My Complicated Relationship with Video Game Adaptations

I bloody love games, man, I think that’s pretty obvious for anyone who follows me. I also deeply love film. I’ve always been a big fan of this cinematic art form. You would think bringing these two mediums together would be a match made in heaven and something I would be shouting from the rooftops about. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.

As much as I adore both games and film. I feel like their collaboration has been pretty hit or miss, with it leaning more towards the misses. So, with more conversation rising around this topic on account of more and more films being announced. I wanted to give my two cents as to why I’m so cautious towards these new adaptations, and which one I am truly excited for (Which we’ll get to at the end).

Are games meant to be watched?

Games are, obviously, an interactive medium. Some games may be more interactive than others, but that interactivity should be a core component of the game's story. It helps you feel connected with the characters, as if they’re now an extension of yourself. Learning the twist in Silent Hill 2 feels so impactful because you’ve been controlling James for these hours. The narrative in Spec Ops: The Line is so hard-hitting because you’re the one doing those violent, unspeakable acts. Games excel when they ask the player to detach from themselves and live through the eyes of these characters.

Where I think adaptations start to wander is that they want to tell these stories without the player's input. It’s where they fail in my eyes. People like to joke about how games like The Last of Us are “Playable movies”, but they seem to forget about the “Playable” part of that criticism. When you take that away, you’re not left with the same experience. You can’t expect a viewer to have the same visceral response to Joel tearing through the hospital that the person playing the game would.

My hottest take is that these adaptations shouldn’t be easy to make. If you’re able to very easily adapt the same story as the games, it shows a detriment to the game's quality. If the gameplay isn’t paramount in the story, what’s the point? The Last of Us isn’t as effective as a show as it is a game; Uncharted doesn’t feel as exciting when you’re not behind the controller. So why do studios think it’s so important to retell elements from these games in a medium where these scenes just will not work? Which brings me to how I think we can start to improve.

Where it’s done right

It’s not all doom and gloom. I do think that Video Game Adaptations can be done well, and it isn’t completely impossible. There are some great examples of these. Such as Amazon’s Fallout series, Netflix’s Cyberpunk Edgerunners and I’ve been told that the Sonic films are fantastic (Granted, I’m not a Sonic fan, so I can’t confirm that). There is something that connects all of these, though; they aren’t directly adapting the games.

As I mentioned earlier, I think direct adaptation is a fairly poor way to choose to bring these stories to a new medium. The best adaptations I’ve seen all chose to tell a brand new story within the world of these properties. You no longer have the issue of trying to translate a story made to be interactive, as you can tell a brand new narrative that suits the medium it’s told in, while connecting it to elements from the games so that fans can still enjoy it.

Just from personal experience, I know of people who have bought and started Cyberpunk because they watched Edgerunners and wanted more from that series. I’ve seen friends get into Castlevania because of how good that Netflix show was. Hell, I got into the Resident Evil franchise because of the upcoming film (More on that in a second!). Good adaptations can bring new people to your franchise, still, but if you’re telling the same story, why would people choose to engage? Sure, you’ll get a better experience, but for the majority of people watching these will see it’s the same story and decide it’s not worth the time.

Will Resident Evil go the distance?

Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil has been under a lot of scrutiny these past few weeks. From the fact that it’s not directly adapting any of the games, or the fact that it’s a fairly disconnected experience from the games. I want to go on the defensive a little and talk about why this is the one Video Game Adaptation that’s really got me excited.

The one thing worth noting is that it’s been reported that there are a lot of constraints to making a Resident Evil film. Due to contracts between Constantin Films, which help publish these films and Capon. Films under this contract are unable to tell stories from the games, and these films need to remain separate. It’s a dumb contract, and unfortunately is the reason you likely won’t be seeing Leon show up spouting lines about Bingo. However, is this something that bothers me? Not really, there’s a pretty simple reason, being Zach Cregger.

I really love Cregger’s work, Barbarian is one of my favourite horror films from the last few years, and Weapons might be one of my favourites of last year. He is excellent at making horror feel unique to his own style, and thankfully, that style resonates well with me. So imagine my lack of surprise when I see his adaptation trailer and realise, yeah, it’s another Cregger horror movie.

Cregger obviously understands what works about Resident Evil. The dread, the tense encounters, the resource management, the constant struggle as you go from enemy to enemy. These, to me, are more important than Leon, Claire or Chris showing up. That’s proven by how good RE7 was. Cregger seems to have been able to directly make these gameplay elements play a role in the film, creating the same feel you had playing any Resident Evil for the first time.

Personally, I think that’s more important than telling the same story again. I want an adaptation that makes me feel the same way I did playing the games. One that understands what makes the franchise so great. I do believe that, without Constantin’s contract in place, Zach could add more recognisable elements to this film. But I’m so glad we have a director at the height of his talent creating a film for a franchise he so clearly loves. It’s something we need far more of with upcoming adaptations.

Make adaptations you want to watch

The route Cregger took with Resident Evil I discussed earlier won’t work with every film. Not all franchises can get the same “feel” through a movie, so knowing how best to adapt these games is paramount.

Studios need to focus on getting directors who understand this medium and understand that what works in games might not necessarily work in film. Create experiences that both fans and newcomers can enjoy, create something that makes you want to go home and boot up your favourite entry of that series for old times' sake.

I don’t think it’s too hard, but what do I know? I’m not a film creative. But I do know there’s potential there for each release, potential I really hope isn’t squandered.