The Relationship Between Gaming, TV and Movies
Within the streaming TV and movie world, there is a noticeably increasing trend for movies and TV series to draw on gaming for inspiration. Do you know any series or films that have been influenced by games or game characters? Look at our list below – you may find some surprises!
Arcane Series Influenced by the League of Legend (LoL)
One television show that can be seen as an adaptation of a video game is The Arcane Series. This web series debuted in 2017 and was created by Adi Shankar, the producer behind films like Dredd (2012). It features several different characters, each possessing superpowers. Each character bears a resemblance to an LoL champion. For instance, one character looks like Varus; another character can turn into a crow and reminds one of Karthus.
Angry Birds Series Influenced by Crush the Castle Game
The Angry Birds Franchise was influenced by the Crush the Castle Game. This physics-based game has you play as a diminutive king who must defend his castle from an onslaught of large projectiles thrown at it by pigs. This flash game was published in 2010. Players are catapulted into a castle full of helplessly trapped people, jewels and gold. They use physics to crush all their targets with boulders or explosives so they can save the day.
Detective Pikachu Film Influenced by Pokémon Go
The Detective Pikachu movie was influenced by the Pokémon games and especially the mobile game Pokémon Go. The film centres on a boy who teams up with a talking, coffee-loving Pikachu to find his lost father. This is the first time that Pikachu can talk in an anime or cartoon, and he spends most of his time on-screen with his partner Tim Goodman, played by Justice Smith.
The film is set in Rhyme City and features many creatures and locations from the game, like Lure Modules and PokeStops. The movie also includes some characters we haven’t seen before, like Lt. Yoshida, a police officer who plays a part in the film’s mystery. The main antagonist is Howard Clifford, who runs the energy drinks company that sponsors Rhyme City.
Game of Thrones Inspired by World of Warcraft
One of the best-selling games ever, World of Warcraft (WoW), has several genre counterparts, including books and film series like Lord of the Rings. WoW has reportedly inspired the Game of Thrones (GOT) series as well. GOT is set in Westeros and Essos, like WoW, and both feature magic and mythical creatures such as dragons and White Walkers.
Characters from one show may differ from those in the other, but fans have pointed out some similarities between the worlds. There are striking similarities between the Lannisters and the WoW Horde, ruled by a powerful witch called Gul’dan. Tyrion may be an honourable man in GOT, but he shares his name with another character of that description, Illidan Stormrage of WoW lore.
The Assassin’s Creed Series Influenced by the Da Vinci Code
The Assassin’s Creed Series was influenced by the Da Vinci Code. In both stories, there are secret societies and hidden messages for readers to decipher. Both stories also include conspiracy theories involving influential figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Emperor Constantine. While some fans say that the 2017 film starring Michael Fassbender was not well-received by critics, it did well financially. It also remains the case that Assassin movies overall remain popular.
The 2017 film follows the story of Callum Lynch, who lives in New York City, which is an alternate version of Abstergo Industries called The Company Town. Lynch finds himself caught in a war between the Assassins and Templars, fighting for an artefact called The Apple of Eden. This can control free will and make people subject to the will of those who possess it.
6 Reasons why Gaming Is Well Suited for TV shows and Movie Inspiration
Games are interactive, and this heightens the suspense of television shows
So just why do games suit many movie genres? Interactive video games involve players having to make decisions. For this reason, these kinds of games also heighten tension and raise the stakes for players. This is because they feel like their choices matter. Interactive games require high-quality writing because players must remember important plot points to see the best endings. Their choices will have an important impact on their character’s fate, which can be seen in games like The Walking Dead and Fable.
Games can be developed for years leading to complex characters
Some role-playing video games like Dragon Age (Inquisition) may take hours and hours to beat, giving writers time to develop characters. Characters’ choices and personalities can change depending on the player’s choice to bring them to life.
This kind of emotional investment can help heighten suspense and tension in a show and lead to complex and realistic characters. This makes TV shows based on video games well suited. Games like this allow writers to explore their characters’ life histories, motives and the events that shaped them. It is a time to get more creative.
Games offer compelling visuals because they do not require sets
Games are better suited as long-form TV series is because they do not need expensive sets. Instead, they can use pre-rendered backdrops with cut scenes to show the setting in great detail.
Most of them use pre-rendered backdrops for their cut scenes. These allow the developers to create huge castles and cities, which would be difficult to replicate with sets. In movies based on games, the developers can make character models look more realistic than those on regular shows.
Games typically have an established storyline or world
By having an already established storyline, writers can evade the stress of coming up with storylines. Games often have established stories and universes, so writers can simply adapt video game plots into their new scripts. Video game plots are typically more structured than TV shows. It is because developers must consider basic gameplay, controls, mechanics and other important factors. This makes sense since they are interested in making games fun to play.
There is already an established audience for games
Games already have a large audience because people love to play them. This can be a huge advantage for TV shows and films inspired by games because they may already have fans going into the show or movie, even if it’s an adaptation. The more fans a product has, the more successful it is likely to be.
Games are already visual and audio based
Games are based on visuals and audio, which is already well-suited for adaptation into television shows. They can also include detailed soundtracks, which add to the suspense and tension of the story. The soundtrack should match with each scene depending on what is happening. It helps heighten feelings and emotions. These audio-visual graphics in video games are better suited for adaptation into live-action shows than other genres.
There’s no doubt that long-form TV will continue to be influenced by the gaming industry. This is an accelerating genre so can only increase. Will shows be the better for it? It’s hard to say based on the previous efforts, some of which are noted above. One thing is for sure though. As games become more live TV and Movies you can expect the streaming media industry (in particular) to embrace the ready source of plot lines, stunts and awe-inspiring visuals.
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