visible within the games.
