Movies Aren’t Always Onscreen Affairs: How Hollywood Has Broken the Mold

When you want to see a classic movie, what would you do? In years gone by, you’d visit a movie theatre. In more recent times, your TV or computer have become conduits for Hollywood’s finest productions. Today, however, technology has changed the game. Yes, you can still watch a movie play out in a format you’d expect. 

In today’s tech-centric world, movies have broken free from their traditional mould and can be found in all manner of places. The most interesting is the gaming industry. When you’re looking for a way to connect with your favourite movie stars, you can now find them in the gaming industry. The obvious place to start is the games themselves. Regardless of the device or genre, you’ll probably find a game based on a movie.  

Movie Clips Make Games More Entertaining

Going back to 1997 and the Nintendo, GoldenEye 007 was a massive hit. Not only did it take the first-person shooter genre to a new level, the game featured sound effects and motifs from the movie. It’s a similar story when you look at Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier. Developed by Imaginaty Studios for the Xbox One, PC and PlayStation 4, the game is described as a cinematic adventure on account of its embedded videos. In fact, in recent years, this technique of blending video clips with games has even been used in the casino industry.

At the largest online casinos, you’ll find an array of video slots that take familiar movie characters and combine them with big money jackpots. These games not only switch between in-game animations and embedded videos but have bonus rounds based on the movie’s central theme. For example, Bridesmaids by Microgaming has a round called Magic Moments. During this mini-game, your task is to sift through Polaroid photos and choose the most magical moments from the movie. The moments you choose will ultimately determine how much you win.

Building on this, online operator Mr Green has taken the movie trend and used it to enliven its social media pages. In essence, the marketing team is tapping into the industry’s penchant for movie-themed games and using it to create a more engaging Twitter feed. A great example is the May the 4th be with you tweet featuring the site’s mascot (Mr Green) holding a green lightsabre. This kind of marketing would have been possible in any context. However, it’s more effective now because of the connection between gaming and movies that’s developed over the last few decades.

Looking Forward to a Time When Movies and Games Become One

In fact, when you look towards the future of movies and gaming, the two worlds could be able to complement each in a completely new way. With virtual reality already a multibillion-dollar industry, creative types on both sides of the divide are dreaming up ways to make their products more engaging. The end result could be that games become immersive movies and movies become interactive games. When you go to watch the latest Hollywood creation, the director is trying to engage as many senses as possible.

Virtual reality would allow them to do this by introducing interactive elements. If this were to happen, the line between what’s a movie and what’s a game would be blurred beyond recognition. Sure, it’s only one potential way in which movies could change, but it’s one that makes sense. With the two entertainment mediums enjoying a fruitful relationship in recent years, the idea of a crossover concept isn’t too far beyond the realms of possibility. As well as breaking the mould and proving the movies aren’t always onscreen affairs, this type of innovation would make things infinitely more interesting for everyone.