Games & Films

Video and games and films have always had a complex and intertwined relationship. As creativity based University courses grow increasingly popular, Games & Stories takes a look at the development of this relationship, the material produced by it, the techniques and technologies that these two mediums share and what this synergy will mean for future film and game releases.
To begin with, we’ll need a little back history. The film industry has been around for over 100 years and has undergone huge technological advancements to get from the silent films of the late 1800’s to the blockbusting standards of our contemporary cinema releases. Hollywood cinema alone is a multibillion dollar industry and has become so deeply rooted within our global cultures that even the most pop culture deprived of us can recognise intertextual references from the most well known films. In contrast, the gaming industry has only been a part of mainstream culture for the past 30 years - only recently has it begun to appeal to larger, more mainstream audiences. It has quite a way to go.
When considering the relationships between films and video games it is likely that the first subject to come to mind is film tie in games. These are games which are released in conjunction to cinematic film releases and are notorious for being of poor quality, often due to film studios pushing for tie in games to be released in time for film launch dates. Recent releases to have the film tie in game treatment include ‘Iron Man 2’ (2010) and ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ (2010). Creating a film tie in game requires game developers to purchase creative licenses from studios as well as the right to certain material such as characters and storylines. Film tie in games are often economically successful despite their sometimes poor reviews. So why do audiences buy these games regardless? Mainly because of the ‘hype’ which so many big budget and high popularity film releases enjoy. Consumers are attracted to merchandise sporting the name of their favourite films – this ensures that film tie in game marketing ploys are almost always successful. This trend also applies to films which are based on games. Although often poor translations, game based films are usually successful because they ride on the guarantee that fans of the original games will also want to see their screen adaptations. Game based films such as ‘Hitman’ (2007) and ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’ (2001) were considered to be financial successes, but were considered to be poor by critics.
Films and games are also growing ever closer in numerous technological aspects. Following the development of new technologies for viewing films such as HD TVs and BluRay discs, further ideas have been formed regarding the potential to store both games and films on singular discs. In July 2006, major film studio DreamWorks speculated that in the future games and films could be marketed and sold together on single discs, bridging the present gap between these two entertainment medias. Entertainment giant Sony has also expressed its interest in the concept, the development of which is rumoured to occur around the release of its Playstation 4 system in the not too distant future. The introduction of online gaming marketplaces such as the Playstation Network and Xbox marketplace system mean that players can now download films and film trailers through their gaming consoles. This is a clear sign of films and games becoming much closer entertainment medias and means that the gaming industry is more relevant to mainstream audiences than it was previously. Increasingly similar creative technology is used across the two mediums –the recent advancement of motion capture has been present in both games such as ‘Heavy Rain’ (2010) and films such as ‘Avatar’ (2010). Games are becoming increasingly cinematic, with titles such as ‘Soul Reaver 2’ (2001) and Gears Of War (2006) including extremely cinematic visual styles and long cut scenes which deepened their stories narratives. Influential companies such as Industrial Light and Magic are now sharing their CGI knowledge with game production companies, so it’s not surprising that that there are correlations between the development of films and video games.
Ask any film or video game buff and they’ll tell you that there have been many homage’s and references across to two medias. Many films have taken noticeable inspiration from video games and cinematic video game styles. The best known example of this is perhaps ‘The Matrix’ (1999) which incorporated imaginative camera angles and cinematography, as well as highly stylised action sequences which are akin to cinematic sequences seen in video games. Many television shows, particularly those of the recent trend of crime thrillers, incorporate split screens to show two sets of narrative action at one time. This technique is directly influenced by similar methods used in video games. In contrast, there have been many recent game releases which draw upon cinematic techniques found in films. Games now frequently feature tag lines, such as the 2008 release of ‘Fallout 3’ which sported the tag line ‘prepare for the future.’ The recently released ‘Heavy Rain’ blurred video games and films in a way which had never been done before, with players actions and decisions directly effecting the virtual in-game world and its characters. Many critics believe that ‘Heavy Rain’ is an indication that in the future, huge budget films will merge with top-selling games into one singular form of entertainment.
It’s becoming pretty clear that this synergy between films and video games has been here for a long time, and it’s going nowhere fast. The two have a complex history and will arguably have an even more complex future. Perhaps new technology will allow us to play out the roles of our favourite film characters in virtual reality, or perhaps new filming methods will mean that audiences can interact with films as they watch them. Only time will tell.

- Written by C. Duckworth.