Console to cinema: The rise of gaming in Hollywood

Superheroes from comic books have been ruling the box office. But, these days video games are the latest sensation, exceeding the popularity of movies, like the award-winning releases of The Last of Us, Arcane, and The Super Mario Bros. 

Movies have signified a monumental shift in Hollywood’s attention span. 

It's clear that they're no longer riding the coattails of novels as gaming has officially captured their interest.

The truth behind Hollywood's connection to gaming 

This doesn’t explain the sudden interest, though. High bounce rates for adaptations of games in Hollywood used to suggest that they were considered ‘riskier’ in comparison to Hollywood’s best-selling novels.

 But, this is no longer the case, since modern-day video games like Pokémon and Zelda are turning into best-selling franchises.

 These once pixelated fighting games are now indulgent in rich lore, deep character development, and engaging narratives.

Even Red Dead Redemption and Cyberpunk 2077 have crossed over to seemingly endless realms of storytelling powered by motion capture performances and orchestral scores worthy of Oscar. 

In short, today’s gaming industry is no longer limited to consoles and controllers; it has now officially become an unlimited source of inspiration to the film industry.

Narrative Goldmines: Games as the new mythology

While Marvel and DC comics provided rich source material, franchise fatigue appears to be setting in. Audiences are actively seeking new stories.

 Popular gaming IP’s contain intricately woven complex universe fandoms rich in emotional narrative depth,

Shows like The Last of Us proved that a well-written game can be adapted into prestige television winning an Emmy and critical praise.

This isn’t mere content, rather a blend of diverse storytelling from American folklore. Biased game franchises have lore deep enough to justify the production of sequel's, spin-offs, and now cinematic universes.

The financial upside

It goes without saying that Hollywood operates purely as a business. The raw data does not lie in this case. 

The global market for video games is expected to exceed $500 billion by the year 2030, thus surpassing the industry of film and music combined.

 Popular gaming franchises almost and always have a massive audience available to target (established in the hundred millions).

Take a look The Super Mario Bros. Movie, an advanced box office hit off 1 billion dollars. Five Nights at Freddy's also comes to mind. 

It was made for a fraction of the cost of a typical marvel film but generated an insane amount of revenue. Adapting video games provides a new source of creative entertainment and profit.

A change in customs: Gamers have become the new tastemakers

Gaming is no longer a niche activity identifying a certain group of people, it is now at the center of our culture. 

With the introduction of Twitch, YouTube video game channels, eSports, and gaming cosplay, gamers are now omnipresent, driving change in fashion, music, and narratives.

Leveling up risks: Analysing if every game can be adapted to a good movie

Adapting games isn't as straightforward as it seems. Unlike comics and books, video games are active pieces of art. 

Every story in a game is intended to be experienced through the player, which captures the immersion. 

A proper balance needs to be struck to retain the level of immersion while also adapting it to a passive medium like film, which is incredibly challenging.

Moreover, not all games would be able to translate well into a good movie. Studios risk alienating the gamer audience if it’s poorly adapted, but if they are too obscure in the references, the general audiences will lose interest.

The future: Direction where gaming and Hollywood collide

The integration of films and games will advance even further, it will possibly reach the meta-verse. 

Envision a universe where fans don’t only watch movies, but actively participate in them and play with their favorite characters.

 Stories will change according to ideas put forth by the community, and with bleeding-edge technology such as AI-generated content, and VR, the lines separating video games, movies of reality are beginning to exist.

Epic Games and Netflix are examples of studios already experimenting with this technology. 

Instead of having movie theaters as an avenue, why not use an immersive open-world universe where the story comes to life, allowing fans to truly live inside the story. This is likely the next phase for Hollywood.