JAKARTA - The year 2021 has just entered its second month. The news about a number of games being adapted into the format of shows and movies is growing. Most recently, there is a DOTA game adapted in serial format by Netflix.
The teaser video that Netflix released on Wednesday, February 17 had DOTA fans excited. But, on the other hand, they make sure that the adaptation is no different from the various video game films made. Especially when they find out that this animation is adapted in a 'Western' way; not Japanese anime.
On the other hand, netizens also do not deny that DOTA has material that is very feasible to be adapted compared to other video games.
Apart from DOTA, there are Mortal Kombat, Minecraft, Cyberpunk, Call of Duty, The Last of Us, Resident Evil, and others that are ready to be adapted in series or film form. Of course, this transformation is interesting news for gamers.
Games are the most adapted material after books. However, unlike books, game adaptations always received bad criticism when they were released.
One of the newest ones at the end of 2020 yesterday, Monster Hunter received a negative response even though the film was directed by Paul WS Anderson who often adapts video games into films. Most video game films cannot make it to big numbers domestically and sometimes they are saved by the international market. For example, the film WarCraft, which was not well received in the United States but in China, reaped USD 430 million.
Stories are the main condition why video games don't always work. Super Mario Bros, for example. In video games, they only offer stories about Mario's adventures through various blocks. Then what if this is translated into film format?
Video games only have a backstory, which is a narrative about the origins, history, or experiences of a character. A backstory is a story from the past which is a strong reason for the character to take certain actions.
2020 has been a 💥 MONSTER 💥 - Cheers to the New Year! #MonsterHunterMovie is now playing in theaters - get tickets now! https://t.co/A1mc1bkvNg pic.twitter.com/wX1HsvH3P9
- Monster Hunter (@Monster_Hunter) January 1, 2021
Two Different Worlds
"The kinds of games people want to make in film format are often not examples (of stories) that have the stress in the drama", Cara Ellison, a video game narrative designer who writes television and comics, told the Guardian.
The process of making a film and video game scripts also received different treatment. Game companies usually create in-game story plots for 15 hours, then, they have to adapt the game's story plot into a movie script. That's troublesome.
"Fitting all the points in the game into a 120-minute film is a hardship".
Playing video games and watching movies are two different things. In playing the game, players are involved in choosing the storyline and characters, whereas this cannot be done in the film.
"Problems started when filmmakers wanted to incorporate game elements into their film adaptations, for reasons of the story material available", said Lauren O'Callaghan, Gamesradar's entertainment editor.
In general, these filmmakers try to attract the attention of game fans like movie fans. But usually, they end up missing two main audience parties.
For example, Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, which was released in 2010. They only got USD 56 million. That value is low for a game adaptation. The character and story development are weak so it can't save the whole storyline.
On the other hand, fantasy films that don't adapt to games have better storytelling. Scott Pilgrim vs the World is one of those films with a plot that uses a video game elements but has a very unique story - about someone who fights in the game for his real life.
Paul Tassi from Forbes said that most good films are movies about playing games. Ready Player One, for example, tells how humans struggle against life in a virtual world.
Adventure video games like Jumanji and Wreck it Ralph also received attention because of the writer's cleverness in processing the game format into a film. Wreck it Ralph has a story about various game characters who try to 'live' in another game room.
Adjustments
Video games and movies are two different products even though they are both parts of entertainment. Film activists need to make adjustments so that the film adaptation does not depend on the game. Please note, there is no data that can show this fact. But if you look at the total box office gains, we can see that the video game film adaptation doesn't work very well.
Plus, there are games with specific stories. The Last of Us for example. A detailed story can be adapted like translating a book. Especially recently, The Last of Us will be adapted in a series by HBO.
Meanwhile, there is the Tomb Raider movie. In the game version, there are only 45 minutes of the story consisting of scenes and dialogue and 15 hours of total play. To turn this story into a film is a challenge in itself for writers.
If the creative team only wants to sell movies like video games, this is a big mistake. Not all video games deserve a film adaptation. Because filmmakers need to know the game adaptation is not just a matter of seeking material gain, but also giving great honor to the original source.
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