ContributionsIndustry

How Hollywood Has Influenced The Gaming Industry

March 28, 2017 — by Industry Contributions

main

ContributionsIndustry

How Hollywood Has Influenced The Gaming Industry

March 28, 2017 — by Industry Contributions

By Mila Payton

A growing movement is pushing for Video Games to be classified as an art form, the same as music or movies. A medium for storytelling and cinematics that is on par, and sometimes better, with any Hollywood blockbuster in recent years. While movies have always been a “higher form of art” than games, this line is becoming increasingly blurred. In many ways, Hollywood gave rise to video games (in their modern form).




Without certain films, many genres of video game would not even exist. Without the cinematic, aesthetic and commercial movements that grew from the cinema, video games as they are now would be very different. Understanding these influences is key to understanding video games.

The Films That Defined Us

Ask any cinematic buff about the “films that defined the industry” and certain movies will stand out time and time again. No matter who you ask, there are some films that changed the world. And every list shares several of these names. The video game industry is no different. These movies defined whole new genres and even decades later continue to inspire video games.

Imagine a world where Star Wars never existed. Aside from the many fantastic Star Wars games we might never have had Space Invaders, Mass Effect, Star Fox or Eve Online, each monumental in their own ways. Star Trek existed prior to Star Wars but it never saw the big screen cinematic success that Star Wars brought, and likely never would have. The entire space opera genre, and science fiction in its current state would not have existed had Star Wars never been released.

Star Wars IV Celebration, LucasArts video games booth

Without Raiders of the Lost Ark we would never have seen the likes of Tomb Raider, Uncharted or Prince of Persia. The entire adventure or ancient history inspired “tomb raiding” genre would never have risen to such prominence without the inspiration that came from Indiana Jones.

And likewise, we would never have seen such a massively successful series as Grand Theft Auto (or other crime inspired games) without Scarface. Halo, Gears of War, or Doom would probably have never been created without the inspiration derived from James Cameron’s Aliens series. And we don’t even have to touch on the explosion of video games that came after The Matrix. Suffice to say, Hollywood has had an extreme impact on the video gaming industry. Without these, and many other movies, so many beloved and applauded video games would never have been created.




Beyond The Inspiration – The Cinematography

The impact of Hollywood goes far beyond just genres, plots and characters though. Video games are becoming increasingly cinematic. Look at the rise of cut scenes now, some of these are on par or even better than blockbuster movies. Some scenes are unforgettable and have had more of an emotional and awe inspiring impact than the clear majority of movies out there. These cinematic aspects of a video game can be broken down by the cinematic tools used to inspire such feelings.

You could argue that the directors of smash hit games would be as comfortable leading Mass Effect as they would a new Star Wars film. The employment of cinematographic techniques for narration and the creation of atmosphere and mood are just as inspired and sophisticated as the best directors could do. Though the kind of issues a video game has to deal with versus that of the release of a Hollywood blockbuster are vastly different.

L.A. Noire was the first video game to be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2011, where it wowed audiences. Cinema critics could not believe that this was how sophisticated video games now were. And the inspiration Hollywood had on L.A. Noire from the mid-20th century goes without saying, far beyond what can possibly be covered here.

There are far too many ways Hollywood has directly or indirectly influenced the video gaming industry. It should be obvious by now that the current state would not exist without the influences that shaped it. The stories that shaped many of our childhoods and inspire us even now or will in the future could never have been dreamed of without Hollywood first paving the way.

Beyond this, the cinematography, how to create atmosphere, the pacing, the aesthetic, the style, in too many ways to count, Hollywood has had an inestimable impact on video games. And without this, the way in which video games make us think, feel, laugh and cry would not have been possible.

Comments










Industry Contributions

logo
SUPPORTED BY