... there's something we can call "polyheroism" in the Iliad. It's pretty much like a five-man group in WoW, or a six-man fellowship in LOTRO: Achilles is the DPS guy, Ajax is the tank, Odysseus is the rogue, etc. To enact a story about the meaning of excellence, you need to be able to compare heroes. Everyone loved Achilles, just like everyone loves a good, well specced champion. But some people like Odysseus better than Diomedes, just as some people would rather have a burglar in their party than a second DPS class.

I'm not saying that RPG classes have the depth of epic characters (though you'd be surprised by how little depth epic characters actually have). I'm saying that one important function of characters in the Iliad and in MMOGs is to get us to think about how different versions of excellence relate to one another.

Gear isn't quite the fundamental, all-pervasive mechanic in the Iliad as it is in MMOGs. But in its own way, it's actually much more important in epic tradition.

I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that the epic tradition is still going strong, but it's always fun to see Homer juxtaposed with more modern, interactive counterparts. Everyone loves a good, epic tale — so much the better if you're in it, I guess.

Achilles' Phat Lewtz [The Escapist]

... With all this high regard would come pretentiousness, and everybody would be too scared to admit that they didn't particularly like - or even understand - Konami's latest FPS based on the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, or Square Enix's RPG adaptation of Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, in the same way that nobody in the art community will admit that, really, Damien Hirst's stuff is a load of bobbins.

His suggestion on what to do with Finnegan's Wake is brilliant. I'm not sure the world is quite ready for a Dostoevsky-Squeenix mash-up, but it would make for some interesting reviews to be sure.

Blogs
The Ryan Lambie column: the dawn of literary videogames [Den of Geek]

The town of Maycomb, Alabama found itself the center of controversy in 1930's and now you can be a part of it with this ground breaking massively multiplayer online role playing game. Finally players will have a chance to experience social injustice any way they want. Help Atticus Finch win the trial of his life and help Boo Radley start his life anew all while avoiding rabid dogs and the Klan. The open world design of this sleepy small town provide hours of game play.

Classic Literature Video Games [FunBox, thanks Will!]

Sierra Entertainment Developing Videogame Based On The Spiderwick Chronicles Film By Paramount Pictures And Nickelodeon Films

Videogame Adaptation to Bring to Life Fantastical World of Spiderwick Books and Film

READING, UK (9th August, 2007) - Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, today announced development of The Spiderwick Chronicles, a videogame based on the upcoming 2008 theatrical release of the same name by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Films. The game, which will recreate the fantastical world of the Spiderwick film and best-selling book series, is in development at Stormfront Studios and will be available for the Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system, Wii™ home videogame system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™ and PC in February 2008.

"Sierra Entertainment is excited to announce that one of the most anticipated family entertainment films of 2008 will be coming to the world of videogames as well," said Al Simone, senior vice president, Global Marketing for Sierra Entertainment. "The Spiderwick Chronicles videogame will authentically recreate the world of Jared, Simon and Mallory Grace, putting gamers in their shoes as they discover a hidden world of fantastical creatures - sprites, ogres, goblins, brownies and more. Fans of the Spiderwick books now not only have the movie to look forward to, but will be able to live in their favorite fantasy world in this adventure filled game."

The Spiderwick Chronicles videogame is based on the upcoming film adaptation by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Films and will feature multiple playable characters, each with unique abilities. The Spiderwick Chronicles is a best-selling book series by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi in which twin brothers Jared and Simon, along with their sister Mallory Grace, embark on a perilous journey filled with adventure and danger.

The Spiderwick Chronicles videogame is expected to be available at retail stores worldwide in February 2008. For more information on The Spiderwick Chronicles, please visit the game's official web site at www.spiderwickgame.com.

Indian game site GameGuru interviewed the team behind upcoming PC title and possible Xbox 360 port Mahabharata: The Dawn of Kaliyuga — A game created by Gujarat-based dev Syncere Arts. Says the team:

Being avid gamers and of Indian origin naturally we would like to see a product based on the material of our homeland. The Indian film industry does very well in India and worldwide in general, so we know that there is a large market for Indian material. We see the game industry as a natural extension in the entertainment medium and judging from the North American market it is successfully competing for the entertainment budget. We feel the time has come in India where the gaming industry will grow as an entertainment medium and is ready for a native 'big hit' as it were.

While the Xbox 360 is struggling in India, this nascent market is just waiting to be tapped. But without a strong gaming culture and lacking infrastructure, the real question is "when?" Brian Ashcraft

India Epic Being Developed [GameGuru]

High School student, Bei337, was working on an English project on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and decided that World of Warcraft was a perfect match for the 14th century classic. So, he created this little machinima for his assignment and ended up getting the highest grade in the class along with the admiration of his fellow students and teacher. It might not be winning any awards for voice acting (didn't he have any friends in the Drama club?) but, you got to give the kid props for the awesome combination of video games, literature and education. Huzzah! Flynn De Marco

[via Wonderland]

Charlotte's Web is a bittersweet tale of life and death. As a kid, I remembered being truly depressed by climax. This DS version, which will accompany the upcoming film, likewise looks depressing. For all the wrong reasons, that is. Brian Ashcraft

E.B. White's Game [Go Nintendo]

Tipper SixSider points us to this CNET article, in which it is reported that the MacArthur Foundation is set to announced a $240,000 grant to Edward Castronova and his team to build "Arden: The World of Shakespeare," a Bard-based MMO.

Sounds nerdy. Castronova is an associate professor of telecommunications at Indiana University, and reputedly the "leading expert on the economies of virtual worlds."

What exactly the player is expected to do in this game is never laid out in a pat sort of way, but it sounds like a Shakespeare mod for any number of existing MMOs:

"If you collect the 'To be or not be' speech and then take it to a lore master or to a skilled bard, he can then apply the magic to your broad sword or you (could) utilize the magic in a battle situation to give you this massive (advantage)," Castronova explained. "So there (will be) this intensive competition to get the best speeches of Shakespeare in your play book.

Attacking giant enemy wizards for massive advantages. I'm not seeing how this is educational yet. Nobody actually reads quest text. Eliza Gauger

Shakespeare Coming to a Virtual World [CNET]

A Minnesota middle school teacher had problems getting through the magic of reading to the illiterate, spaced-out cretins in his eighth grade English class. His solution? Irrelevantly and inappropriately comparing the plots of Homerian epics to Sega hedgehogs who can just run really fast.

In short, he started comparing the plot of Sonic the Hedgehog to The Odyssey. That got the little snot-nosed buggers' attention.

The 1UP article on this story contains this curious quote: "The Odyssey and Sonic the Hedgehog comparison seems a little off, but if it's helping kids understand their literature, it can't be all bad." Comparing The Odyssey to Sonic is like comparing Ernest Borgnine to the Unbearable Lightness of Being. How can the little turds be expected to understand The Odyssey when they think that it's all about how Odysseus had to free Telemachus and Penelope by jumping through them at high speed and turning them back to bunnies and chickens? Florian Eckhardt

Minnesota Teacher Utilizes Games [1UP]