George R. R. Martin is best known for writing the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series of books. This series then went on to inspire the popular Game of Thrones HBO series. His fans would also know that he worked with game director Hidetaka Miyazaki on FromSoftware’s Elden Ring. This game too became a sensation, just like his previous work did.
This successful game really put FromSoftware way up in the list of game studios that can hardly do anything wrong. It is without doubt an incredible open-world game that gave soulslike fans a whole new world to experience. Elden Ring went on to be one of the most successful soulslike games out there and FromSoftware’s most successful game yet. Still, after getting so successful, George R. R. Martin decided not to play this game at all.
George R. R. Martin never played Elden Ring for a big reason
Video games can serve as an excellent pastime for anyone out there. They can just choose a world and explore its nook and cranny as much as they want. But this also means a lot of time needs to be invested in these titles.
When it comes to a critically acclaimed title such as Elden Ring, this is even more logical. A game crafted by spending hundreds of hours, a game developed by numerous designers and developers with utter care. Giving each of this game’s corners special attention.
Players find even more pleasure in exploring these worlds. The evidence is in the number of hours Elden Ring gamers have spent on this title. They play it for hundreds of hours, searching, fighting enemies, defeating bosses, and much more. However, they have yet to find everything this game has to offer. It can be somewhat too engaging for people with addictive personalities.
And this is exactly why George R. R. Martin refuses to play Elden Ring. He explained how he had spent months playing video games before. He also explained how those games did not let him complete any work, just pushing him to play them even more.
“I have not played it because people seem to want this Winds of Winter book [laughs]. I have, unfortunately, a totally addictive personality. I did play video games a long time ago. I played games like Railroad Tycoon, Master of Orion, and Homeworld. I would get sucked into it, and weeks and months would go by. I’d be sitting there in my red flannel bathrobe going, ‘One more game, one more game!’”
This is pretty interesting to know given the fact that he was almost on the front end of this game’s development. He developed years of history for the characters featured in Elden Ring, which must make him curious about how developers have implemented those stories in-game.
On the other hand, he also has his hands on a bunch of other projects. He worked on HBO’s House of the Dragon series; he is also writing the next book in his abovementioned “A Song of Ice and Fire” series called “Winds of Winter.”
For those unaware George R. R. Martin has been writing “Winds of Winter” for over a decade. His work goes on as fans all over ask him to complete it soon. So, it only makes sense for him to just focus on the book and not get trapped in the world of Elden Ring.
Developers have a huge dilemma on their hands
While George R. R. Martin successfully distances himself from these games and their addiction, not everyone is so lucky. There have been gamers around the world who get stuck in this loop, finding it hard to get out.
Creating engaging worlds and rich lore is a good thing. But how does one decide the level of engagement a player should have with a particular game? As is pretty obvious, people getting addicted to video games is never a good thing.
