From Shakespeare to Software
Book: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabriel Zevin
I became aware of this book via the NY Times book review podcast. Gabriel Zevin did a great job explaining the title, which comes from Hamlet, and the book's theme. The thought of a storyline based on the creators of computer games fascinated me.
And I was not disappointed. I thought it might be more of a geeky, technical read, but it wasn’t. These were well-developed, college-aged characters. One is at Harvard, and the other is at MIT. They are both from LA and connected as twelve-year-olds under the most random circumstances. After losing touch for seven years, they run into each other in a Boston subway. And the story takes off from there.
I learned so much about game development. The biggest lesson was that game development is storytelling. I never looked at games this way. I am sure this is obvious to everyone, but there you go. These creators envision whole new worlds, characters, and storylines with multiple potential plots. The storyline is controlled by the person playing the game. Wonderful.
In the end, this book is all about friendship. How easily it is developed at our preteen ages. The break up from immaturity. The rebuilding as early adults. The distancing as we get married. And finally, the reconnection of lifelong friends. This story was very special to me.
In short, there is much to learn here about the creators of games and the inspiration for their development. But most importantly, how to be a friend through life.