Movies to video games: Where entertainment has traveled
BioShock
(Credit: Gamespot)As I mentioned over the weekend, video games have once again become part of my life. And as I explore far away lands like Hyrule or Gaia, along with newer places like the city of Rapture in BioShock, I can't help but be amazed at how far video games have come in the past decade. And with that in mind, I'm left wondering why the New Release rack at Blockbuster is still filled with 90 percent garbage. For a business that relies on entertaining people, the movie industry really needs to take some pages out of the video game play book.
Video games have become the most entertaining form of enjoyment. Period. Think back to some of the new movies you've watched in the past few years and tell me how many of these justified the two hours you wasted watching it. Chances are, that number will be quite low when compared to the number of great games you've played in the last year. Of course, the reason for this is quite simple: The movie industry has become monolithic and its very business model has become derivative and outdated. There is very little drive for anyone to make a unique and extremely exciting movie anymore because producers know that many of us will go out and watch the garbage no matter how bad it is. On the other hand, video game developers--largely relegated to second-class by the Hollywood-types--have something to prove. And in the process of proving themselves, it's the video game developers that are providing the real entertainment.
Over the past month, I've rented or purchased well over 25 movies. Of those 25, I'd be lying if I didn't say that about five were good. On the other hand, look at new video game releases like BioShock or the impending release of Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto IV and Metal Gear Solid. These titles will feature an epic storyline, engaging characters and a plot that will keep you up at night. Are there any recently released or upcoming movies that you can say the same about? I doubt it.
Movies have become boring and derivative. What ever happened to variety? Every time I look for a movie, I'm offered one of three things: a "blood-pumping thriller", a "laugh-out-loud comedy", or your run-of-the-mill family drama. Can't these people come up with something different? And as soon as October rolls around, a flood of horror movies will invade movie theaters all over the world with each offering nothing new to the stale genre.
And while there are some derivative motifs in the gaming business, it's a far more innovative industry. Take BioShock, for example. The game is a first-person shooter, which is old, but it adds a new experience and engaging storyline to keep us coming back for more.
I've always enjoyed news stories that discuss the fall in box-office numbers and raised ticket prices to offset the high costs of running a movie theater. More often than not, these "cinemas" blame the public for raised prices and declining sales. Even better, they normally scoff at the video game industry when individual games outperform movies at the box office. But what the movie industry fails to understand and the video game business does, is that people are fed up with junk.
For too long, we've been subjected to the mind-numbing stories of love, action and drama. How many more times can I see a man and a woman dislike each other, then love each other, then hate each other and then fall back in love with each other? Enough is enough.
The movie industry needs to take some notes from the video game developers. Trust me, it's the only way to bring us back.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
I'm a huge fan of and proponent for the potential of the video games industry.
That said, while you make some good points about the "mind-numbing" film offerings and the "far more innovative" games industry, you're making generalizations for both vertical markets. And I think you romanticize video game offerings, and unfairly slight film.
In essence, you're talking about the trap of commercialism, but that exists regardless of distribution medium.
It's not that easy to nail down. After all, film and video games are at the end of the day commercial enterprises, so backers may go with known quantities at the expense of original intellectual property. Sure, we want original IP, but if that doesn't sell, companies can't make more of it (look at how video gamers under-appreciated titles like "Psychonauts", "Beyond Good & Evil", and "Breakdown", keeping us from those possible sequels).
Want challenging stuff in film? There is a fantastic independent film scene that pushes thematic and content boundaries. The downside is there are those that do that for the sake of pushing boundaries, to poor effect, and the same can be said of video games (the Virginia shootings "simulator" game, and it's too early to know whether Take-Two's "Manhunt 2" will fall in the same category).
On the flip side, there are interesting films that attempt to make it through mainstream commercial distribution (Hayao Miyazaki's films, Timur Bekmambetov's "Night Watch", Danny Boyle's/Alex Garland's "Sunshine"), and those that are wildly successful on the commercial front (Zack Snyder's "300", Robert Rodriguez's "Sin City").
And while you say, "Movies have become boring and derivative", have you compared first-person shooters in general (and the number of World War II games in particular)? The sports franchises? Massively Multiplayer Online games?
Sequels are often at the top of detractors lists as a sign of a decreasing box office. But I'd argue there is commercial and popular anticipation for things like "Sin City 2". And it's not to say there can't be innovation in sequels (in film or gaming). To me, "Madden" is a very tired franchise -- but "Madden 08" is an amazingly solid game. And while I would be satisfied with a break from WWII shooters, Gearbox Software's upcoming "Brother's in Arms: Hell's Highway", is the third in its series, is a WWII shooter, and is arguably one of the best, most innovative franchises out there.
And all of the "hot new video game releases" you list are sequels ("Halo 3", "Grand Theft Auto IV" and "Metal Gear Solid").
And "BioShock" (which I consider a fantastic game), is, to honest, a bit derivative -- of its "System Shock" precursor and of the "Deus Ex" play mechanics and depth of story.
And video games are a different industry than film. A very young industry, with a lot of potential. But while you bemoan only getting your choice of a "blood-pumping thriller", a "laugh-out-loud comedy", or your run-of-the-mill family drama, games don't even give us those three.
I've also never seen anyone lament human beings' lofty emotions and struggles, "For too long, we've been subjected to the mind-numbing stories of love, action and drama." Not quite sure what to do with that.
To be honest, I believe good stories are good stories. Film sequels can be told well (The Empire Strikes Back, The Return of the Jedi), or not as well (in some folks' opinion, the new Star Wars trilogy). Same with games (I'm hoping Halo 3 has a better story than Halo 2; Hell's Highway is based on pretty hard-core, real account; I'm looking forward to Mass Effect's story; etc.).
So let's give different medium the grace afforded by the medium. And let's take each medium to task when it is being derivative. And let's laud the good stuff, loud and long.
No medium is more artistic than another.