This talk explores interactive digital adaptations of four well-known works of nineteenth-century literature, examining how each responds to the challenge of incorporating fidelity to the original story along with meaningful user-directed interactivity:

Arthur Conan Doyle, "A Scandal in Bohemia" from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892)

Jules Verne, Around the World in Eighty Days (1873)

The following adaptations are referenced:

from iClassics, The Interactive Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia

from Inkle Studios, 80 Days and Dave Morris's Frankenstein

from USC Game Innovation Lab, Walden, a game

This event is presented by Jason Boyd, Toronto Metropolitan University. The event is also part of Toronto Public Library's Great Books Lecture Series, made possible through a gift from the Ann Thoburn Fund.

Questions? Please email programproposals@tpl.ca.

If you identify as a person with a disability or as a person who is Deaf, and require an accessibility accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Accessibility Services by email, accessibleservices@tpl.ca, or voicemail, 416-393-7099, to make a request. Please contact us at least three weeks in advance.

How to Play a Book: Adaptations of Literary Classics as Computer Games