The Dig

I recently visited a friend in Cleveland, and we popped into a used book store after lunch. There were a number of titles I considered buying, but ultimately decided I didn’t need more books as I had plenty at home waiting to be read. Just before we left, though, my eye spied a title that I couldn’t ignore. It was Alan Dean Foster’s “The Dig”, the novelization of a LucasArts game I played in my youth.

The book was $3, which I happily paid. I just finished reading it. It is markedly different from the narrative of the game, in several critical ways. It’s not a work of classic literature, and it evinces plenty of dated thoughts and behaviors; but it’s not a bad book. It’s an easy read, with only three main characters and a whole bunch of science-fantasy window dressing.

I was particularly struck by how little effort Foster put into describing the myriad alien devices. Anything not relevant to the plot was just some vague doodad, only briefly described. More often than not, these doodads were described in the aggregate and supplemented by a character’s thoughts about what secrets they may hold. I quite enjoyed not getting bogged down in detailed descriptions of the truly alien. My brain could loosely fill in what I thought felt or looked alien in the context, rather than try to envision in my mind’s eye any descriptions that Foster put down.

Also interesting to me was how little I remember of the game! I have strong memories of the Wagnerian soundtrack, Robert Patrick’s voice, and just a few scenes from the game. I don’t know that I ever finished it! It’s available for purchase on Steam for $6, and I’m seriously tempted to buy it so that I can work my way through it again.

That’s a dangerous path, though. If I buy The Dig, I’ll need to buy Maniac Mansion and Day of the Tentacle. I absolutely loved those games. And Full Throttle! And Sam & Max was a joy to play, too. If I buy those, I’ll end up buying the LucasArts games I never played, like Grim Fandango, and then the entire Monkey Island franchise, and finally all the Indiana Jones games!

Of course, all of those games were a product of their time, both culturally and technologically. The game play may feel rudimentary, or the puzzles inane to 50-year-old-me. As a younger person, all of these games were eye-opening experiences and deeply influential to my sense of humor. Is it worth trying to reexperience any of that, or is it safer to remain a cozy memory?