Editorial: Can video games work as movies?

Can video games work as movies?

          There’s really nothing better than seeing a source material you love being adapted well to film. One of the primary reasons why the Harry Potter movies remain so beloved is that the cast and crew paid great respect to the original books and ensured that they adapt them properly. Same with the Lord of the Rings movies; they wouldn’t be nearly as beloved if they had strayed too far from Tolkien’s work.

          So why is it then that video games can’t seem to get a proper movie adaption? The closest thing we’ve got to a video game movie that is both commercially and critically successful is Wreck-It Ralph, which isn’t even based on an existing video game. In all honesty, Ralph stops being about video games at the end of the first act.

          That isn’t to say there isn’t a lack of video game movies. In fact, there are movies for nearly every popular game franchise out there: Super Mario Bros., Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed, Warcraft, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Final Fantasy, the list goes on and on. There are even plans for even more in the future, based on games like like Uncharted, Minecraft, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Portal, Sly Cooper, and Dragon’s Lair. So with all these movies, why do most of them seem to be so bad?

          Sure, there are a few good ones out there. I myself am particularly a fan of the Warcraft movie. But all movies based directly on games always seem to turn out lousy reviews, which in turn create box office bombs. In the end, whereas movies like the Harry Potter movies may inspire viewers to check out the books they were based on, considering that huge Assassin’s Creed fans didn’t like the movie, I doubt any casual viewers would be more interested in the games as a result.

          So why do they all turn out so bad? Well, in my opinion, the answer comes in the form of the source material: the games themselves. Think about any game that has a major overarching story. You, the player character, are always at the center of that story. This gives you an investment in what’s going on around you as you venture through this world. In a movie, you’re just the observer. You’re the omniscient audience watching these events play out, instead of directly participating in it.

          Think back to Super Mario Bros. The original game’s story is as simple as it gets. You, as Mario, run through the level, stomp the Goombas, reach the flagpole, and continue on your merry way until you defeat Bowser and rescue Princess Peach at the end of the game. Yes, it’s incredibly simplistic, but you become invested in Mario’s journey more than his destination. You, the player, control his every step. If he messes up and you need to start the level over, that’s your fault. By putting the adventure in your hands, you become invested.

          In the Super Mario Bros. movie, you get none of that. You’re watching two Brooklyn plumbers with Italian names (created by a Japanese man) make their way through this bizarre dinosaur city trying to kill Dennis Hopper. Um, okay. Difference from the source material and the overall poor quality of the movie aside, even if the movie was truer to the games, there still would be that disconnect. Audiences want movies to keep them engaged and excited, unsure what will happen next. What’s there to be excited about if you’re watching a portly Italian man jump on turtles?

          But that’s just what happens when a game with a simplistic story is adapted to film. Why do so many movies based on games that have deep stories flop as well? Well, poor direction is often the case (damn you, Uwe Boll!), but I think there’s another reason.

          Imagine you’re playing a game, and you see two doors. One leads to the final boss. The other will lead to a treasure completely unnecessary to finishing the game, but is rewarding nonetheless. Even if it’s completely worthless, you still get a sense of accomplishment for finding it. If they were to adapt this scene to a movie, you’d bet that they’d ignore the second room completely and go straight to the end. And this is why so many video game movies fail to capture the spirit of the games they are based on. It’s not that the stories from the games are bad; it’s that you cannot accurately adapt gameplay to the big screen.

A video game’s story is always centered on the player and their actions in the world. If you remove the connection that you yourself are the one calling the shots here, as well as the ability to go explore and ignore the storyline, that just leaves a shell of what the story once was. Maybe someday they’ll figure out a way to properly adapt a game to film, or maybe they’ll keep going the Warcraft route and focus on the backing lore or side stories of the games instead. Until then, if I want to see a proper Portal or Uncharted story unfold, I’ll just replay one of the games.

Song of the Week

          It’s a new dawn of a new year! As such, I wanted a more rejuvenating song to kick it off, so I went with Grizzly Hills from World of Warcraft.