Grab your joysticks and popcorn! A new entertainment genre has taken center stage in recent years: video game adaptations. Known as the process of transferring original video game content into their own films or series, some of the earliest game-to-screen adaptations were presented to the public starting in 1992 with the Super Mario Bros. TV show, original gaming fans may be pleased to note many more projects released on the silver screen or streaming platforms. Such films include “The Mario Movie,” “Sonic the Hedgehog,” “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” “Uncharted,” with upcoming releases “Borderlands” and “A Minecraft Movie.” Popular series include “Fallout” and “The Last of Us.”
For lifelong gamers like Nolan Greer (12) and Omar Kharraz (12), what draws them into each of their preferred games lies heavily in nostalgia.
“Nostalgia plays such a big role, because, well, it’s usually a kids movie, and then more than half of the viewership is people watching it for nostalgic purposes, and from playing each of the games in a series,” Kharraz said.
Greer emphasized this idea, relating his love for the games and their movies to his own experiences.
“Nostalgia is definitely the main point of [watching these adaptations],” Greer said. “Specifically all the references are so much fun because it brings you right back to playing the games as a kid. For me, playing the ‘Super Mario Bros.’ games with my family, and bringing back that nostalgia of Bowser capturing Princess Peach and then knowing that we have to stop them and team up with Mario and Toad were my pure childhood memories.”
Although he no longer focuses on “Super Mario Bros.,” Greer notes how his new favorite game, “Fallout,” also did a “beautiful job” bringing references to the game.
“‘Fallout’ brought a lot of things back just for the fans, as well as tying a story together for newcomers to the series,” Greer said. “For the creators of ‘Fallout’ to stay true to the roots of the game and also follow different player choices for both new and old players was a beautiful masterpiece. I was really happy they won an Emmy nominee because it gives it the recognition it deserves.”
Even so, fan expectations from the original games influencing the popularity of its corresponding adaptation don’t always prove to be predictive of that film’s success. In the upcoming “Minecraft” movie, for example, both Kharraz and Greer have doubts concerning the final product.
“I don’t believe it’s going to be a good movie because of the animation,” Kharraz said. “They should animate it either the same style, or something close to that style, since “Minecraft” is so blocky with pixels and stuff. If they are going to make a live-action, they should at least make it where the characters themselves also become cartoony.”
Greer’s concern stems more from a reminiscent perspective, including a lens on how the original game is played.
“In like the new ‘Minecraft’ movie, fans like myself are a little worried,” Greer said. “The thing with the ‘Minecraft’ games is that it is built on just being creative and having no [extension of] your creativity and [being able] to build a world. And for the new movie, it’s like, ‘Oh, well, will it put limits on that creativity?’”
Richard Robinette, Computer Programming, AP Computer Science A and Machine Learning teacher, believes that with video games and film working so closely in the modern world, they will “continue to affect each other until they completely merge.”
“[Interactivity is] huge when [the games and film] work together,” Robinette said. “I don’t think there’s going to be anything else; I think the only reason that we have media that’s not interactive is just because the technology hasn’t caught up. At some point there won’t be anything else.”
As the teacher of two computer-based classes on campus, Robinette is putting in an effort to teach his students “fulfillment” with their work, even if this means that they will need to focus less on having fun with the gaming and more on the technical controls.
“I can’t remember what it’s called in the brain, but there’s a skill they build when they’re gaming a lot of times that can be helpful, but my philosophy is kind of the opposite,” Robinette said. “I just try to shift them away from entertainment and towards things that are going to build a real sense of accomplishment.”
This doesn’t mean that all hope is lost in the art of transferring video games onto the big screen, however. In fact, Robinette believes that the presentation of the project is set to be the most important part.
“That is where it is ultimately going to be — in the story creation and the marketing of things; the programming is already starting to be kind of grunt work,” Robinette said.
Furthermore, adaptations aren’t just in theaters, but are able to merge within our own schools and communities. A group of students on campus have formed a club centered around a popular Chinese game released in August: Black Myth: Wukong. The club’s president, Caroline Zhang (11), only started getting involved in the gaming community after Black Myth: Wukong’s release, and continues to see lots of potential for its impact on future games.
“I really think Black Myth opened a new era for video games, so I really love this game,” Zhang said. “Playing games is usually bad by Chinese standards, but Wukong really inspired me to learn Chinese history, and all the stories and lessons behind it.”
Black Myth: Wukong is also notorious for its fans being able to create their own cutscenes to go along with the game itself, allowing for a more interactive experience.
“Cut scenes are meant to promote the game, and if we can show the more very morally intense scenes from the game and put it all on the internet, we will facilitate more discussions about ethics and moral lessons,” Zhang said. “The game and cutscenes are also borderless because it’s a virtual world everyone can engage in. We should really use this method to promote connectedness and learn more about each other, history and self improvement.”
Although an avid Black Myth: Wukong player, Zhang also benefits from her gaming lifestyle as a student, using tactics such as delayed gratification. She believes that this tactic could help many other students as well.
“It’s basically a reward system to motivate you to make and get into good habits,” Zhang said. “I know that studying history is a good habit, so I use gaming as the motivation to do it.”
The Black Myth: Wukong club will have its first meeting on Friday in Room 207.
Overall, whether you are a gamer or a film enthusiast, it is clear that video game adaptations are a great outlet for entertainment. As so many more video games are yet to be adapted, gaming platforms through cinema may inevitably generate more interest from the general public — something that could connect us all.
