The gaming and film industries are growing unprecedentedly as both continue to appeal to much larger audiences. Film lovers can now immerse themselves in their favorite movies through video game adaptations, while gamers can also watch their favorite games come to life in TV shows. Such instances can raise the question of whether watching a movie inspired by your favorite video game guarantees a similar experience to playing the game. In this article, we discuss whether game-inspired films can perfectly capture the essence of gaming. Read on for more insight.
Games as a Feeling
According to most gaming journalists, TV shows are quite different in conveying the story compared to games. Films are passive, while games are active. While watching a film or TV show, you will be seated as the filmmakers explain the storyline using their characters. However, video games involve you in the story. Although the developer or writer scripted the whole story, you will determine how the game will unfold depending on your actions, choices, and decisions.
This difference makes the intensity of the film and video game stories different. For instance, the adrenaline-filled moments in the games aren’t subjected to great acting like in movies but by the gamer’s active engagement in the play. This explains why games evoke emotions more than TV shows. Therefore, it’s hard for films to capture the feeling one can get through gaming.
Changes in the Video Game’s Core Element
Games come with specific rules of engagement that a player must follow to succeed and proceed to the next level. Films sometimes don’t capture the true nature of games since they can be mutilated to fit the script. Filmmakers can propose changes likely to alter the game’s nature, and such instances always evoke reactions from enthusiastic gamers. Such proposals and changes make it impossible for TV shows to represent gaming effectively.
For instance, online gaming tournaments like the World Series of Poker (WSOP) have strict rules and schedules. Poker players intending to participate in upcoming tournaments can check out the schedule here to save the date and study the rules to boost their chances of success. However, if you are to watch a WSOP-inspired TV show, the game’s unpredictable nature and the players’ strategic decision-making might be diluted or modified for dramatic effect. Moreover, the film adaptation may only capture the surface-level excitement of the event and fall short of representing the true essence of the tournament.
The Shedding of Parts
Making TV shows and films also comes with its fair share of challenges and issues that affect the entire story. There are instances where the film directors have to remove a part of the film, whether it is interesting or not. Sometimes ruthless video editing can make the main actors support cast members because a particular scene became irrelevant, and the directors have no choice but to remove it to avoid creating a boring film.
On the other hand, games don’t allow the removal of the storyline’s segments. Gamers don’t have the advantage of escaping any reality in the game. They have to deal with the situation no matter how hard it seems. Most times, long trials in the game that one will consider boring in a film always deliver the best thrills. As TV shows continue to mutilate parts of their storyline, they obviously cannot capture the heart of gaming.
The Superhero Phenomenon
It is difficult to escape the superhero phenomenon in gaming and film storylines. In fact, the best stories showcase the superhero punishing the villains for their wicked ways. This explains why many people purchase comic books of specific superhero characters. Superhero films also appeal to many viewers. However, they don’t attain the expectations of most gamers. In films, gamers helplessly watch their superhero shine, but in gaming, they play the superhero.
Playing the superhero allows gamers to take actions that will make the game’s narrative unfold differently, whereas, in films, they are only limited to experiencing the writers’ endgame based on their imagination. Moreover, in gaming, players can create various outcomes based on their independent choices. This makes playing the superhero characters more exciting than watching them in a film.
Final Thoughts
Video games and films share various similarities. However, that doesn’t mean that films can perfectly capture the essence of gaming and vice versa. Based on this article, we have seen the nature of films that makes them incapable of effectively portraying the true nature of games. Since TV shows offer experiences by watching while gaming by active participation, we cannot expect both to give us the same experience even with a similar storyline.
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