As the video game industry reaches ever closer to the film industry in profits, the question of which games, if any, can create the same emotional experience as a movie becomes an increasingly complex one.

As technology improves, game makers should be able to add more depth to their storytelling in their games, and immerse players ever more in a game world.

It shouldn’t be long before video games can create the same emotional response as a movie, right? Well, after spending a few months with no cable, no internet, a Netflix account and my personal collection of gaming entertainment, I don’t think videogames can, or ever will, create the same response as a movie.

There is no question in my mind that videogames are art: It can bring the player into a unique world and a good game can give a truly unique experience that other mediums can’t. Games have even created art, as great music soundtracks have been present going back as far as the 8 bit generation (think Super Mario Bros./Mega Man 2).

Why can’t games give the same experience as a movie, then? Two reasons: the emotional response the protagonist creates, specifically when the protagonist dies, and the fact that a game forces you to play it.

Of course playing Zelda can make you feel like you’re partaking in an epic adventure, but when Link dies, there’s just a “game over” screen and it throws you back to where you last saved. When a main character dies in a movie, it’s built up, and you have an emotional response from the death, sometimes to a point where you are driven to tears. That is an emotional response you simply never receive from a video game, because death to the protagonist in a video game is failure, death to the protagonist in a movie is storytelling.

That is why movies faithfully translated from videogames nearly always fall flat: protagonists just don’t make the transition from games to movies well (Mortal Kombat, anyone?). The best video game protagonists are either seemingly invincible (Mario, Gordon Freeman), completely over the top (Duke Nukem, Samus Aran), or both (Master Chief). Worse yet, most of the best video game protagonists never talk.

The other reason why videogames will never create the same emotional response as a movie: you have to move. Film is a fully passive medium, you press one button and sit back for a few hours. That allows your attention to be completely tuned into the story. In a game, you must move the character and complete tasks to continue the story. Although you can be immersed in the game, your mind still focuses on jumping across platforms or killing bad guys. No amount of immersion can cancel the fact that your mind is concentrating on things aside from the story, that’s because a game forces the player turn his/her focus towards the gameplay.

Although happy mediums are being reached, the best games are going to focus on gameplay, not story. Although story will always be an important part of a “cinematic” gaming experience, games will never create the same emotional response as a film can.

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Addendum:

The closest I have ever seen a videogame come to a cinematic experience is the Max Payne series. It had a protagonist who talked, layers of depth, and a reason for constant violence. His world was surrounded by unique characters and settings, and his story had twists and a definitive end.

Also, the “noir” style that Max Payne had accompanied the story arch well, allowed room for incredible violence, and made elements of the game slightly more believable (it’s more reasonable for someone to receive immediate benefits from pain killers than health packs).

In the end, I have hopes that the Max Payne movie will be good. Although it has a less than desirable cast (Mark Wahlberg, the annoying chick from That 70’s Show), the story’s noir style could really add a unique atmosphere to the movie, a lot like Sin City did a few years back. It will also be interesting to see how Max’s dreams/drug induced hallucinations — such a key part to the first game’s atmosphere — are translated onto film.

If done correctly, Max Payne could become the first videogame to make a good movie.

Than again, Mark Wahlberg is the lead.

– Drew Quandt | Web Producer